Ellie lost the family that she once knew. And what the Great Depression didn't take, the mountain did. They moved to property on Echo Mountain to start over and rebuild. Gr 4 Up-The Great Depression took many things from Ellie's family-her parent's jobs, their house, and their comfortable lives. You can tell readers that the dog doesn’t die at the end. A heartfelt read and recommended first purchase for all collections. The narrative does contain subtle but direct details involving maggots, blood, and wounds that will intrigue the most reluctant of readers but may be too much for those with a weak stomach. In this novel, family can take many forms-the one you’re born into, and the one that finds you when and where you least expect it. She illustrates how people are multifaceted, and not always what they seem. Wolk crafts an uplifting story of resilience and determination during a time when morale is incredibly low. But while the mountain takes, it also gives–carved trinkets, plants for healing, and friendships found in unexpected places. Ellie carries the emotional burden of taking the blame for it and the physical burden of handling the manual tasks in his absence. And her father has spent the last several months in a coma due to an accident from a felled tree. Her mother and her sister, Esther, weren’t meant for life on the mountains, they said.

And what the Great Depression didn’t take, the mountain did. The Great Depression took many things from Ellie’s family–her parent’s jobs, their house, and their comfortable lives. Following her heart, and the lead of a scruffy mutt, 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 mountain still has many untold stories left to reveal to Ellie, as she finds her way forward among a complex constellation of strong women spanning generations. Urgent for a cure to bring her father back, Ellie is determined to try anything.

An accident for which Ellie has accepted the unearned weight of blame. But there is little joy, even for Ellie, as they all struggle with the sorrow and aftermath of an accident that left her father in a coma. Though her sister Esther, especially, resents everything about the mountain, Ellie has found more freedom, a new strength, and a love of the natural world that now surrounds them. They have started over, carving out a new life in the unforgiving terrain of Echo Mountain. After the financial crash, Ellie and her family have lost nearly everything-including their home in town.

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