Lin,
Grace. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon.
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Reprint edition, 2011. (304 pages)
In this mythical
fantasy, Chinese folktales come to life as young Minli leaves her
poverty-stricken village to find a better fortune from the Old Man of the Moon.
Minli’s father loves to tell stories about the evil Magistrate Tiger and the
powerful Old Man of the Moon who ties people to their destinies with pieces of
red string. Minli, tired of her mother’s careworn face and constant sighs,
leaves her home to find out how to change her family’s destiny.
This story has all the
elements of an epic journey: Minli has help from interesting friends including
a flightless dragon, she has moments of self-doubt and moments of resolve, she
faces danger in the form of a giant green tiger spirit, and she has to make
sacrifices and learn lessons. Many elements of Chinese culture are also
included in the story: dragons, paintings, tea, gifts, goldfish, gardens, silk,
porcelain, and ancient folktales. There are porquoi tales explaining how the
moon came to exist and how “Fruitless Mountain” lost its greenery. There are
magical tales about how to become a dragon. There are moral tales teaching that
one should not be jealous or forceful. Each time a folktale is relayed in the
novel, it is indented and bordered by illustrations of the classic Chinese
coins. In the end, Minli and her mother discover what true fortune is and how
they already had it the whole time.
Lexi and I read this together, and I have to say that I think I loved it as much as she did. Every night I was like, "Come on, Lexi! Let's go read!" That has to be a sign of a successful children's novel.
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