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Echo
Last updated Friday, September 29, 2023
Author: Pam Munoz Ryan
Date of Publication: 2015
ISBN: 9780439874021
Grade Level: 5th (GLCs: Click here for grade level guidelines.)
Date(s) Used: Nov. 2022
Synopsis:
Lost and alone in a forbidden forest, Otto meets three mysterious sisters and suddenly finds himself entwined in a puzzling quest involving a prophecy, a promise, and a harmonica. Decades later, Friedrich in Germany, Mike in Pennsylvania, and Ivy in California each, in turn, become interwoven when the very same harmonica lands in their lives. All the children face daunting challenges: rescuing a father, protecting a brother, holding a family together. And ultimately, pulled by the invisible thread of destiny, their suspenseful solo stories converge in an orchestral crescendo.
| Discussion topics for before reading: |
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What is a harmonica? Have you ever played one?
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Do you play an instrument (or sing), would you like to, or do you know anyone who does—which instrument?
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What is an echo? Why do you think this book might be called Echo?
Vocabulary:
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triumphant: having won, victorious, jubilant
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peculiar: strange, odd
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enchantment: being under a spell or magic (also delight)
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prophecy: a prediction
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| Discussion topics for during/after reading: |
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What is a fairy tale? Can you think of any familiar ones? What do you like about them? What kinds of elements do fairy tales often have (certain characters, happenings, settings)?
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What do the three sisters have to do in order to be free according to the witch's spell?
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Otto has a purpose because of the meeting with the sisters and the harmonica. What is it? Why is it important to have a purpose?
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The story will follow three characters from different eras (a boy in WWII Nazi Germany, brothers in Depression-era US, and a Mexican-American girl involved with the internment/imprisonment of Japanese Americans during WWII). Is there a historical time period you would want to travel back to if you could? Why? What do you associate with that time period?
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| Special activities: |
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Discussion: What's your favorite kind of music/song right now?
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Anyone brave enough to sing us a song or sing something together while we craft? :)
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*Note: These craft ideas are just suggestions.
You can use them, but you don't have to use them.
You can expand upon them, or add your own twist.
Remember, though, that the focus of your time should
not be on the development and execution of a craft;
the focus should be on the read-aloud and the
enjoyment of the book!
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