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Echo is a children's by American author Pam Munoz Ryan. Echo was published by Scholastic in 2015.

Munoz Ryan was selected as an honor Newbery Medal by the Newbery Medal Committee in 2015, recognizing Echo as one of the "most outstanding contribution to children’s literature"

Description
Echo is a hard cover book measuring 5.80(w) x 8.40(h) x 2.00(d)

Plot
A child named Otto(The Story's main Character) finds himself lost in a magical forest during a game of tag. While lost he recalls a purchase he made from a gypsy earlier in the day in which he bought a book and a Harmonica. He begins to read the story which tells of a King who sent his three daughters to be left to die in the woods by a midwife, who instead secretly gives them to a witch who names them Eins(German for One), Zwei(German for two) , and Drei(German for Three). She gives them these names in order to remember the order in which they were brought to her. To his surprise Otto then stumbles into a clearing and encounter the same three girls from the story who have been trapped there by the witch for attempting to leave her and go back to their kingdom. Otto then uses his Harmonica to free the girls from the forest as stated in the prophecy and embarks on a quest as a messenger to fulfill it(the prophecy) fully.

As the title suggests the Harmonica then Echos the story of Friedrich, a young German boy who is growing up during Nazi rul, who suffers from a severe facial deformity who creates musical compositions in his mind; Mikey and Frankie Flannery who or orphaned during tye great depression but find a sense of home through their affinity for playing the piano; and young Ivy Loepz, a young mexican-american american who uses her musicla talents to feel noticed even though the cards are stacked against her being placed in a segregated school.

Development
Munoz Ryan began her career by being published in 1994 with her first book One Hundred Is A Family. Munoz Ryan also went on to write Esperanza Rising, which was nominated for Pura Belpre Award for Latino cultural experience; Riding Freedom, illustrated by Brian Selznick,which recieved several wards including the 1999–2000 California Young Reader Medal, 1998 Magic Award for Most Outstanding Books, 1999 Teacher's Choice Award, 1999 National Willa Cather Award for Best Young Adult Novel; Southern California Center of Literature for Young People, Award of Merit, 1999–2000 Arizona Young Reader's Award; and When Marian Sang,'' illustrated by Brian Selznick,which received both the 2003 Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children and the 2003 Honor Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award. Munoz Ryan initially didn't plan to write Echo, but stumbled upon the idea while researching what she thought would be her next book about a not s well know court case Roberto Alvarez v. the Board of Trustees of the Lemon Grove School District

While visiting Lemon Grove she was looking through year books and found a picture of depicting a class photo in which half of the students were barefoot and each child was holding a harmonica. Munoz then discovered Albert Hoxie’s Philadelphia Harmonica Band, a 60 member band comprised of all boys who used only Hohner Marine Band harmonicas. Munoz later said in an interview "That led me to the Hohner harmonica route. The situations [that I was exploring] lent themselves to a girl that might have played the harmonica [and the Lemon Grove case inspired many of Ivy’s circumstances] and to another child—a boy—who could have played in Hoxie’s band, which had many orphans in it [like my character Mike]. Not until I went to the Hohner factory did I learn that they had child apprentices [like Friedrich]."

Critical Reception
The New York Times says "After reading Pam Muñoz Ryan’s enchanting new novel, you’ll never think the same way again." Kirkus Reviews calls Echo "A grand narrative that examines the power of music to inspire beauty in a world overrun with fear and intolerance, it’s worth every moment of readers’ time..