Echo Mountain

Chapter One



The first person I saved was a dog.

My mother thought he was dead, but he was too young to die, just born, still wet and glossy, beautiful really, but not breathing.

Take him away, she said, sliding him into my cupped hands.

Her voice was cold. Perhaps that was why it shook a little.

But I knew her better than that.

Maisie, curved around her three living pups as they poked blindly toward her milk, watched me with aching eyes.

I could feel how much she hurt, too.

What should I do with him? I asked.

Bury him far beyond the well. My mother turned to tidy the bedding straw. It was as red as Christmas. We d all had a hard night. But it had been hardest for the last of the pups. The one in my hands.

I cradled him close against my chest as if I had two hearts but only one of them beating, then carried him away from the woodshed, into the pale spill of morning light. Past the cabin, toward the well and a grave waiting beyond it.

But then I stopped.

Looked back.

And there, on the cabin s broad granite step: a wooden pail brimming with cold water, waiting to be useful.

I didn t know what was about to happen, but a little flicker in my chest flamed at the sight of that water full of green and blue from the tree, the sky overhead. Calm. Simple. It spoke to me with a voice louder than my mother s as she stood at the door of the woodshed, bloody straw bundled in her arms, and said, Go on then, Ellie.

But I didn t go on then.

The flicker, the flame, the voice all tugged me toward the bucket, where I plunged the baby dog deep into the cold, cold water and held him there until I felt him suddenly lurch and struggle.

Ellie! What are you doing? my mother said, dropping the straw and rushing toward me.

But she stopped and stared when I lifted the dripping, squirming pup and pulled him back against my

Lauren Wolk is an award-winning poet, artist, and author of the adult novel Those Who Favor Fire, the Newbery Honor-winning novel Wolf Hollow, and the Scott O'Dell Award-winning Beyond the Bright Sea. She was born in Baltimore and has since lived in California, Rhode Island, Minnesota, Canada, and Ohio. She now lives with her family on Cape Cod.

Echo Mountain is an acclaimed best book of 2020! 
An NPR Best Book of the Year  A Horn Book Fanfare Selection  A Kirkus Best Book of the Year  A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year  A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year  A Chicago Public Library Best Book of the Year

SIX STARRED REVIEWS!

  Wolk s poetic prose and enticing foreshadowing warrant savoring as they carry the reader through the narrative, which gracefully unfolds over brief, steadily paced chapters. Historical fiction at its finest. The Horn Book, starred review

Complex and fiercely loving, Ellie is a girl any reader would be proud to have as a friend . Woven with music, puppies, and healing, Wolk s beautiful storytelling turns this historical tale of family and survival into a captivating saga. Booklist, starred review
 
[A] magnificently related story of the wide arc of responsibility, acceptance, and, ultimately, connectedness.... A luscious, shivery delight. Kirkus, starred review
 
[An] exquisitely layered historical . A powerful, well-paced portrait of interconnectedness, work and learning, and strength in a time of crisis. Publishers Weekly, starred review
 
In this complex, memorable novel, Wolk explores themes of social responsibility, modern versus traditional medicine, biological versus chosen family and more. BookPage, starred review

Wolk again spins a fascinating historical fiction novel with strong female characters. Her short chapters are infused with adventure and mystery, frequently end on cliff-hangers, and include abundant dialogue that will propel readers through this novel they will find hard to put down. SLC, starred review 

Ellie is a deeply appealing character . A reader who wants to make a difference will appreciate the way she rolls up her sleeves and gets things done. And