Summer+Book+review

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon Author: Grace Lin Copyright date: 2009 Number of pages: 278 AR Book Level: 5.5 AR Points: 7

By: Naydalisse Montijo

A young girl named Minli lives in the Valley of the Fruitless Mountain, where she and her parents spend their days working hard in the fields. Minli had glossy black hair with pink cheeks and shining eyes. At night, Minli listens to her father’s stories about the Old Man of the Moon, who knows everything. Minli sets out on a quest to find the Old Man of the Moon so he can change her family’s fortune.

The story takes place around spring time and has different settings. I can see this because in the story it says “The children laughed again, and the brilliant red of their clothes and the golden yellow flowers of the trees seemed to make Minli’s eyes dazzle with color.” and “Far away from here, following the Jade River, there was once a black mountain that cut into the sky like a jagged piece of rough metal. The villagers called it Fruitless Mountain because nothing grew on it and birds and animals did not rest there.”

The major conflict in this story is that Minli’s family has a poor fortune.

I would recommend this book for 4th grade and up. People who are into Chinese mythology would especially like this book.