Extra reading
echo
by Pam Munoz Ryan

 a puzzling quest involving a prophecy, a promise, and a harmonica

Winner of a 2016 Newbery Honor

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Otto’s extraordinary encounter the day he is lost in a forbidden forest involves him  in a strange destiny—a quest given to him by three mysterious sisters, a prophecy, and a very special harmonica. Many years later, the lives of three young people  become entwined with that same harmonica. Friedrich must  find a way to escape  with his father from the growing menace of Nazi Germany, but how can they do  that when things are getting more dangerous every day? Mike is desperate to  find a  better place for himself and his younger brother than the orphanage where they live  near Philadelphia, but perhaps the solution, when it comes, is too good to be true.  Ivy longs for her migrant family to have a permanent home in the farming country  of California, but does it have to be at the expense of another family’s misfortune?  What is the secret of the mysterious harmonica that comes into each of these lives,  and how will it help to fulfill a promise made long before they were born?

Summary from  Scholastic Guide found here

Awards for Echo

Awards for Echo
The Newbery Honor – The Kirkus Prize – New York Times Editors’ Choice – ALA Notable Book – New York Historical Society Book Prize – National Parenting Publications Gold Award – Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year – Washington Post Best Books of the Year – NPR 2015 Great Reads – New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing – New York Times Notable Book – SCIBA Middle Grade Book of the Year – The Audie Award – International Literacy Association Notable Book for a Global Society – Booksource Scout Award – NCTE Notable Book in the Language Arts – ILA/CBC Children’s Choice – The Américas Award – The New Jersey Garden State Teen Book Award

Listen to interview with pam munoz ryan

Author writes on her inspiration for Echo story

After corresponding with the Hohner Harmonica company in Trossingen, Germany, I traveled there to tour the campus of the largest harmonica factory in the world. I learned about the six-pointed star on the harmonicas and how it was removed when Hitler became chancellor, and about the young apprentices who used to work at the factory. It was there that Friedrich’s story began to unfold, along with the premise for the book: one harmonica that journeyed into three characters’ lives—a mysterious harmonica that somehow contributed to each character’s ability to carry on through dark times, infused them with strength and vision, and showed them the light of hope.
Music Resources
WW2 Links
Netflix   
Segregation
about the author

echo
by pam munoz ryan

“I am a reader, writer, author, and pilgrim. Every book is a journey.”

People frequently ask me, “What is your motivation to write?”
The answer is simple. I want the reader to turn the page.

Pre-reading

1. Research the author, Pam Munoz Ryan.  What other books has she written?   (author's site Pam Munoz Ryan)

2. Read her note to readers found here:   Scholastic Guide

3. READING AND WRITING LIFE - read this (the extended bio) in her own words

4. Write a brief biography of her to be posted here.

your biography:

Online Resources
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Pam Munoz Ryan

Author's Site    Pam Munoz Ryan

About the Author
Pam Muñoz Ryan is the author recipient of the National Education  Association’s Civil and Human Rights Award, the winner of the Virginia  Hamilton Literary Award for Multicultural Literature, and she has  twice received the Willa Cather Award for writing.

She has written over  thirty books for young people, from picture books for the very young  to middle grade novels which include: Esperanza Rising, Becoming Naomi Leon, Riding Freedom, Paint the Wind, The Dreamer, and most recently,  Echo.

She holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree from San Diego  State University and lives near San Diego with her family. For more  information, visit www.PamMunozRyan.com.                                        

Summary from  Scholastic Guide found here

Novels  |  Picture Books  |  Early Readers  |  Short Stories in Anthologies

study guide

Some questions to consider

based on Scholastic Guide found here

key ideas to discuss

1; What clues in the prologue story help you determine when  and where Otto’s story takes place? How does the harmonica  help him to  nd his way home?
     Why will no one believe his story about Eins, Zwei, and Drei?

2. The midwife’s prophecy in the tale is:  “Your fate is not yet sealed. Even in the darkest night, a star will shine, a bell will chime, a path will be revealed. Discuss how this 
     applies to the lives of Friedrich, Mike, and Ivy,.   To the lives of  Otto and the sisters in the tale?

3.  Compare and contrast the lives and character of Friedrich, Mike, and Ivy. What role does the harmonica play in their lives?

4.  Think about the adults in each story.  Tell me how they are either positive or negative influences.

5.  What factors affect the sibling relationships in each story?  Why?

Craft and structure

1. The tale begins,  “Once, long before enchantment was eclipsed by doubt . . . ”  How does the choice of  words in that sentence set a tone for the book?

2.  What is point of view?  How does this author use this unique tool to build her story?  .
      Why do you think the quthor ended each section with a cliffhanger? 
      Have you read any other stories in which the author used multiple points of view to tell the story?

3. Discuss the significance of the line at the end of section four,  “ . . . and connected by the same silken thread” (p. 583).
     Discuss "the same silken thread" as relating to the tree sisters. How does that phrase echo the themes of the novel in general?

Integration of knowledge

1. This book is historical fiction mixed with fairy tale.  Look up information on the real topics .
  • Adolf Hitler,
  • Matthias Hohner,
  • Albert Hoxie,
  • Larry Adler,
  • Pearl Harbor,
  • Japanese internment camps,
  • the bracero program
2. Read other fiction and nonfiction with similar themes and compare to Echo.
3. Look up information about the town of Trossingen in Germany.
     Why if this place called "music town"?

More books of interest

also by pam munoz ryan

Novels  |  Picture Books  |  Early Readers  |  Short Stories in Anthologies

books of interest (other authors)

books about hitler's germany/ww2

books about the great depression

books about segregation

RELATED SUBJECTS:
Musical Instruments , Jewish Experience , World War II ,
Character and Values