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The Newbery Honor–winning author of Wolf Hollow and Beyond the Bright Sea returns with the story of an unforgettable young heroine in Depression-era Maine.
“Brilliant.” –Lynda Mullaly Hunt, bestselling author of Fish in a Tree When the Great Depression takes almost everything they own, Ellie’s family is forced to leave their home in town and start over in the untamed forests of nearby Echo Mountain. Ellie has found a welcome freedom, and a love of the natural world, in her new life on the mountain. But there is little joy, even for Ellie, as her family struggles with the aftermath of an accident that has left her father in a coma. An accident unfairly blamed on Ellie. Determined to help her father, Ellie will make her way to the top of the mountain in search of the healing secrets of a woman known only as “the hag.” But the hag, and the mountain, still have many untold stories left to reveal and, with them, a fresh chance at happiness. Echo Mountain is celebration of finding your own path and becoming your truest self. Newbery Honor– and Scott O'Dell Award–winning author Lauren Wolk weaves a stunning tale of resilience, persistence, and friendship across three generations of families, set against the rough and ragged beauty of the mountain they all call home. |
COMMUNITY CHALLENGE:
Research to learn more about the Great Depression. What caused this time in history? How did it affect people's lives? How are these effects evident in the characters' lives in Echo Mountain? If you are lucky enough to know someone who lived during this time, you may also choose to do an interview with them and ask them how things were so much different then than they are now. Did they have to go through things similar to Ellie and her family? You can either chose to write the interview up or you can video it.
Research to learn more about the Great Depression. What caused this time in history? How did it affect people's lives? How are these effects evident in the characters' lives in Echo Mountain? If you are lucky enough to know someone who lived during this time, you may also choose to do an interview with them and ask them how things were so much different then than they are now. Did they have to go through things similar to Ellie and her family? You can either chose to write the interview up or you can video it.
CHANCE:
Read this quote from Echo Mountain: "I myself was two opposite things at the same time. One: I was now an excellent woods-girl who could hunt and trap and fish and harvest as if I’d been born to it. Two: I was an echo-girl. When I clubbed a fish to death, my own head ached and shuddered. When I snared a rabbit, I knew what it meant to be trapped. And when I pulled a carrot from the sheath of its earth, I, too, missed the darkness.
There were times when this two-ness made me feel as if I were being stretched east and west, my bones creaking and crying as they strained back toward one."
Journal Prompt – Here, Ellie describes feeling torn or having conflicted feelings. Have you ever felt as if you were two opposite things at the same time? Describe your own two-ness. Your sharing needs to be at least a paragraph long. When you are finished, make sure your name, school and Echo Mountain are on your page before you hand it into Mrs. Jack.
Read this quote from Echo Mountain: "I myself was two opposite things at the same time. One: I was now an excellent woods-girl who could hunt and trap and fish and harvest as if I’d been born to it. Two: I was an echo-girl. When I clubbed a fish to death, my own head ached and shuddered. When I snared a rabbit, I knew what it meant to be trapped. And when I pulled a carrot from the sheath of its earth, I, too, missed the darkness.
There were times when this two-ness made me feel as if I were being stretched east and west, my bones creaking and crying as they strained back toward one."
Journal Prompt – Here, Ellie describes feeling torn or having conflicted feelings. Have you ever felt as if you were two opposite things at the same time? Describe your own two-ness. Your sharing needs to be at least a paragraph long. When you are finished, make sure your name, school and Echo Mountain are on your page before you hand it into Mrs. Jack.
ACTIVITY 3:
What strange gift did Capricorn bring Ellie? Where do you think the gift came from? What is the strangest gift you've ever gotten? Why did you think it was strange? Either write up your experience or draw a picture to show me what happened. Please be creative in your telling and showing of your situation.
What strange gift did Capricorn bring Ellie? Where do you think the gift came from? What is the strangest gift you've ever gotten? Why did you think it was strange? Either write up your experience or draw a picture to show me what happened. Please be creative in your telling and showing of your situation.