Book Review: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

 


1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Lin, G. (2009). Where the mountain meets the Moon. Little, Brown. ISBN: 978-0316038638

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

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.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

I really enjoyed this book! It was so different than what I expected. This book teaches readers that money doesn’t make people happy. I liked how this story starts with Minli thinking about her misfortunes and, inspired by the folktales her father shared, decided to leave in search of fortune. Through this journey, she discovered a powerful lesson, which I think contributes to the cultural significance of this novel.  The relationship between Minli and her Ma and Ba was so impactful. Another aspect of this novel that added to the cultural relevance was the mention of  Jade Dagon and  the man on the moon who knew all the answers to life’s questions, the “never-ending mountain” and the “fruitless mountain.” I really enjoyed how Lin integrated different folktales throughout this novel to share Minli’s journey. The food mentioned in this novel, such as the “sad rice bowls,” also added to the cultural representation in this novel.

Although this book is not a picture book, there are a few illustrations throughout the story.For example. At the beginning of each chapter, there is a small picture; These pictures depict the Chinese culture by showcasing Minli’s attire and how she wears her hair.  It also shows beautiful artwork, such as the bowl illustration in Chapter 5. These pictures show Minli’s journey in search for the man of the moon. Another example is the illustration found on chapter 11 that shows bold colors, dragons, and men painting. Over all, I really enjoyed this book, and I thought the Chinese culture was well represented throughout this novel.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

-       Newberry Honor Book

Starred review in Kirkus: To change her family's fortunes, a poor Chinese girl embarks on a fantastical quest to discover she already has everything she needs to be happy. Minli and her parents live in the shadow of Fruitless Mountain, where they toil endlessly. Bitter and resentful, Minli's mother complains when her husband fills Minli's imagination with enchanting tales of Never-Ending Mountain and the Old Man of the Moon. "Eager for adventure," Minli sets out alone seeking advice from the Old Man of the Moon. En route she befriends a dragon who joins her quest. Together they encounter a talking goldfish, a boy with a buffalo, a king, a fierce green tiger and laughing twins before scaling Never-Ending Mountain. Lin deftly incorporates elements from Chinese folk- and fairy tales to create stories within the main story and provide context for Minli's quest. With her "lively and impulsive spirit," Minli emerges a stalwart female role model who learns the importance of family, friendship and faith during her amazing journey. Richly hued illustrations reinforce the Chinese folk theme. (author's note) (Fantasy. 8-12)

Starred review in Booklist: Grades 3-6. 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.

Starred review in School Library Journal: Gr 3-6-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.-Jennifer Rothschild, Prince George's County Memorial Library System, Oxon Hill, MD Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.

5. CONNECTIONS

* Have students write a fortune cookie message inspired by this book.

* Engage students in a reader’s theater activity and have them act out the dialogue between Minli and the Old Man of the Moon.  

* Engage readers in research project on different dragon myths from around the world. Have them share their research with their classmates.  

*If you liked this book, you might also enjoy these books.  

Lin, G. (2014). Starry River of the sky. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN: 978-0316125970

 

Lin, G. (2016). When the sea turned to silver. Little, Brown and Company.

ISBN: 978-0316125949

Book review was written for an SHSU MLS course. 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Book Review: Everything Sad is Untrue

Image
  1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Nayeri, D. (2023). Everything sad is untrue: (a true story). Levine Querido. ISBN: 978-1646142729 2.  PLOT SUMMARY At the front of a middle school classroom in Oklahoma, a boy named Khosrou (whom everyone calls 'Daniel') stands, trying to tell a story. His story. But no one believes a word he says. To them, he is a dark-skinned, hairy-armed boy with a big butt whose lunch smells funny, who makes things up and talks about poop too much. But Khosrou's stories, stretching back years, and decades, and centuries, are beautiful and terrifying, from the moment he, his mother, and sister fled Iran in the middle of the night, stretching back to family tales set in the jasmine-scented city of Isfahan, the palaces of semi-ancient kings, and even the land of stories 3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS This book was an interesting read. I struggled to get through it because I had difficulty following along and found myself confused throughout the story. This novel is told from the po...
Read more

Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars

Image
  1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Green, J. (2014). The fault in our stars. Penguin Random House Australia. ISBN: 014242417X 2.  PLOT SUMMARY This novel is written from the perspective of a 16-year-old girl, Hazel, who is diagnosed with cancer. At the beginning of the story we learn that Hazel suffers from depression because of her cancer and her parents force her to join a support group.  This is where she meets Augustus, a 17-year-old boy who is in remission and attends the meeting in support of his friend Isaac, who also has cancer. Hazel and Augustus begin to develop a strong bond and during a trip to Amsterdam both teenagers confess their love for one and other. Shortly after the trip, Augustus tells Hazel that his cancer has returned and as his health worsens. He is then admitted to the hospital where he later dies. 3.CRITICAL ANALYSIS Well, where to start…to be honest this was not one of my top choices when deciding on which novel to read. I obviously knew what the story was about...
Read more

Book Review: Kiss of Deception

Image
  1. BIBLIOGRAPHY Pearson, M. E. (2015). Kiss of deception, the . Square Fish. ISBN: 1250063159 2.  PLOT SUMMARY This Fantastic Fiction novel is about a seventeen-year-old Princess named Lia who runs away from her village on the morning of her wedding to avoid an arranged marriage. As she settles into a new town and a new life, she meets two men whom she is intrigued by. One is the Prince she was suppose to marry, who turned out to be young and handsome, and the other is an assassin who was sent to kill her. Both men present themselves with a false identity, but they know who Lia is. As time goes by, both men begin to fall in love with her and Lia begins to fall in love with one of them, but in a strange twist, their true identity isn’t revealed until near the end of the novel.    3.CRITICAL ANALYSIS Again, as mentioned before, this is my least favorite genre, but OMG!!! This book was sooooooo good!!!!!!! It has a love triangle, deception, lies, and suspense, I can...
Read more