Book Review - Echo Mountain

[Prof. Kendra Givens]

Title: Echo Mountain
Author: Lauren Wolk
Genre: Tween, Historical Fiction
Series: N/A
Summary:
After losing everything thanks to the financial crash of the Great Depression, Ellie and her family move from a populated town up to Echo Mountain to start a new life. Most of her family resents having to be there, but Ellie finds their new life sort of refreshing. Despite her enjoyment of this, her whole family struggles with the aftermath of a tragic accident that has left her father in a coma. Her family blames her for this, and she takes the blame though she knows what actually happened.

Ellie will try anything to bring her father back to them, which leads her up the mountain to learn some healing secrets from 'the hag'. On her way up (and down) the mountain, she learns a lot about the history and the people of Echo Mountain. She discovers a strength in herself she never knew, and she learns a lot about life.

My Thoughts:
I reviewed this author for my last post, and most of what I said there stands. I don't understand how anyone could consider this to be 'tween' literature. There are a lot of graphic descriptions of some injuries and healing procedures. The story is also VERY complex and there are many, many deep thoughts about life, becoming, and living in and for the moment. I adore the way Lauren Wolk writes. She just makes the story flow so effortlessly, though the story itself is very, very complex. I admit that I'm a person who reads for a little bit every night, and it was difficult at times to reestablish where the story was when I picked the book back up. This book is ultimately about the 'elses' and the 'yets' in life. It's also about recognizing that you have to learn a lot by doing in order to know how to do it.

My favorite quote from the book, which sums it all up very nicely, is "The sun never rises the way it did before. Not exactly. And it won't rise the same way tomorrow. But it's still the sun. And we'd all be just as cold without it."

I really would love to read this again in bigger chunks. I might have to write down the poignant quotes so I can really process all of the depth she put into this story. It's definitely one that makes you reflect, appreciate, and consider new opportunities for growth.