Echo in Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge

Aug 16, 2025 Jody rated it it was amazing

Some books stay with you long after you close the cover—Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan is one of those books. 🎶✨

This beautifully woven story connects three different lives across time and place, all tied together by the mysterious pull of a harmonica. Themes of hope, resilience, music, and the power of human connection flow through every page.

Ryan’s writing is lyrical and magical, yet grounded in real history, making it a story that feels both timeless and deeply moving. I couldn’t put it down, and I kn ...more

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Apr 21, 2018 Tara Nichols rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audiobooks, finished-in-2018, bipoc-reads, well-written-feel-good

This was such a beautiful story. I highly recommend the audiobook.

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Aug 13, 2016 Megan rated it really liked it

Shelves: american-stories, international-reads, music, middle-grade-and-young-adult, historical-fiction, europe, art, fantasy, book-riot-2016-read-harder, library-loans

I selected this for the "Read a middle grade novel" category for the 2016 Book Riot Read Harder challenge. Since the book is nearly 600 pages, it could also qualify for the "Read a book over 500 pages long" category too! I wasn't quite sure what to expect reading a "kids" book but figured I couldn't go wrong with one that was awarded the Newbery Honor. This was an incredibly impressive book that wove together historical facts with a fantastical element in an absolutely beautiful way. The author I selected this for the "Read a middle grade novel" category for the 2016 Book Riot Read Harder challenge. Since the book is nearly 600 pages, it could also qualify for the "Read a book over 500 pages long" category too! I wasn't quite sure what to expect reading a "kids" book but figured I couldn't go wrong with one that was awarded the Newbery Honor. This was an incredibly impressive book that wove together historical facts with a fantastical element in an absolutely beautiful way. The author did a remarkable job of introducing difficult subjects and concepts in a way that a young reader could easily digest and want to learn more about and discuss. While many of the topics/concepts are serious presented throughout the book, the overall message is one of hope and the ability to overcome seemingly impossible situations.

The book opens and closes with a fairy tale-like story about a boy named Otto who finds himself entwined in a puzzling quest that involves a prophecy, a promise, and a harmonica. In between those tales, the book is divided into four parts -- the first three focusing on three children whose lives cross paths in the fourth part of the book. Each child is faced with an extremely daunting challenge in extremely difficult periods of time. Part one is set in 1933 in Trossingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany and focuses on a boy named Friedrich whose challenge is to rescue his father -- Nazism and Hitler are changing Germany in dramatic ways, and Friedrich and his family are in jeopardy as a result. Part two is set in 1935 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and focuses on an orphan named Mike whose challenge is to protect his younger brother, Frankie -- a potential adoption opportunity causes Mike to make an impossible sacrifice. Part three is set in 1942 in Southern California and focuses on a young girl named Ivy whose challenge is to hold her family together in the midst of WWII. Each of their stories ends with a cliffhanger that is resolved in the fourth part, which is set in 1951 in New York. Connecting all of the stories is a magical harmonica that touches each of their lives and those of their families. The transformative power of music is central to the story and key to the children's abilities to face the challenges that life has thrown at them.

After I finished the book, I read more about it online because I was curious how an almost 600-page book that deals with serious themes (war, Nazism, discrimination, internment camps, and migration, to name but a few) would be received by its intended audience. I wondered if a sensitive child might end up being stressed out by the cliffhangers and thought how important it would be to have someone encouraging them to keep reading because of how the cliffhangers are resolved in the end. I was delighted to see how positively this book has been received, and I loved finding out that young readers have been so taken with this book that they are leaving notes in library books for other readers to let them know how much they had loved it and how much they knew another reader would too and how it had given them hope. If this book is indicative of the quality of middle grade novels available today, I have no doubt that there is a new generation of curious, thoughtful kid readers who will undoubtedly grow up to become curious, thoughtful life-long readers. ...more

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Jan 12, 2023 Sarah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: kids-chapter-books, 52bookclub2023

52 Book Club 2023: Chapters have cliffhangers

Listen to the audiobook!

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Oct 06, 2018 Gina rated it really liked it

It seems like it’s going to be a fantasy book about a magical harmonica in the beginning, but it’s more than that. There are three separate stories involving a mysterious harmonica that all come together in the last part of the book. It’s more about the magic of hope and joy. The magic of bravery and triumph. The magic of moving past a terrible loss and learning to live again. Good stuff!

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Dec 18, 2016 Elizabeth rated it liked it

This is a creative, easy to read book, but it's very emotionally stressful and drags you through a lot. Great for people who like movies like Dancer in the Dark, and other such miseries. ...more

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Apr 07, 2017 Celeste rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audio-book

4.5 stars A fairy tale ties three different characters together through the passing along of a harmonica. I enjoyed this book and the author does an amazing job writing such empathetic characters. The audio readers were fantastic and I enjoyed listening to the music that went with the story. Good book! (Pop Sugar Challenge: a book that is a story within a story) C & K B.C.

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Jun 01, 2018 Nari rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, historical-fiction, audio-book, teen-books, 2018

Beautifully written. Told through the eyes of 4 children growing up between WW1 & WW2. The music that fills the story makes it so much more powerful. This has been one of my favorite audiobooks to date.

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