“Your fate is not yet sealed. Even in the darkest night, a star will shine, a bell will chime, a path will be revealed.” – Echo

The first definition of “echo” in Webster’s online dictionary is: the repetition of a sound caused by reflection of sound waves; the sound due to such reflection. I was intrigued by the title of this Newberry award-winning book and wondered what prompted it. 

The story opens with what feels like an old German fairy tale. Three princesses are ensnared in a spell that binds them to a wood. A young boy loses his way in the forest and happens upon the three magical princesses. The sisters each play the harmonica for him, but instead of hearing their music one at a time, he hears the song swell with all three voices simultaneously. When the song is completed, the sisters help him find his way home, and they bless him with the harmonica and tell him to keep it safe, for the only way their enchantment can be broken is if that harmonica saves “a soul at the moment of death.” 

It is here that we begin to subtly get clues about the word “echo.” As one sister played the harmonica, the echo continued while the next sister played, and so on. Because this is an enchantment, that echo goes out into the world sending waves of magic with it. And as this blessed harmonica transfers from Frederich in 1933 Germany to Mike in 1935 Philadelphia and then to Ivy Maria in 1942 Southern California, the magic reverberates through many lives, possibly saving many souls. Until, at last, it works its final magic and the enchantment is broken.

While I have become increasingly skeptical of the Newbery Award, I am delighted that Pam Munoz Ryan’s excellent Echo was noticed and honored. While the primary setting of this story is WWII, and the war does have an important part to play in the lives of Freiderich and Ivy Maria, the real thrust of the story is the power of music to heal others. 

“Father… Friedrich has a birthmark that is a physical deformity we now know runs in the family. You said yourself Mother had an aunt with the same affliction. And now there is a record of epilepsy which is also considered hereditary. The new law is specific . . . the Law for the Prevention of Genetically Diseased Offspring. It passed in July. Doctors have until January to report patients with physical deformities or hereditary conditions. Most will need an operation to prevent them from ever having children, so as not to pass along the undesirable traits.” 

When Freiderich discovers Otto Messenger’s harmonica, he has no idea of its history. He just knows that it has a sound unlike any other harmonica he has ever played. Freiderich is a German youth whose birth was so traumatic that his birth certificate has him listed as deceased. His sister is a nurse and a lover of Hitler and his policies. Freiderich’s father is distraught over Elizabeth’s allegiance to the Third Reich, he is defiant against the prohibitions on the Jews, and he is terrified of what will befall Frederich if they stay in Germany. All Frederich wants to do is go to a conservatory to be trained as a symphonic conductor. 

“Mike picked up the harmonica and leaned on the windowsill, looking out. The North Star gleamed. Softly, he began a slow and simple rendition of ‘Home, Sweet Home.’ He missed Granny. He wished he could be little again, leaning against her on the piano bench while she gave him lessons. What should he do now? She had said that the right person would find them. But who? And where was the path he should take?”

Mike and his little brother Frankie are orphans who, despite hating their orphanage, are willing to do whatever is necessary to stay together. Both are musical, but Mike is exceptionally talented. When they are adopted by a woman who is overcome with grief at the loss of her own child, Mike believes he must leave Frankie in order to give his little brother the best chance at a good life. Mike hopes that music can be his way to safety for himself. 

“Ivy pulled the harmonica from her pocket and turned it in her hands. Running her fingers over the shiny cover plate, with its beautiful engravings and the mysterious letter M, she was overcome with a feeling of wanting to help Kenny. Impulsively, before he could climb down from the cab, Ivy grabbed his hand, pressed the harmonica into it, and closed his fingers around it.” 

Working as a ranch manager, Ivy’s father moved his family from farm to farm over the years. When he receives an offer for a permanent position near Los Angeles, he moves his family to the Yamamoto farm. The Yamamoto family has been relocated to a Japanese internment camp and they need someone trustworthy to keep their farm working in their absence. Ivy’s brother Fernando is serving in the Army, and Kenny Yamamoto is serving in the Marines. 

Ivy Maria is the great-granddaughter of Mexican rancheros. Her family has lived in California for over one hundred years. When California became a part of America, Ivy’s family became Americans. Raised speaking English and born a U.S. citizen, Ivy, and her parents were dumbfounded when they moved to Orange County and discovered that Ivy was not permitted to attend the main school. Instead, all Mexican children (regardless of their birth or English-speaking ability) were required to attend the Annex school for Hispanics. 

Ivy and her family work hard to make the Yamamoto farm a success and in so doing, work out a deal with Kenny Yamamoto for them to stay permanently when the war is over and the Yamamotos’ return. 

The blessed harmonica moves through each of these stories. Until, finally, it is where it needs to be to do its most important work. But, everywhere it goes, it produces music that touches souls and sends out echoes of love and hope into the world. While it does, in fact, save the life of a soul, it really saves the lives of many souls along the way. The story ends eighteen years after Freiderich first found the harmonica. And, it ends in New York with each of the three children (and some others as well). 

The printing in my book is so lovely. The Prologue contains the story of Otto Messenger. The pages of this tale are told with flowers in the margins. In it, Otto is reading a book that contains the unfinished fairy tale of the princesses. Those pages are black with white lettering and white marginalia. When the prologue ends, and the story begins, the pages are back to their normal white and without marginalia. Until the end. At the very end, we return to the story of Otto, and the pages are again decorated. 

I listened to the audiobook. I have mixed feelings about the audio. Each of the three children’s sections is read by a different narrator. I liked that aspect very much. The voices and accents were just right. Because there is harmonica music in the story, and music is such an essential ingredient in the story itself, the production includes a lot of harmonica music, some piano music, and some vocal sections. I personally found the music to be very distracting and unappealing. To be clear: I am the wife of a musician and I love music! I just did not care for this music. I found the harmonica sounds to be sharp and tinny – not at all warm and melodious as I know that the harmonica can be. That said, nearly all of my friends who have listened to the audiobook have loved (and I mean loved) the musical portions. So, let us know what you think of it!