voracious young readers…this novel’s for you!

When I was a child, my Swede-Finn grandfather carved an exasperatingly difficult wooden puzzle. When it is all put together, it looks like this:

Separately, the pieces look somewhat like this:

I could never put it together, but my older brother could, and watching it happen was like a magic show every time.

To begin with, gaping holes were everywhere. The weird-shaped pieces wobbled in their places so if he didn’t hold them just right, they fell apart like Humpty Dumpty. Fitting them together in convoluted positions, there was a moment in the process when the right piece slid into an impossible slot and — whoa! — it was a solid figure. Then, zip, zap, the final couple of pieces fit easily — I could even put the last two in! — and there it was. Splendid and whole.

So — that’s the feel of this new novel, Echo, by Pam Muñoz Ryan. Disparate pieces in the end fitting together perfectly, amazingly, like a magic puzzle. So satisfying!

Echo: A Novel, by Pam Muñoz Ryan; decorations by Dinara Mirtalipova
published in 2015 by Scholastic Press

It’s sort of a hybrid fairy tale-historical fiction story, set in an inventive format.

We start in about 1865 with a peek into the world of a young boy named Otto. A strange thing happens to Otto as he reads a curious fairy tale of a wicked king, his three fair daughters’ plight, a witch’s curse…

 …and a magic harmonica.

Watch that harmonica, for it is the link — the integral puzzle piece –– for this intricately-crafted novel.

Our story then drops into the lives of three children who each occupy about one-third of the book:

Story One tells of a misfit boy in 1933 Germany. We watch as he and his family members grapple with Naziism in differing ways. Friedrich’s inner world swirls with music. His peculiar habit of conducting the melodies he hears in his head brings him no end of harassment. Will the hateful conformity gripping Germany destroy him and his family?

Story Two takes place in 1935 Pennsylvania, where two brothers, Mike and Frankie, languish in an orphanage. Finally given a home by a wealthy old woman,  Mike is especially thrilled to see her grand piano, for now he can pursue the music he loves. Yet it seems this coldhearted woman doesn’t really want them. What is in store for these brothers?

Story Three jumps ahead to 1942. In southern California, Ivy Lopez’s family moves onto the farm of a Japanese family sent to an internment camp. Ivy’s dreams for her new life are bitterly splintered as she encounters dumbfounding racism. Her haven is in the school orchestra with its warmhearted conductor. Yet ugly suspicions and reprisals threaten to ruin everything.

As I said, a harmonica weaves its way through each of these stories. Isn’t that so surprising?!  And in a final chapter, in New York City, the harmonica is the key to the well-being of everyone we meet on the journey. That’s an extraordinary and most unusual premise, and Ryan’s skill at weaving these stories together will amaze you.

The main characters are all about 11 or 12 years old and although the tensions of Nazi Germany and racism are integral to large sections of the book, it is never grim or unduly heavy. It’s a long novel, at almost 600 pages. My thought is that it would make a fantastic choice especially for young, voracious readers. Many of you are always on the look out for something meaty, well-written, and challenging, yet with themes and emotions appropriate for independent readers even only 7-10 years old. This is it.

It’s a great read which will grab the imagination and attention of kids ages 7-13ish (my guess), and introduce them to some key historical subjects they will want to explore more. Beautifully decorated pages echoing the cover artwork set the fairy-tale-esque parts of the novel apart. The rest of the book is not illustrated.

Lots of fabulous discussion fodder for a book club as well. Grab it this summer for a vacation read.