Surrounded by the day in and day out drudgery of life in the rice paddies and the barren Fruitless Mountain, young Minli, whose name means "quick thinking" is about to take a journey to help her parents. For years her father has spun his stories for her while her mother has shaken her head at his foolishness. How can they create a life of gold and jade from the mud and sweat they know now. When a gold fish seller passes by, Minli spends one of her two coins for a fish -and it turns out to be a talking fish who can help her find her way to the Man in the Moon who can answer any question. Minli sets forth and is very soon joined by a dragon who truly does not know his own name. Does "follow the yellow brick road" begin to ring in your ears at this point? It did in mine. As the two travel, one adventure after another rises up before them and with each adventure come more stories and important lessons that have been learned by many animals and people they encounter. Monkeys, peaches, a boy with a special friend, red thread, a magistrate with ambitions of power all lie ahead. This is a beautiful book in many ways. The stories have a ring of wisdom that has been handed down for many generations. For young readers who love true storytelling, this book will be a treasure. For young readers who look for answers this book will be a treasure trove. Back at home Minli's parents are on their own journey as they try to follow her at first and then find a word of wisdom that will give them happiness. Doesn't that make you wonder what they know? The whole book unwraps like that as you read along and you feel like you're opening doors and learning secret after secret to a happy, contented life. This would be a great read aloud for a classroom.
288 pages 978-0316114271 Ages 8-11
Keywords: Taiwanese American author, Newbery Honor
Recommended by: Barb Langridge, abookandahug.com
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A Time Magazine 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time selection! A Reader’s Digest Best Children’s Book of All Time!
This stunning fantasy inspired by Chinese folklore is a companion novel to Starry River of the Sky and the New York Times bestselling and National Book Award finalist When the Sea Turned to Silver
In the valley of Fruitless mountain, a young girl named Minli lives in a ramshackle hut with her parents. In the evenings, her father regales her with old folktales of the Jade Dragon and the Old Man on the Moon, who knows the answers to all of life's questions. Inspired by these stories, Minli sets off on an extraordinary journey to find the Old Man on the Moon to ask him how she can change her family's fortune. She encounters an assorted cast of characters and magical creatures along the way, including a dragon who accompanies her on her quest for the ultimate answer.
Grace Lin, author of the beloved Year of the Dog and Year of the Rat returns with a wondrous story of adventure, faith, and friendship. A fantasy crossed with Chinese folklore, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a timeless story reminiscent of The Wizard of Oz and Kelly Barnhill's The Girl Who Drank the Moon. Her beautiful illustrations, printed in full-color, accompany the text throughout. Once again, she has created a charming, engaging book for young readers.--from the publisher
