Echo, Pam Muñoz Ryan. Another favorite book, plunked right during the rise of Adolf Hitler. The front and end pages tell the tale of Otto playing hide and seek, only to stumble and fall into the fairy tale of three forgotten girls with the gift of music. Only with the passing on of a harmonica, can they be released from the spell of their captive witch. From there, the story tells in turn, the tales of three young lives: Friedrich, Mike, Ivy.

Jews are disappearing in Germany and Friedrich and his father are scrutinized because they are not members of the Nazi party. Friedrich's sister, Elisabeth, joined the party and fights against their resistance. They must choose between their beliefs and the love for their sister/daughter. Hiding proves difficult because of Friedrich's port stain birth defect covering half his face and his uncontrollable hand movements as though he is conducting an orchestra.

Across the Atlantic Ocean in Pennsylvania, Mike and his younger brother, Frankie, are orphans, living in an unfit orphanage. Mr. Howard, the lawyer for Mrs. Sturbridge, is charged with finding a young girl to adopt, but leaves with the two boys, not baring to separate their longing arms around one another. When he brings them home to Mrs. Sturbridge, they are unwanted and rebuffed along with the lonely piano that Mike longs to play. Yet, in order to retain her wealth, she must bring joy back to the household. Mike strikes a deal with the sad woman to keep Frankie only.

Ivy and her family are moving yet again, away from her only friend in the world, to tend the farm of the Yamamotos, a Japanese family forced to move to an internment camp in California. Their neighbors, the Wards, suspect the Yamamotos of espionage and search for proof. Their son died in the war and they blame Kenny Yamamoto for living.

All three stories are connected through the "silken thread of destiny," or a harmonica with the letter M  on the side. The stories are separate, yet come together at a beautiful concert in Carnegie Hall. With a sense of fulfillment, Ryan brings closure and satisfaction to a not-to-be-forgotten story yearning to be enjoyed over again. Consider rereading the front and end pages before closing the book. Without a doubt, awards are sure to await Ryan.

"Your fate is not yet sealed.
Even in the darkest night, a star will shine,
a bell will chime, a path will be revealed."

Odette's Secrets, Maryann Macdonald. The true account of young Odette, a Jewish girl living in Paris, during the height of the Nazi regime. With her father joining the  French army and her mother the Resistance, she is sent away to the countryside to live with friends until better times bring them together again. Odette, forced to keep secrets and look like a normal Christian girl, questions her past but during this traumatic historical time, no answers are forthcoming. She makes friends and learns to live a new kind of life, at times, forgetting what her old life, including her father, were like.

This story, written in a series of short poetic chapters invites the reader to live along side Odette, as she struggles with living a lie, but a lie to save her life. A couple of scattered pictures throughout help the reader see her as a real girl, living in a horrific time.

A Long Walk to Water, Linda Sue Park. A true story of Salva, a "lost boy"  of Southern Sudan, in 1985. Attending school one day, war came to his small village, changing his life forever. Told to run by his teacher: from his village, from his family, from everything he knew and he did. The story takes us with him, as he, along with others, trudge through deathly deserts toward Ethiopia and a hoped that things might be better. Along the way, he finds his uncle, the apparent leader of the refugees. His words of wisdom get him through many difficult times. After living in a refugee camp, the people are forced to flee yet again, forcing them to cross the crocodile infested Gilo River, back to Sudan. Death, desperation and despair surround him, yet hope is around the corner.

Paralleling Salvo's story is Nya, a young girl that must walk eight miles a day for water. Day in, day out, she walks. The year is 2008. How their stories connect is heart warming and unforgettable.

Linda Sue Park, author of A Single Shard, masterly tells an important story that kids ought to know. I highly recommend sharing this story with students, perhaps, as a read aloud. It is a slim book, sure to capture their attention.

Be sure to catch Linda Sue Park as she shares the importance of books and how they can change a life. It is definitely worth the 12 minutes.

Under the Egg, Laura Marx Fitzgerald. Times are tough for Theodora (Theo) Tenpenny and her mother, more obsessed with solving mathematical theorems, than being a mother. Theo's beloved grandfather, Jack, worked as a security guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and she was a frequent visitor, becoming knowledgeable of famous pieces of art and their artists. Upon Jack's deathbed, he uttered these words to her, "It's under the egg. Look under the egg. There's . . . a letter. And a treasure." These few "misinterpreted" words, along with finding a painting in the house believed to be of significant value, leads Theo and her new friend, Bodhi, a famous, pampered movie star, on a hunt. With help from the local librarians, the Internet and primary resources, they learn that Jack was a POW during WWII and creatively hid a famous, unknown painting by Raphael. This leads to more questions about who her grandfather really was and how he came to have such a painting in his possession.

The author provides some background information on Raphael and his work, along with other famous painters. This is a great story; however, more for your sophisticated readers that are ready for an art history lesson, as well as Nazi Germany and the Monument Men.

Hattie Big Sky, Kirby Larson. The same author of my previous chat, has this Newbery Honor Book set three miles north and west of Vida, Montana during the height of WWI in 1918. Orphaned sixteen year old Hattie Inez Brooks is left 320 acres of land by her dying Uncle Chester. She, along with Mr. Whiskers, her cat for catching mice, decides to leave Aunt Ivy and Uncle Holt in Arlington, Iowa to stake her claim. Once there, she learns that she has to set 480 rods of fence and farm 40 acres within ten months. Hattie is hard working and determined to do all that is necessary to keep the land; however, lack of money, natural hardships and exhausting work make her task challenging. Perilee and Karl Mueller, with their three children and one on the way, become her steadfast friends. Leafie, Rooster Jim, Mr. Ebgard, the banker, also become important folk in her life. Then, there is charming, questionable Travis Martin, set on getting her land. Most chapters begin with a letter to Charlie, a childhood friend, off fighting the war in France, with whom she shares her life experiences. Never having been to Montana, Larson paints a lovely picture of this big sky country and its harsh beauty. For your historical fiction reader, this is a great read, with a strong female character sure to earn admirers.

Bomb: The Race to Build - and Steal - the World's Most Dangerous Weapon, Steve Sheinkin. This fabulous Newbery Honor award nonfiction account of the building of the atomic bomb will keep you mesmerized and intrigued. I strongly encourage anyone to read this book who has any interest in how the making of the bomb came to be. Physicist, Robert Oppenheimer (think Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory) was the key man behind the Manhattan Project, while Charles Fuchs and Harry Gold were American spies meeting up on street corners and giving information to the Soviets. Trinity was the name given to the test done in a remote desert region in New Mexico, proving to be successful, thus . . . Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Real photographs help put faces to the many parties involved and short chapters allow the reader to read a bit at a time, set it done and come back to it.

A Million Shades of Gray, Cynthia Kadohata. The year is 1975, the Americans have pulled out of Viet Nam and the Viet Cong have entered a small village in the Central Highlands, taking the villagers hostage; although, many of them were able to escape, including Y'Tin's parents and sisters. Thirteen-year old Y'Tin, the best elephant handler around, turned back toward the village because he thought he saw his little sister, Jujubee, sitting on the fence. He became one of the hostages forced to help dig the grave that would soon hold all those that perished at the hands of the North Vietnamese. Before the village was set ablaze, Y'Tin was able to escape and find his elephant, Lady,  in the jungle, along with childhood friends, soon to be ex-friends, Y'Juen and Tomas. Together, they forged ahead looking for their lost families, hoping to find them alive. They chance across a herd of wild elephants and Lady becomes agitated untl Y'Tin is able to win her back. The boys' families are found; however, Y'Tin learns that the commander wants to eat the expecting Lady and two other village elephants for sustenance. Y'Tin must make a decision to save her life.

Cynthia Kadohata is an award winning author (Kira Kira) and again writes a touching story that brings students in touch with another culture to see the devastation of a war torn country. It is a well written story that has you traveling with Y'Tin through the jungles of Viet Nam and gaining a fondness for Lady.