Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Title: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
Author: Grace Lin
Age: 8-12
Rating: 4/5

Summary: Minli is distressed by how hard her parents work, and they only ever have just enough to eat. So after hearing a story from her father about the Man in the Moon, Minli decides she will journey to find him and ask how she may change their fortune. Along the way she meets many friends who help her realize how lucky she already is.

Assessment: This is a sweet simple story about recognizing the value in one's life; Family, Friendship, Love, Faith and Trust. This would be best as a bedtime read, it is made-up of of many short tales within the novel, and each has a happy end or at least a satisfying twist to make you smile.

I really enjoyed the traditional Chinese style of the storytelling, and the accompanying colour illustrations are charming and help add to the imagination of the reader.

This would be a really nice book for an adult to share a-loud with a child.



This illustration accompanies my favorite short tale in this novel. The imagery created in this particular story about the moonrain made me want to close my eyes and dream right then. But I'm glad I didn't because I was able then to absorb this painted picture and read the end of the chapter.

Recognition: Newbery Honour Book