About This Book
Reach for this book when your child is beginning to ask big questions about fairness, history, or how one person can make a difference in a vast, sometimes unkind world. It is a masterful choice for children who feel like outsiders or those who find solace in music and creative expression. Echo weaves together three historical stories (pre-WWII Germany, Depression-era Pennsylvania, and WWII-era California) through a single, magical harmonica. It explores heavy themes like the rise of Nazism, the foster care system, and segregation with a steady hand, always returning to the power of hope and the 'invisible thread' that connects us all. While the 600-page length might seem daunting, the short chapters and suspenseful, interlocking mysteries make it an accessible, deeply rewarding read for middle schoolers.
