Series ~ Single Title
Author ~ Grace Lin
Release Date ~ June 1, 2009
Age Group ~ Middle Grade
Publisher ~ Little, Brown Books For Young Readers
Source ~ Little, Brown Books For Young Readers
GOODREADS SUMMARY
In the Valley of Fruitless Mountain, a young girl named Minli spends her days working hard in the fields and her nights listening to her father spin fantastic tales about the Jade Dragon and the Old Man of the Moon. Minli’s mother, tired of their poor life, chides him for filling her head with nonsense. But Minli believes these enchanting stories and embarks on an extraordinary journey to find the Old Man of the Moon and ask him how her family can change their fortune. She encounters an assorted cast of characters and magical creatures along the way, including a dragon who accompanies her on her quest.
REVIEW
If you even know me a little bit, you know how much I adore fairytales. Now, I have discovered a new type of fairytale, Chinese folktales. Just like regular fairytales, the heroine faces many challenges in order to get to her goal. In this case, Minli is searching for the Old Man of the Moon. He is the one who has the power to create and change the fates of the people on Earth. Minli meets a dragon on her journey and the two become inseparable.
In addition to the main story, several different characters provide mini folktales along the way. Rich stories about silver rain, painted dragons, powerful Gods, and greedy kings. These stories are interwoven so that they seem a natural extension of the main tale. My favorite is the story about the secret of happiness. Do you know the secret?
My favorite character is the Old Man of the Moon. He reminds me of a very old wise man. While Minli does not meet the Old Man of the Moon until near the end of the story, she hears many stories of his goodness from both the people and animals. He is the force that brings everything else together.
Not only is this story magical, but so are the illustrations. Beautifully drawn color illustrations that bring the magic to life. Between the actual story and the amazing illustrations, I can see myself reading it to my children someday in the future.
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is everything I would expect in a well-written fairytale. Everyone should take a step back to their childhood to enjoy Grace Lin’s remarkable story.
RATING
5 Loved
COVER COMMENTS
Just perfect. There’s Minli riding Dragon and the moon is up in the sky. I wouldn’t change a thing.
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