This Children's Book Week, we're sharing old favorites and new favorites!
Jessi's oldie but goodie
Jessi's new and improved
Katie's oldie but goodie
Katie's new and improved
Fans of Esperanza Rising and Wolf Hollow will love this story of a girl and a boy and an old woman and the mountain that brought them together. Ellie and her family was left with nothing at the start of the Great Depression, so they moved from the bustling town of Bethel to Echo Mountain to eke out a living in the fierce Maine wilderness, a stark contrast to the life they were forced to leave behind. Ellie's mother and sister struggle to adapt to mountain life and cling to their former selves, while Ellie adapts as easily as a snake shedding its skin. After an accident leaves her father in a coma and her family divided on who to blame, Ellie is forced to keep to her family alive. But the guilt behind the cause of his accident leads Ellie to seek out the hag, a mysterious old woman who lives at the mountain's peak and is known to be a healer. Little does Ellie know that in trying to save her father, she will heal herself and the rest of the mountain family. This book broke my heart and then glued it back together again, and these beautifully crafted characters warmed my heart. ECHO MOUNTAIN is one of those rare books that'll resonate with women of all ages. The power of healing through love, forgiveness, and nature is captured and suffused the pages with a warm glow, like fireflies in a jar. -Jessi
