LoveReading4Kids Says
LoveReading4Kids Says
Shortlisted for CILIP Carnegie Medal 2021
Lauren Wolk’s Echo Mountain shimmers with timeless lyricism and rhythm. The story sings with empathy and a spirit of bravery. Its world is one young readers will be enraptured by and long to return to, making it perfect for fans of classic Eva Ibbotson novels and contemporary books by Katherine Rundell.
In the wake of The Great Depression, Ellie’s fine tailor father and music teacher mother lose work, then their house, “and then the life we’d always known” when they’re compelled to leave town for Echo Mountain. While her mother and sister find mountain life especially tough (they “lived in a brew of fear and exhaustion”), Ellie and her father loved the woods, loved the mountain and “what it kindled in me.”
Ellie is mystified when her dog returns home with a little wooden lamb attached to its collar, and then more objects appear, including a carving of Ellie herself left in the stump of the tree that almost killed her father. With her family reeling from his accident, Ellie’s determination to find a cure leads her to Cate, a skilled healer who’s disparaged as a witch, and wild Larkin, her young apprentice. Through Cate, Ellie too learns how to heal, and also how to see beyond appearances, and how to persevere. What a wonderfully immersive read.
Joanne Owen
Find This Book In
| Suitable For: |
|
| Other Genres: |
|
| Recommendations: |
|
About
Echo Mountain Synopsis
'Harper Lee has a worthy successor. Wolk is a big new talent' The Times
'Lyrical, timeless . . . A luscious, shivery delight' Kirkus starred review
1933. When Ellie and her family lose everything, they flee to Echo Mountain to build a new life. Ellie runs wild, exploring the mountain's mysteries. But the one she can't solve is who's leaving the gifts for her: tiny, beautiful wooden carvings of animals and flowers, dotted around the mountain for her to find.
Then Ellie's father has a terrible accident. Now he lies in a coma, while Ellie shoulders the blame for what happened. When she sets out to find a cure for him, she discovers Cate, the outcast witch, and Larkin, a wild mountain boy. From them she learns about being a healer, being brave - and about how there can be much more to a person than first meets the eye.
An unforgettable novel from the award-winning author of Wolf Hollow and Beyond the Bright Sea.
'It is a magical thing to step into a world created by Wolk . . . Captivating' Booklist starred review
'Historical fiction at its finest' The Horn Book starred review
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9780241424155 |
| Publication date: |
7th May 2020 |
| Author: |
Lauren Wolk |
| Publisher: |
Penguin Books an imprint of Penguin Random House Children's UK |
| Format: |
Hardback |
| Pagination: |
356 pages |
| Suitable For: |
|
| Other Genres: |
|
| Recommendations: |
|
Press Reviews
Lauren Wolk Press Reviews
Lyrical, timeless . . . A luscious, shivery delight - Kirkus
It is a magical thing to step into a world created by Wolk . . . Captivating - Booklist
Exquisitely layered . . . Powerful - Publishers Weekly
Lyrical and affecting - Wall Street Journal
Historical fiction at its finest - The Horn Book
Evokes the mountain environment in language so lovely that long passages read like a novel in verse . . . Ellie is a deeply appealing character, and her story feels right for this moment. A reader who wants to make a difference will appreciate the way she rolls up her sleeves and gets things done. And surely there has never been a better time to read about healing, of both the body and the heart - New York Times
Soothing and exquisitely written - People
Evocative and touching . . . In this complex, memorable novel, Wolk explores themes of social responsibility, modern versus traditional medicine, biological versus chosen family and more - Bookpage
Author
About Lauren Wolk
After graduating from Brown University in 1981 with a degree in English literature, Lauren Wolk spent a year as a writer with the Battered Women's Project of the St. Paul American Indian Center, and then worked as both an editor and an English teacher. Since 2007, she has been the Associate Director of the Cultural Center of Cape Cod. She is an award-winning poet and also a visual artist. Wolf Hollow is set in western Pennsylvania where her family roots run deep. Both of her parents were raised in that area, her mother on a farm and in a family that served as the inspiration for the novel.
More About Lauren Wolk
.jpg)
