Echo Mountain

It's a quiet yet powerful tale about nature, family, and finding your own strength when all seems lost. A perfect read for those who love historical fiction with a strong, nature-loving protagonist.

Lauren Wolk has an unusual way of writing. For Valentines day we get each of our seven grandchildren books. I read them first because we, along with their parents, are particular about what they read. So many times, Ms. Wolk's books have been almost too odd, but I still continued to read them, I just had to know how they ended. They are just too good. I recommend this one along with Wolf Hollow and Beyond the Bright Sea. They will make your child think, they are not full of the shallow silliness or troubling hidden messages that so many of today's YA fiction are brimming with. There are valuable life lessons that will be understood by 10+ year old kids. Even our most reluctant reader enjoyed Wolf Hollow, also my favorite. Nothing vulgar, no filthy language or sexual suggestions. (Beware, the above is found in the most innocent looking children's books.) So wonderful, Ms. Wolk, I will look forward to your next book, sincerely, the granny book police.

Love this story - if you enjoy reading stories about the past (simpler times) and especially those with themes of working with nature, exploration, overcoming hardship, having faith in hard situations etc. this is a book for you. Loved the elements of learning to live and survive in the forest and make friends with your neighbors

Wolk weaves an engrossing story with the Great Depression as a backdrop and tells how a family adjusts from living in the town to living in the mountains. Our protagonist is a 12 year old girl who finds herself embracing this change in pace and simply delighted by being enveloped by all of nature.When the family suffers a setback, Ellie must step up to fill the void and finds herself...finding herself in the woods of Echo Mountain. She pushes her mother's limits; she pushes her father to come back to them; in the absence of her father, she pushes her younger brother to grow; and most importantly, she pushes herself.This is a great story for a young girl in your life trying to find themselves and still growing to meet the expectations of those around them while also setting their own expectations for themselves and finding their path.Wolk does an excellent job of writing a story which is pleasantly readable and serves as a great canvas for understanding how one can face adversity with grit.That said, I felt that there were a few things which detracted from the storytelling.First is the pacing. The first third of the book picks up quite slowly while the last two thirds seems to drive at a fever pitch. You never lose the storyline because of Wolk's writing, but the last third of the story feels a bit rushed to me. The pacing of the dialogue especially becomes jarring in some chapters.Second is the dialogue. To me, it reads like a 21st century author writing an early 20th century character and that really took me out of the story; the lexicon and vocabulary simply didn't seem fitting for the era and for the age of the characters especially our protagonist's younger brother. At one point, a character uses the term "chameleon" and I wondered if a Depression era 12 year old daughter of a music teacher and a tailor would know what a chameleon is.Third is the "happy coincidences" that the story weaves together. You see it coming from a mile away and when that happens, it "cheapens" the payoff when you get there.It is otherwise still a great read and recommended for young readers, but if you are expecting a more historical take, I think you will be met with some (mild) disappointment.

Although meant for young readers this book may deliver a soothing reading to older ones as well, as it did for me.The story is about a young girl who, as a result of the Great Depression, moved with her family from the relative comfort of the city to the harsh reality in a wild mountain forest. The story contains all elements to make it a great read; resilience and special talents of the main heroine, the witch-like women living on the mountain, the mysterious boy in the woods, the big and a little scary dog, and, of course, the abundance of serendipity that allows everything to end up well.Bottom line: Five stars in young readers category.

This is one of the best books I’ve ever read! I’ve been reading it aloud with my 9 year old son and I have to say I would love this book even on my own as an adult! My son rarely chooses to read on his own, and he’s picky about what books he’ll try, but I surprised him with this and started reading it to him and he loves it too! The plot really keeps you going. The wording is exquisite. There are powerful morals to discuss as you go along, about life and finding your inner voice. I will be buying more Lauren Wolk books for sure!

I read this aloud to my husband, daughter (9) and son (8). We love nature, the idea of living simply, especially more from the land. We all really loved this book - the story, the characters, the natural references that we recognise and some new ideas. At the end of the book, we decided to send a copy to my 94 year old grandmother and Aunt to read aloud together - they loved it and whizzed through it. Good book for any age.