Summary: <p><strong>Pam Muñoz Ryan</strong>, the celebrated and critically acclaimed author of <em>Esperanza Rising</em>, <em>The Dreamer</em>, and <em>Riding Freedom</em>, among many others, joins us in the studio today with her editor, <strong>Tracy Mack</strong>, to talk about her writing process, the genesis of her latest <em>New York Times </em>bestselling, Newbery Honor novel, <em>Echo</em>, and why so many of her novels contain themes of social justice. </p><p><strong>Additional Resources:</strong></p><ul> <li><a href="https://store.scholastic.com/Books/Hardcovers/Echo" target="_blank">More about <em>Echo</em></a></li> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/PamMunozRyan" target="_blank">Pam Muñoz Ryan on Twitter</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.pammunozryan.com" target="_blank">Pam Muñoz Ryan's website</a></li> </ul><p><strong>About</strong> <strong><em>Echo:</em></strong></p><p>Lost and alone in a forbidden forest, Otto meets three mysterious sisters and suddenly finds himself entwined in a puzzling quest involving a prophecy, a promise, and a harmonica.</p><p>Decades later, Friedrich in Germany, Mike in Pennsylvania, and Ivy in California each, in turn, become interwoven when the very same harmonica lands in their lives. All the children face daunting challenges: rescuing a father, protecting a brother, holding a family together. And ultimately, pulled by the invisible thread of destiny, their suspenseful solo stories converge in an orchestral crescendo.</p><p><strong>Guests:</strong></p><ul> <li> <strong>Pam Muñoz Ryan</strong> is the author of the Newbery Honor winner and <em>New York Times</em> bestseller, <em>Echo</em>, as well as the recipient of the <em>Kirkus</em> Prize, the NEA's Human and Civil Rights Award, and the Virginia Hamilton Literary Award for multicultural literature. She has written more than thirty books for young readers. Her celebrated novels, <em>Esperanza Rising</em>, <em>Riding Freedom</em>, <em>Becoming Naomi Léon</em>, <em>Paint the Wind</em>, and <em>The Dreamer</em>, have received numerous accolades, among them two Pura Belpré Awards, a NAPPA Gold Award, a Jane Addams Children's Book Award, and an Americas Award. Ryan's acclaimed picture books include <em>Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride</em>and <em>When Marian Sang</em>, both illustrated by Brian Selznick, and <em>Tony Baloney</em>, illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham, as well as a beginning reader series featuring Tony Baloney. <em>Kirkus Reviews</em> described <em>Echo</em> as "a grand narrative that examines the power of music to inspire beauty in a world overrun with fear and intolerance." Ryan lives near San Diego, California with her family. You can visit her at <a href="pammunozryan.com" target="_blank">pammunozryan.com</a>.</li> <li> <strong>Tracy Mack </strong>is a vice president and publisher at Scholastic, and Pam Muñoz Ryan's editor.</li> </ul><p><strong>Special thanks:</strong></p><ul> <li>Music composed by Lucas Elliot Eberl</li> <li>Sound mix and editing by Daniel Jordan and Christopher Johnson</li> <li>Produced by Emily Morrow</li> </ul>
