Twelve-year-old Ellie searches the wilderness for something that will save her comatose father in this intricate, coming-of-age novel set in Depression-era Maine.
Ellie's family has had a hard time adjusting to their new life on Echo Mountain following the stock market crash. Though Mother and Ellie's older sister, Esther, miss life in town, Daddy, who lost his tailoring business, took to the wilderness, loving the freedom and outdoors. But that was before his accident. Now he's in a coma, and Ellie and her family have been caring for him for months. Ellie, who has been blamed by her family for the accident, sets out to heal him, trying every remedy she can think of. As her desperation grows, Ellie decides to seek out the "hag" who lives up the mountain. Though no one knows much about her, Ellie knows she has healed her father before and believes she might be able to do so again.
Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk (Wolf Hollow) features a plucky and intuitive girl finding her place. Wolk's characters are memorable: the hag, Cate, is delightful, spirited and highly intelligent; Ellie's interactions with the mysterious, woodcarving boy Larkin are charming. The relationships among characters are nuanced and fascinating, allowing various facets of their personalities to come to life depending on who else is in the scene. Wolk's remarkable use of memory allows for Ellie's recollections to burst forth without confusing readers or slowing the narrative. Echo Mountain is a beautiful look at multi-generational friendship and the power of working together. --Kyla Paterno, freelance reviewer