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4.33 AVERAGE
4.33 AVERAGE
This is a beautifully told story that follows a classic fairy tale pattern of the character on a quest. The protagonist shows persistence, bravery, kindness and generosity in her efforts to seek a better life for her family. Besides that, the artwork is gorgeous and complements and supports the story by being colorful, topical, and cyclical.
This middle grade novel inspired by Chinese legends and folklore follows Minli, a girl who lives with her parents in a poor village in the valley of Fruitless Mountain. One day she decides to go find the Old Man of the Moon to ask him how to change their family's fortune. And so Minli embarks on a magical adventure where she meets all sorts of creatures and people, makes friends and learns many lessons.
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a truly magical, adventurous story full of beautiful pieces of wisdom, written in the most enjoyable, flowing language. Lin perfectly evokes the atmosphere found in legends and folklore, for example by often telling a story within the story: on her journey Minli meets many people and creatures who tell her tales, which were printed in another font. I absolutely loved that and was always eagerly anticipating the next little tale!
Many middle grade books of course want to teach the readers something, which can at times be a bit too on the nose for my taste, but this definitely wasn't the case here. So many different and important lessons for children and adults alike are shown while never feeling like a lecture. They were always clearly illustrated and integrated into the story (or one of the stories in the story), making its impact strong and long-lasting for me.
I was happily surprised to see Lin's own illustrations in the book - both full-page ones and smaller ones accompanying the title of each chapter and of each story in the story. They were absolutely beautiful and immersed me even more in this magical, Chinese-inspired world from start to finish. And lastly, I loved learning about the author's inspiration behind the story and her reconnection to her culture at the end of the book. I can't wait to read everything Lin has ever written!
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a truly magical, adventurous story full of beautiful pieces of wisdom, written in the most enjoyable, flowing language. Lin perfectly evokes the atmosphere found in legends and folklore, for example by often telling a story within the story: on her journey Minli meets many people and creatures who tell her tales, which were printed in another font. I absolutely loved that and was always eagerly anticipating the next little tale!
Many middle grade books of course want to teach the readers something, which can at times be a bit too on the nose for my taste, but this definitely wasn't the case here. So many different and important lessons for children and adults alike are shown while never feeling like a lecture. They were always clearly illustrated and integrated into the story (or one of the stories in the story), making its impact strong and long-lasting for me.
I was happily surprised to see Lin's own illustrations in the book - both full-page ones and smaller ones accompanying the title of each chapter and of each story in the story. They were absolutely beautiful and immersed me even more in this magical, Chinese-inspired world from start to finish. And lastly, I loved learning about the author's inspiration behind the story and her reconnection to her culture at the end of the book. I can't wait to read everything Lin has ever written!
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
This was such a sweet story! I love Min-Lee’s earnestness and bravery. Also, I enjoyed the story-telling style of the stories within the story.
Whimsical and fanciful, it was somewhat amusing in a fairy tale sort of way. My kids recognized a few pieces of Chinese myths that they'd heard of before that were weaved into the larger story. It was enjoyable, feels somewhat random and disjointed because there's so many interlude stories that only partially relate to the main narrative, but it was somewhat entertaining.
We read this aloud before school each day and absolutely loved it. It has good lessons on character and includes many stories and other aspects of Asian culture that I really enjoyed.
CC: fantasy/fairytale elements, main character runs away
CC: fantasy/fairytale elements, main character runs away
A unique fantasy inspired by wonderful and lyrical Chinese folktales and mythology.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
i resonated with little Minli and her whimsical stories. how fantastically magical is Grace Lin’s writing, they remind me of reading my own Chinese storybooks from when i’m younger. this book is filled with hope and folklore from the very first page. what a phenomenal story.
100 shining ⭐️
100 shining ⭐️
We read this while studying Ancient China for our history curriculum. It was by far my favorite book that I have read with my children this year! We were all captivated from the beginning with the setting, the characters and the incredible back stories. This book sparked hours of imaginary play between my 6 and 8 year old and prompted many discussions about culture and customs. It even had them doing research about China outside of school hours! Not to mention that I truly enjoyed it too! What more can a parent ask for from a book? I would highly recommend this one!