Lauren
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a beautifully crafted Middle Grade book that I have not heard enough about. A young girl named Minli lives with her parents on Fruitless Mountain. Day in and day out, the entire village toils away for very little return. It appears many are struggling to even produce enough to eat. Minli’s Ba (father) fills her head with all sorts of stories. The book focuses on two important tales: The Jade Dragon and the Old Man of the Moon. It is said the Old Man of the Moon has the answers for everything, so one day Minli decides to take it upon herself to find him and ask how she can change her family’s fortune. On her journey she encounters a dragon who becomes her companion on her journey, kings, terrifying tigers, and more. Each stop along the way introduces her to another Chinese folktale, that both serve to propel the plot and teach Minli valuable lessons.
I think so many children will enjoy Minli. She is brave, strong, kind, and cares deeply about her family. I also enjoyed that the book showed us her parent’s perspectives, something I have not seen done in many middle grade books. While Minli is learning more about the world and herself, her parents miss her and are forced to reconnect and reflect on why they behave the way they do. I think this may be insightful for many young readers as it may help them realize how parents are often dealing with very similar emotions as they are, and oftentimes they are simply doing their best in difficult situations.
The writing was also throughly enjoyable. It’s accessible while also forcing middle grade aged readers to use some context clues to discover some of the more cultural words if they are less familiar (such as kowtow).
I think young readers could enjoy reading this at night with a parent and middle grade through young adult readers would enjoy this on their own. I would be interested in reading some more of Lin’s work.
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a beautifully crafted Middle Grade book that I have not heard enough about. A young girl named Minli lives with her parents on Fruitless Mountain. Day in and day out, the entire village toils away for very little return. It appears many are struggling to even produce enough to eat. Minli’s Ba (father) fills her head with all sorts of stories. The book focuses on two important tales: The Jade Dragon and the Old Man of the Moon. It is said the Old Man of the Moon has the answers for everything, so one day Minli decides to take it upon herself to find him and ask how she can change her family’s fortune. On her journey she encounters a dragon who becomes her companion on her journey, kings, terrifying tigers, and more. Each stop along the way introduces her to another Chinese folktale, that both serve to propel the plot and teach Minli valuable lessons.
I think so many children will enjoy Minli. She is brave, strong, kind, and cares deeply about her family. I also enjoyed that the book showed us her parent’s perspectives, something I have not seen done in many middle grade books. While Minli is learning more about the world and herself, her parents miss her and are forced to reconnect and reflect on why they behave the way they do. I think this may be insightful for many young readers as it may help them realize how parents are often dealing with very similar emotions as they are, and oftentimes they are simply doing their best in difficult situations.
The writing was also throughly enjoyable. It’s accessible while also forcing middle grade aged readers to use some context clues to discover some of the more cultural words if they are less familiar (such as kowtow).
I think young readers could enjoy reading this at night with a parent and middle grade through young adult readers would enjoy this on their own. I would be interested in reading some more of Lin’s work.