Book Review - Echo: A Novel

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Ryan, Pam Munoz (2015). ECHO: A NOVEL. Scholastic Press. ISBN: 9780439874021

2. PLOT SUMMARY

This story follows the path of a harmonica that is possessed by the spirits of three sisters
who are trapped in a cottage in the woods until the curse that was given to them by their
caretaker can be broken. The harmonica finds its way across the globe being passed to
three different people over the span of ten years. Each of their story’s is about the bonds
of family, the struggles of war, and deciding who to trust in the most difficult of times.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This tale weaves together three unique stories in a masterful way. Three different
characters, three different families, and three completely different lives, but this story
binds them together through a harmonica and a mission that they didn’t even know they
were participating in. In this low historical fantasy novel, the author addresses
intolerance, ignorance, poverty, and war through the lives of the main characters.
Whether it be religious such as being allies with the Jewish population in Nazi Germany,
racial such as being hispanic in America in the 1940s, or being poor orphans trying to
avoid underage labor, the author has the reader on their toes hoping for a happy ending
and shaking their heads in disbelief at the treatment they endured.

The theme of hope continues throughout the book with the dramatic irony of the reader
knowing about the three spirits trapped in the harmonica and rooting for them to break
their curse. The mixture of fairytale with realism helps sell the idea that this could be real
and magic could exist in the real world.

The characters come together in the end and as grand as the orchestra that they all
dreamt of performing in, their journey ebbs and flows with suspense and finally comes
crashing down in a harmonious ending that mimics any Beethoven symphony.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

JOHN NEWBERY MEDAL
*KIRKUS STAR REVIEW: “A grand narrative that examines the power of music to inspire
beauty in a world overrun with fear and intolerance, it’s worth every moment of readers’
time.”
BOOKLIST REVIEW: “Ryan nonetheless builds a heartening constellation of stories
around the harmonica, and the ultimate message—that small things can have a powerful
destiny—is resoundingly hopeful.”

5. CONNECTIONS

*Students could speculate as to why they thought the music from the harmonica gave
the children the courage to stand up and be brave.
*Students could learn to play a tune on the harmonica and it could be turned into a
music lesson.

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