Echo is a novel of great ambition, with four historical settings, different characters and stories in a planned symphony that doesn’t quite sound perfect when it all comes together in the end. Title: Echo Author: Pam Muñoz Ryan Genre: Fantasy, Historical, Middle Grade Publisher: Scholastic Press Publication Date: February 24 2015 Hardcover: 592 pages Music, magic, and a real-life miracle meld in this genre-defying masterpiece from storytelling maestro Pam Muñoz Ryan. Lost and alone in a forbidden forest, Otto meets three mysterious sisters and suddenly finds himself entwined in a puzzling quest involving a prophecy, a promise, and a harmonica. Decades later, Friedrich in Germany, Mike in Pennsylvania, and Ivy in California each, in turn, become interwoven when the very same harmonica lands in their lives. All the children face daunting challenges: rescuing a father, protecting a brother, holding a family together. And ultimately, pulled by the invisible thread of destiny, their suspenseful solo stories converge in an orchestral crescendo. Richly imagined and masterfully crafted, ECHO pushes the boundaries of genre and form, and shows us what is possible in how we tell stories. The result is an impassioned, uplifting, and virtuosi tour de force that will resound in your […]