1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Lin, Grace. 2009. WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS
THE MOON. New York: Little, Brown. ISBN: 9780329776237
2. PLOT SUMMARY
This story is about a little girl,
Minli, who lives in a poor village. Growing tired to seeing her family saddened
by the lack of wealth, Minli decides to go see the Old Man on the Moon who can
answer all questions . After running away, she meetings a friendly dragon and
they become fast friends and travel together. On their journey to find the Old
Man on the Moon, Minli and the dragon come across many obstacles but also make
great friends along the way. Minli must find the borrowed line and the Never
Ending Mountain in order to meet the Old Man on the Moon. When she finally
arrives at the mountain and meets the old man, she is allowed to ask one
question and one question only. What will that question be? You will have to
read to find out!
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Lin does a wonderful job creating this
fantasy story based off of Chinese folktales that were told to her as a little
girl. Where the Mountain meets the Moon is
a enchanting story of a little girl, Minli, who is brave and persistent with a
touch of kindness. Minli is a very lovable character who has a strong will and
throughout the story, the reader is rooting for her to be successful on her
long journey to meet the Old Man on the Moon. The story takes place in a poor
village on the Fruitless Mountain, where Minli’s family works hard and does not
have a lot of food. Lin describes their village and home in a way that
realistically sets the story and allows the reader to understand why Minli goes
on this adventure in search of fortune for her family.
Lin’s writing style is easy to read and
exciting as well. Each chapter ends with a small cliffhanger and switches off
between characters stories. For example; one chapter will follow Minli and the
dragon and the next chapter will follow her parents Ba and Ma. Lin also cleverly
weaves in various Chinese folktales throughout the story, which add to the
understanding of the storyline. This a
feel good story that all readers can relate to but also has fun fantasy touches
such as dragons and stairways to the moon. I would highly recommend this book
to students ages 8 and up, this is a must read!
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
2010 Newbery Honor
NY Times Bestseller
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL Starred Review: Living in the
shadow of the Fruitless Mountain, Minli and her parents spend their days
working in the rice fields, barely growing enough to feed themselves. Every
night, Minli's father tells her stories about the Jade Dragon that keeps the
mountain bare, the greedy and mean Magistrate Tiger, and the Old Man of the
Moon who holds everyone's destiny. Determined to change her family's fortune,
Minli sets out to find the Old Man of the Moon, urged on by a talking goldfish
who gives her clues to complete her journey. Along the way she makes new
friends including a flightless dragon and an orphan and proves her
resourcefulness when she tricks a group of greedy monkeys and gets help from a
king. Interwoven with Minli's quest are tales told by her father and by those
she meets on the way. While these tales are original to Lin, many characters,
settings, and themes are taken from traditional Chinese folklore. The author's
writing is elegant, and her full-color illustrations are stunning. Minli's
determination to help her family, as well as the grief her parents feel at her
absence, is compelling and thoroughly human.
BOOKLIST Starred Review: In this enchanted and
enchanting adventure, Minli, whose name means “quick thinking,” lives with her
desperately poor parents at the confluence of Fruitless Mountain and the Jade
River. While her mother worries and complains about their lot, her father
brightens their evenings with storytelling. One day, after a goldfish salesman
promises that his wares will bring good luck, Minli spends one of her only two
coins in an effort to help her family. After her mother ridicules what she
believes to be a foolish purchase, Minli sets out to find the Old Man of the
Moon, who, it is told, may impart the true secret to good fortune. Along the
way, she finds excitement, danger, humor, magic, and wisdom, and she befriends
a flightless dragon, a talking fish, and other companions and helpmates in her
quest. With beautiful language, Lin creates a strong, memorable heroine and a
mystical land. Stories, drawn from a rich history of Chinese folktales, weave
throughout her narrative, deepening the sense of both the characters and the
setting and smoothly furthering the plot. Children will embrace this
accessible, timeless story about the evil of greed and the joy of gratitude.
Lin’s own full-color drawings open each chapter.
5. CONNECTIONS
*For more books by Grace Lin be sure to
read:
Lin, Grace. DUMPLING DAYS. ISBN: 9780316125901
Lin, Grace. YEAR OF THE DOG. ISBN: 0316060003
Lin, Grace. YEAR OF THE RAT. ISBN: 9780316114264
