First published 2015
Otto wanders lost through the forbidden Black Forest when he stumbles upon three mysterious sisters. They give him a harmonica and bind him to a strange prophecy involving a promise he must fulfill. The enchanted instrument travels through time, reaching three children across different eras and continents. Friedrich lives in Nazi Germany and struggles to rescue his father from persecution. Mike grows up in Depression-era Pennsylvania, fighting to protect his younger brother from poverty and separation. Ivy faces the challenges of wartime California, working to keep her fractured family from falling apart completely. Each child discovers the harmonica carries magical properties that help them navigate their darkest moments. Their individual stories weave together across decades, connected by the same mystical instrument and the promise Otto made long ago. Music becomes their shared language of hope and resilience as they confront impossible odds.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, adventure, young-adult, music
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, prophecy
Setting: Black Forest, Nazi Germany, Pennsylvania, California
Period: 1930s, 1940s
10 pages · Audio CD · Scholastic Audio Books
Content warnings: war