Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Mar 02, 2012 Elisabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: children-s-lit

I really liked the way this book was set up. The story within a story type style made everything more interesting for me. Also, I like how in the end they all tied together making a moral for the story. I loved the character Minli, which is strange because I usually don't like female children characters in books. But Minli showed strong courage and wasn't some stupid little girl that always got herself into trouble. I found myself excited to finish this book to find out what happens. It wasn't a...more

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Feb 01, 2011 indri rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: asia-land, childhood

#2011-05#

tanpa spoiler..
Buku ini didapat dari peri buku sebagai 'tugas baca' untuk dibawakan siaran di DFM 24 Januari lalu. Untungnya, buku ini cukup bagus untuk dibaca, meskipun dalam suasana hati yang tidak terlalu bagus. Terkadang, mood memang harus dilawan, bukan selalu dituruti.

Minli, seorang gadis kecil di kaki gunung Nirbuah, hidup bersama kedua orang tuanya yang amat miskin. Walaupun mereka bekerja keras setiap hari, namun mereka tetap saja miskin. Ayah Minli gemar sekali menceritakan te...more

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May 25, 2009 Abby Johnson rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: blogged

Inspired by folktales of China, this is the story of a young Chinese girl named Minli. She lives in a poor village underneath a stark mountain and every day her mother expresses her discontent. So Minli sets out to find the Old Man of the Moon to ask him how to change their fortune. What follows is the story of her journey. Along the way she meets many different characters and hears many different stories. The book reads like a fable, which is fitting because it contains so many stories. The end...more

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Jun 05, 2011 Emily rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-aloud-to-t-and-j-too-sort-of, second-childhood

My five stars might be misleading. I don't think I would have enjoyed this half as much reading it to myself as I did reading it aloud slowly over many nights with an utterly enchanted seven-year-old hanging on every word. It's a magical quest story woven of Chinese folk tales and the author's own imagination, with bits of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz thrown in as well. There are a few passages that are near quotations, apparently an homage to Baum's classic which I'm guessing was a favorite of Li...more

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Sep 04, 2012 Diana rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-with-kids, own

We loved this book! Beyond the strength of the characters (Minli in striking out on her own to change her family's fortune, Ba in waiting and loving and hoping, and Ma in learning to seek forgiveness), there was a beauty to the writing that made reading it aloud a joy.

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Jan 27, 2013 Liana rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was actually pretty good. Being Chinese myself, I enjoyed reviewing my knowledge about Chinese myths, and also learning some new ones too.

Minli is the main character of this story, and her dad LOVES to tell stories. A handful of stories in this book are actually from her dad. Her mom is always complaining, "WHY YOU GOTTA TELL THEM STORIES. AIN'T GON' GIT US ANYTHING." But her dad tells stories anyway, and since Minli's mother is always complaining about how they're so poor, Minli goes...more

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Nov 26, 2012 Sierra rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When reading the first few chapters of this book I became disconnected with the reading and could not seem to connect to the characters but decided to continue reading and looking back now I am so glad I didn't stop reading! Minli is a young girl living in the Valley of Fruitless Mountain, in a remote poverty-stricken Chinese mountain village. During the day Minli works in the rice fields with her parents, and in the evening she escapes the reality of the hard days by listening to her father's s...more When reading the first few chapters of this book I became disconnected with the reading and could not seem to connect to the characters but decided to continue reading and looking back now I am so glad I didn't stop reading! Minli is a young girl living in the Valley of Fruitless Mountain, in a remote poverty-stricken Chinese mountain village. During the day Minli works in the rice fields with her parents, and in the evening she escapes the reality of the hard days by listening to her father's stories about the Old Man of the Moon. AS days go on she hears stories after stories and her eyes begin to be filled with wonder and her face filled with delight. Ma, however, was not pleased. Every time there was a story, Ma talked only about their misfortune and asked Ba what stories gain them. Through this, Minli thought Ma was right and she started the journey to the Old Man of the Moon to change her and her family's fortune. On her journey, she met a dragon who can't fly. After becoming friends, Minli agrees to ask the Old Man of the Moon the dragon can't fly and they continued their journey. Following the goldfish's guide, they went to the City of Moonlight to search for the borrowed line. Meanwhile, back at home in the village of the Fruitless Mountain, Ba and Ma were desperately trying to go after Minli when they met the goldfish man. After having a conversation about the book of fortune with the gold fish man, they decided to go back home and wait for their beloved Minli. After receiving the borrowed line from the city's guardians, they continued their journey to the never-ending mountain and the old man of the moon. On their way, they go to the village of the moon rain where seeds rain every night when there is moon. There, they meet Da-A-Fu (twins) who laugh at Minli's question if they want to change their fortune and say why do we want to change our fortune? After arriving where the old man of the moon lives, she finds that the mysterious moon rains were actually seeds dropping from tree which Wu Kang is trying to cut down. After a short look around, Minli faced the old man of the moon. There, she learned, to the horrible fact, that she was only allowed to ask one question only and began to despair.
At home, Ma cursed herself for being attached to money than family, and finally enlightened. Back with the old man of the moon, Minli saw the letter in the book of fortune and she read thankfulness, and asked dragon's question instead. After getting rid of the dragon's ball in his head, they flew all the way back to Minli's home, or rather their home. Two years later as the goldfish man returns to the village of fruitless mountain, he realizes the village has changed into village of fruitful mountain and it ends as Minli's smile stretching up to "Where the Mountain Meets the Moon!"
Personally the "story within a story" format was entertaining and Lin's stories seamlessly work to support the larger plot, even as they entertain listeners both inside and outside the pages of her book. Having full paged and colored illustrations interspersed throughout the book as well as Grace's beautiful drawings opening each chapter was a nice choice even those this book is probably at a reading level of older elementary students and even into junior high aged students. This book covers many wonderful elements such as being composed of intelligence, emotions and smart thinking! I would recommend this book to anyone especially those interested in a magical plot. (less)

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Aug 28, 2012 Kaila rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-european-fantasy-by-women, 2012, childrens, fairy-tales, fantasy, award-winner

As seen on Stumptown Books.

I talk a lot about the journey of the hero, because it is a story format I will love over and over again. It is used ad nauseum in the fantasy genre, and lately a lot of authors are trying to subvert the old stereotypes to bring out fresh stories. I admire their tenacity. I also admire the journey of the hero though, especially when it is done right.

Oh! questing reader, constantly searching for a story to love, may I introduce you to Where the Mountain Meets the Moon?...more As seen on Stumptown Books.

I talk a lot about the journey of the hero, because it is a story format I will love over and over again. It is used ad nauseum in the fantasy genre, and lately a lot of authors are trying to subvert the old stereotypes to bring out fresh stories. I admire their tenacity. I also admire the journey of the hero though, especially when it is done right.

Oh! questing reader, constantly searching for a story to love, may I introduce you to Where the Mountain Meets the Moon? Not only does it do the journey right, but it's a heroine! And, my friends, she is awesome. Minli is a great role model for any child - she is tenacious and clever, coming up with quick fixes to otherwise scary situations. And of course makes a number of friends along the way.

Chinese folk lore and fairy tales are woven in seamlessly as characters sit down and talk not just about their past, but also how the love of stories affects and teaches us. I loved this! The stories meant so much coming from each separate character. Eventually, the information we're given through stories comes together with the Minli storyline. I was happy making the discovery as an adult, so I can only imagine a child enjoying this read would take great pleasure it discovering the story lines twisting together.

I read this short book in only one sitting, I loved it so much. I then immediately texted my cousin, a fourth grade teacher, telling him I had a book he absolutely needed to read to his class.

"What book?" He asked.

"It's called Where the Mountain Meets the Moon! By Grace Lin! It's this eastern fairy tale woven in with..."

"Oh, yeah." He interrupted. "We read that school wide last year. Grace Lin came by and talked to the kids, it was great."

Well fine! Take the wind out of sails why don't you. He said Ms. Lin was really gracious and all the kids went wild when they realized who she was. He loved it, the kids loved it, I loved it - that means, you might love it too! I highly recommend it as a quick, simple, but great, adventurous read.(less)

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Apr 16, 2012 Dianna rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

2010: I am completely floored by this book. It is perfect on so many levels: at the beginning I was reading it with my three-year-old son in mind (he has a crush on the picture of Grace Lin on the back flap), and the text seemed simple enough for him to understand and enjoy the book. But by the end, I was reading for me, having forgotten all about my son, and I was thinking that every mother should read this book. When I buy it (this was a library copy), my son will have to fight me for it.

I lov...more

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Apr 24, 2013 Sophie Tse rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My Review

Where the Mountain meets the Moon is written by Grace Lin. It is a book of history, fantasy and the power of friendship!
I decided to read this book because, one, it is fantasy ( I LOVE FANTASY!!!) two, it has a dragon on the front! and three, Where the Mountain meets the Moon is a book of adventure, legend and MAGIC.
This book, on my bingo board takes the category, "A book that teaches you about a culture other than your own. The reason it took that space is because Where the Mountain me...more My Review

Where the Mountain meets the Moon is written by Grace Lin. It is a book of history, fantasy and the power of friendship!
I decided to read this book because, one, it is fantasy ( I LOVE FANTASY!!!) two, it has a dragon on the front! and three, Where the Mountain meets the Moon is a book of adventure, legend and MAGIC.
This book, on my bingo board takes the category, "A book that teaches you about a culture other than your own. The reason it took that space is because Where the Mountain meets the Moon is a book of Chinese legend.
My favourite quote from the book is when the king reads out the sentence on the "borrowed line", it says: "You only lose what you cling to", I chose this because its somehow not-believable and believable at the same time! Also when i was younger i always had something clenched in my hands, i melted-down whenever something of my own got lost!
Something new i learnt from the book was, put others before you! Minli (the main character) thought through that when she was destined to ask "The old Man of the Moon" only ONE question, no more than that.
She thought of Dragon ( her new friend ) endlessly wandering on the ground, trapped by his flightless body. Then she thought of her,she and her parents had enough, why would she want to change their fortune?
That was when she asked the old man how Dragon could fly, that was the power of their friendship.
The character "Dragon", in this book was interesting to me. But confusing. Dragon was born from a painting. The painting was created from a inkstone, the inkstone was cut from the Fruitless Mountains. The fruitless Mountains are the broken heart of the "Jade Dragon". (guardian of wind and rain.) Jade Dragon's heart was broken due to the loss of her four children. In the end the question was asked "was Dragon one of Jade Dragon's children?"
Also at the end Minli's father finds out the "ball" that weighed Dragon down, that rested on his head was actually the "Dragon's pearl", which was worth the emperor's entire fortune! Legend says that the pearl was made by a dragon with years of effort, like me writing this review (: . How the heck did Dragon be accustomed with the pearl?!? There are many questions to be answered, find them out in Where the Mountain meets the Moon!

By: Sophie Tse.(less)

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Mar 29, 2013 Rebecca rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: family-story, fairy-tales, adventure, children, fantasy

In China, young Minli and her family live a difficult life in a village at the foot of the black Fruitless Mountain. Minli is happy anyway, particularly loving the stories her father tells, though her mother thinks the stories are pointless nonsense. Realizing her mother's unhappiness, Minli decides to go seek out the Man in the Moon, a character in her father's stories, to ask how to better their fortune. Thus starts a long series of adventures and stories, lovingly intertwined, and a long peri...more In China, young Minli and her family live a difficult life in a village at the foot of the black Fruitless Mountain. Minli is happy anyway, particularly loving the stories her father tells, though her mother thinks the stories are pointless nonsense. Realizing her mother's unhappiness, Minli decides to go seek out the Man in the Moon, a character in her father's stories, to ask how to better their fortune. Thus starts a long series of adventures and stories, lovingly intertwined, and a long period of waiting for her devastated parents. Minli encounters dragons and monkeys and tigers and kings, and hears many stories that help her understand what brings happiness. Her parents, back home, already know, and worry that they will never get it back.

I loved this story, which my niece recommended. I loved Minli because she was a good kid who always did her best and tried her hardest, and saw the value in the right things. I loved that her parents were not excluded from the story, as happens in so many tales of adventuring children. I loved the wonderful writing; the sensory description that was simple enough for the intended audience, but no less rich for that. I really loved how Lin interwove the tales, and how she hit on the same themes to tie them all together and weave a bigger tale--a second tale to complement Minli's tale.

Only a couple of things kept me from giving it five stars. First, the word "okay" should never have made it past any editor. This is legendary China, and I just couldn't buy "okay." It was jarring. More importantly, though, I don't completely agree with the moral of the tale, which was, basically, be grateful for what you have and don't seek anything more. Being grateful is fine, but if no one ever strived to have more than what they started with, there would be no change in the world. And I don't see anything wrong with trying to change a situation in which you are not happy, so long as you're willing to work hard to get somewhere that suits you better. Minli did this, and succeeded, so the moral runs counter to what really happened in the book anyway. Maybe that was the point?(less)

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Mar 07, 2013 Nerija rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, favorites, folklore-fairytales, juv-ya, books-reviewed-at-postcards

Originally posted here.

. . . . .

It’s been a while since I’ve read a story that had me thinking, each step of the way: This is amazing! … This is amazing! … This is seriously amazing!

It’s a blend of fairy tale(s within a fairy tale), low fantasy, and magical realism –

Fairy tale(s) – the story as a whole is a relatively simple hero’s journey with a clear message. Within that main story, at different points in Minli’s journey, characters will share legends and bits of personal or family history tha...more

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Dec 05, 2012 Ed added it · review of another edition

Lin, Grace. (2009). Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. New York: Little, Brown. 282 pp. ISBN 978-0-316-11427-1 (Hardcover); $16.99

Grace Lin states in her author’s note that she used, at times, poorly translated Chinese folktales and mythologies as the inspiration for this book, which makes me wonder what she would have written with better source material. Fortunately generations of readers to come will have her fully fleshed out, layered, gorgeously written Classic-to-be to read and read again....more

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Dec 04, 2012 Gabrielle rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The book that represented the most of these criteria was Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin. Grace Lin provides a multicultural experience for the reader. The book is about a young girl Min Li who wants to make her family rich so she runs away from home. Along the way she runs into many members from her father’s Chinese folktales. These characters lead her to her final realization that there are more important things than material riches.
She develops her book by having both, folkt...more

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Nov 29, 2012 Alex rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: grades-6-8, young-adult, multicultural

Anything I write about the book Where the Mountain Meets the Moon will not do it justice or express how strong my feelings are towards it. Grace Lin does an impeccable job telling the tale of a girl, Young Minli and the adventures she embarks on to try and change her family’s fortune all the while weaving in enchanting tales inside of the story. Her and her parents live in the Valley of Fruitless Mountain, and fruitless they are with little money. They work in the fields every day and are still...more Anything I write about the book Where the Mountain Meets the Moon will not do it justice or express how strong my feelings are towards it. Grace Lin does an impeccable job telling the tale of a girl, Young Minli and the adventures she embarks on to try and change her family’s fortune all the while weaving in enchanting tales inside of the story. Her and her parents live in the Valley of Fruitless Mountain, and fruitless they are with little money. They work in the fields every day and are still poor no matter how hard they work. Despite their fortune Minli has a remarkable positive attitude towards life and a bright spirit. She cherishes her time at night listening to her father tell old tales about Jade the Dragon and the Old Man of the Moon who knows everything. Her mother despises their story times, rolling her eyes saying that they are only nonsense because she is tired of being poor and angry that they have a difficult life. However, Minli believes in the Old Man of the Moon and sets out to look for him so she can find out how she can change her families fortune. As the story progresses we follow Minli on her adventure. She meets friends allow the way that lead to the answer that will change her life forever. She couldn’t do it without meeting the talking fish or her new found friend, a flightless dragon. The ending is surprising yet perfect.

The minute I picked this book up I couldn’t put it down. I have always wanted to teach a lower grade like second, but after reading this book I wish I wanted to teach an older elementary grade so I could read this book to my class. It is full of so many interesting tales and a powerful message to teach children making it the perfect lesson and discussion peace. I loved the Chinese folktale and fairy tales mixed into the story as well as how the entire book was set up. I loved coming to a new chapter and looking at the little picture above each title that accompanied it, wondering what it would be about. The text font changed with the story of Minli and the old folktales like the Old Man of the Moon keeping any reader interested. This is a book I will have forever and make sure to read it to any child or grandchild I might have. While it may not be for everyone, I would give it ten stars out of five if I could.
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Nov 04, 2012 Nicole Lamb rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Junior Book Critique #13

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
By: Grace Lin

1. Junior Book Genre: Fantasy

2. Brief Summary: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon tells the adventurous and fantastic story of Minli, a young girl living with her father and mother in a tiny village on Fruitless Mountain, a place where water is lacking and therefore rice will not grow in abundance since, as legend has it, the Jade River lost her dragon child and now withholds water from the valley. Minli works tirelessly with h...more Junior Book Critique #13

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
By: Grace Lin

1. Junior Book Genre: Fantasy

2. Brief Summary: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon tells the adventurous and fantastic story of Minli, a young girl living with her father and mother in a tiny village on Fruitless Mountain, a place where water is lacking and therefore rice will not grow in abundance since, as legend has it, the Jade River lost her dragon child and now withholds water from the valley. Minli works tirelessly with her parents all day in the field and at night listens to the wonderful legends, myths and traditional folklore of her Chinese culture. Her mother quickly tires of her husband filling their daughter’s head with these fantasies and gets even more upset when Minli spends one of her two copper coins in order to buy a special goldfish that she believes will bring her family fortune and luck! She releases the goldfish in the river and as the goldfish thanks her for setting him free and tells her to seek out the Man in the Moon to ask him how to change her families fortune and fate. Minli is inspired to embark on a great adventure to find the Man in the Moon and after leaving her parents a note dashes off to change her fortune. It is on this adventure that Minli encounters a number of wonderful characters such as a dragon that cannot fly and accompanies her on her journey to the Man in the Moon and also meets the King of the City of Bright Moonlight, an orphan and magical girl, twins that encounter and defeat evil and eventually the Man in the Moon. It is through her adventure and quest that Minli and her mother discover that there are things more important than fortune and that family and happiness mean more than money will ever mean! The Mountain Meets the Moon is filled with amazing metaphors, vivid tales and amazing relationships between family and friendships!
3.
A. Area for comment: Grace Lin does a seamless job in blending the folklore, history, fables, myths and tales of Chinese culture and history along with the morals and themes of Minli’s story. It is this blending of culture and morals that are truly remarkable throughout the book as students are able to learn about fortune and fate, family and friendship, and the richness of life that money cannot give.
B. Professional Evaluation: Undoubtedly Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a vibrant and rich tale about a young girl’s, Minli’s, quest to change her family’s fortune and fate. It is this elaborate tale of fantasy, adventure, history, culture, myths and legends that truly can inspire students to learn more not only about Chinese culture but also about their own. The amazing characters, stories and love found between family and friendships is truly inspiring as Grace Lin does a remarkable job at adding traditional moral understandings into the impeccable story! It is the themes and morals of this story that truly make it one that will inspire students as well as enables them to begin to understand the dynamics and wonder of adventure and fantasy!
C. Specific Example: There are an abundance of great examples that highlight the author’s use of traditional Chinese folklore and tales as well as the deep relationships between family and friendships. In one of my favorite examples of the bond between Minli and her parents can be found on page 150 in which Lin writes: “Ma and Pa found the days without Minli long and difficult…in the morning, as soon as they woke up, they rushed to Minli’s bed to see if she was there…in the afternoon, they hurried from the fields, hoping to find Minli waiting at home…and at night, with a rice bowl and a set of chopsticks waiting for her at the table, they looks up at every sound of footsteps.” Another great example of the author’s use of Chinese folklore can be found throughout the novel and are highlighted as the author separates them using bold headings such as: “The story of the Goldfish Man” (page 62), “The story of the paper of happiness” (page 81), “The story of the village of the moon rain” (page 184), with many more found throughout the novel. These examples are just some of the ways in which the author blends morals, universal themes and Chinese tradition into a wonderful and adventurous story.

4. Curriculum Connection: There is no question that this novel is rich in Chinese history and folklore while also integrating the morals and lessons of traditional Chinese culture enabling students to truly learn about Chinese heritage and culture. Students have the opportunity to learn about, research and study Chinese culture and history along with comparing and contrasting the family similarities of both Chinese and American culture. Students can also choose one of the folklore told in the story to research further and present their stories and findings to the entire class. Finally, students can conduct further research by doing an author study, geographical information about China, study the dynamics of dreams and character relationships as well as inspire them to use persuasive writing in their own stories. Overall, the number of curriculum connections is almost endless for this book as students can truly be inspired to delve into the wonders of fantasy!
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Oct 21, 2012 Katie Spencer rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This young adult fiction book is about Minli, a young Chinese girl from the Village of the Fruitless Mountain. It is a place where rice will scarcely grow for lack of water. The legend goes- that the Jade River lost her dragon children when she resentfully withheld water from the people of the earth and so her children decided to make up for this loss by ending the famine themselves. Minli lives with her mother and father, Ma and Pa, in a very poor household. Minli wishes more than ever that she...more

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Sep 09, 2012 Kristanne Duncan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I really enjoyed this novel. I loved how Grace Lin included mini stories amongst the main story. This provided the reader with more background information on many of the characters as well as the culture. The main character, Minli, is a very brave young girl. Her family farms all day long but every night they only have just enough rice to feed their family of three. Minli's father always tells her stories of Chinese folk tales, especially about the Man on the Moon who has the ability to change p...more

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Aug 18, 2012 Melanie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, fantasy, middle-readers

“Stories are not foolish,” Ba said again, in his quiet way.

“Says you!” Ma said. “Because you are the one who filled her with them. Making her believe she could change our miserable fortune with an impossible story! Ridiculous!”

“Yes,” Ba said sadly, “it is impossible. But it is not ridiculous.” (p. 45)

Reading impossible stories is one of my favorite things to do! It’s why my favorite genre is still the middle readers group and will probably continue to be as long as I am a reader. Sometimes, the...more “Stories are not foolish,” Ba said again, in his quiet way.

“Says you!” Ma said. “Because you are the one who filled her with them. Making her believe she could change our miserable fortune with an impossible story! Ridiculous!”

“Yes,” Ba said sadly, “it is impossible. But it is not ridiculous.” (p. 45)

Reading impossible stories is one of my favorite things to do! It’s why my favorite genre is still the middle readers group and will probably continue to be as long as I am a reader. Sometimes, the impossible is more plausible, less crazy, and more desirable than practical, cold hard reality. Sometimes, the impossible even, happens!

Grace Lin has written a beautiful book for children that is just such a tale with “Where the Mountain Meets the Moon.” The chapters are short, and it contains many mini-stories and folk takes with an Asian flair that weave together the larger story of Minli, her family, and town. I rented this from the library, but will be buying my own copy and plan to read it to my daughter as soon as she can sit still long enough.

Minli’s family has just enough- Just enough rice to feed them each day, and just enough clothes to keep them warm. There isn’t any extra to go around, and her mother is tired of it. Minli’s father loves to tell her stories each night to help distract from their difficult lives on fruitless mountain. After realizing that she cannot even spare a bit of rice for her goldfish without her parent’s sacrificing even more, Minli sets out to find the old man of the moon to ask him how to change their fortune and that of the town of fruitless mountain. Along the way, she meets many different people, in all kinds of circumstances and learns many more stories that kids and parents will both enjoy reading. This book has a strong message of where happiness comes from, and true wealth and I highly recommend it. Grace Lin has another book: Starry River of the Sky releasing in October 2012 and I will definitely be getting it.
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May 13, 2012 Lisa Ard rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a beautifully crafted book - the writing, the structure (with folktales interwoven in the story of Minli) and the illustrations.

Minli leaves her parents in search of the old man on the mountain, so that she can ask him how to improve her family's fortune. Her parents are devastated but eventually find faith that their daughter will return. Minli travels across barren mountains, along rivers and through cities. Along the journey she makes many friends - a dragon, a boy with a buffalo, a k...more

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Apr 22, 2012 Mirrani rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: finished-and-reviewed

An amazing book on Chinese culture that seamlessly blends the folk tales into "reality" as the main character, Minli, goes about making her way through the world to seek a fortune for her family based solely on the stories her father has told her in the past. Along the way we meet characters who are all interconnected. It just proves that there are less degrees of separation than we dare to realize.

The visuals in this book, though short, were stunning. There is simply no way to explain or descri...more

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Mar 06, 2012 IndyPL Kids Book Blog rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adventure, fantasy

Minli and her parents are dirt poor. They scratch out a living on their little plot of land but are able to harvest just barely enough rice to keep themselves alive. Minli’s dad tries to cheer them up by telling adventurous stories at night, stories full of talking fish and dragons.

Minli, having grown up on her father’s stories, believes that the Old Man of the Moon controls people’s fortunes. When a talking Goldfish reveals the way to Never-Ending Mountain, the home of the Old Man of the Moon,...more

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Feb 29, 2012 Stephanie Jobe rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Collecting Newbery books is probably one of the nerdiest things that my mom and I do. Don’t worry we are not on a quest for every single title, just all winners and whichever honors strike our fancy. Obviously this one struck my fancy. Shiny things tend to do that.

Which brings us to point number 1: this book is gorgeous. I mean the cover can give you an idea but each chapter also begins with a solid colored vignette. There are also beautiful full color illustrations that accompany some of the st...more

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Feb 24, 2012 Andrea rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Erik Swallow

Shelves: 2012-books, children-s-literature

Last night, after a fifteen hour day of teaching prep, grading and teaching, I unwound by reading Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin. The book was my niece’s selection for this month’s book club (our club with an exclusive membership of two). It was a gift from a relative who works in a library, and who includes this as one of her favorite books, and both she, and my niece, are right in their love of this beautiful little book. It is the story of Minli, a girl from a dull, brown vill...more Last night, after a fifteen hour day of teaching prep, grading and teaching, I unwound by reading Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin. The book was my niece’s selection for this month’s book club (our club with an exclusive membership of two). It was a gift from a relative who works in a library, and who includes this as one of her favorite books, and both she, and my niece, are right in their love of this beautiful little book. It is the story of Minli, a girl from a dull, brown village, who is quick and clever, and seeking to find wealth and comfort for her parents, journeys to ask the Old Man of the Moon how to change her family’s fortune. What unfolds is not just the girl’s journey, in which she befriends a dragon, along with many other friends including goldfish and kings, but it is also the journey of her parents, first to find her, and then to accept her absence and quest. The journey itself is engaging, with artful scenes of friendship and adventure, but in addition, threaded throughout the book are a series of inter-connected folk tales of the Old Man and the Moon, and the Tiger Magistrate, and many other Chinese folk tales. They are beautifully told and integrated into the main text, informing and interacting with the present action story. Various people tell the stories, but the primary storyteller is Minli’s father, Ba. He is also the one who gives voice to the power and necessity of stories. As the book tells it, his telling her stories every night is “What kept Minli from becoming dull and brown like the rest of the village,” (3) and yet while he tells his wife that “stories cost us nothing,” she replies that they “gain us nothing as well” (18) and thus the premise of the book is established. Throughout the course of the novel, the stories educate and deepen all the characters understanding of the world, as well as add to and enhances the beauty in their lives. Ba makes the distinction that while stories might be impossible, that doesn’t mean they are ridiculous (45). The characters tell about their lives in stories, and they seek to make sense of loss and hardship through stories, and they celebrate beauty through stories. Indeed, in this way, in a gentle, kid-friendly way, this book is quite meta in being a story about how stories are necessary.

But I don’t want to just write a post about how people are narrative creatures, and that we depend on story-telling to make sense of our world. I believe this, of course, but Grace Lin’s book does a better job than I can do on that today. Rather, the book also got me thinking about the beauty of books. Not just the beauty of the writing itself, but the actual craft of the appearance of a book. Where The Mountain Meets the Moon is a beautiful book. My niece has the hardback, with deep blues and reds on the book jacket, showing Minli riding on the back of Dragon, and throughout the book itself are similarly beautiful illustrations by Lin. While e-books have their place, and there is something to be said for having a library at your fingertips, I am convinced that traditional paper books will always have a place, because there is beauty and utility in the printed form that can not be replicated.

In college I apprenticed for a time at the Washington College Literary House Press, a hand-set letterpress art press in the O’Neill Literary House. The Lit House was open 24 hours for any writers who wanted a place to hang out, read, write, talk about books, pontificate about life, play board games, party, hold readings, drink too much cheap wine, make bad coffee, and borrow paperbacks. Shelves of paperbacks are scattered throughout the book, all free for the taking, which is another beauty of printed books – the pure democratic accessibility of them. Whether borrowed from a traditional library, or from a paperback lending library, paperback books are available for all, regardless of economic status. While working at the Lit House Press, I learned to love the beauty of type as I hand-set fliers and posters, and learned how to create clear, strong margins for framing words, and how to pick the right vibrant ink for the job, I also learned how to just be immersed with words at the Lit House itself. On sleepless nights, I would let myself into the press to distribute type, the mindless work of putting the type back into its compartments after a printing job was done. The work was soothing, and often would lull me into sleep, but just as often I’d find some book to read, or someone to talk to, and so would pass a night. It was a public place for the twenty-four hour praise of books, and I’m so glad that it was a part of my life, and that it continues to be a part of Washington College student’s lives.

That post wandered a bit off track, and then languished here in saved drafts for two days, so I’m going to post these thoughts, as unpolished and flawed as they are. There is more that I want to say about the beauty of books, but I’ll ramble about that some other day. For now, here is a link to one of my favorite time sucks – the website: , which is, aptly enough, a site filled with pictures of books, libraries, piles of books, book art, people reading books . . . well, you get the idea. And another I just stumbled on, which is a well-indexed site of beautiful libraries, from modest home libraries, to subscription libraries, to University libraries. Beautiful Books.(less)

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Feb 20, 2012 Ivon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 3rd-pov, 1st-pov, fantasy, humor, it-s-inspiring, it-s-heart-warming, traveling

Ini buku yang kudapat dari lomba menulis cerpen yang diadakan penerbit Atria, di mana para peserta harus menulis sebuah cerita pendek dengan kata kunci "kakek rembulan", "ikan koi", "Gunung Nirbuah", dan "naga". Ada tiga pemenang, aku salah satunya, dan itu terjadi sekitar dua tahun lalu.

Dan kau tahu?

Aku menyesal.

Aku menyesal tidak membaca dan menulis review buku ini lebih cepat. Mungkin buku ini sudah terselip entah di mana di dalam gudang, dan kehilangan kesempatannya untuk berpindah-tangan ke...more

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Feb 11, 2012 Annie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a beautifully constructed book. Every chapter starts with a wood-cut print that represents something happening in the chapter in different, rich colors of ink. The story is told with various folktales interspersed, and they are set off with tiny illustrations and a different font. The entire format feels like something that would be treasured and passed down by a family, and that is clearly what Lin was going for here.

The book is a folktale with Chinese folktales embedded in it. The epis...more

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Jan 31, 2012 Lauren rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

The voice of the narrations were done by Minli, and I think the narrations were executed perfectly for her age in the story. I anticipate that this novel would be to difficult for young readers because of the vocabulary. I suggest "Where the Mountain Meets the Moon" for readers fourth grade and older! It's a wonderful story with a great message that wealth and fortune don't give one prosperity and happiness and that the key to happiness is thankfulness. When reading "Where the Mountain Meets the...more

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Jan 31, 2012 Madison rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chapter-books, multicultural-books

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a delightful tale about Minli and her adventure to change her family’s fortune. Lin masterfully weaves Chinese culture and tradition with powerful imagery. The colorful descriptions of the characters, places and objects in this story give it depth beyond what the beautiful illustrations provide. As a reader, I felt that I was part of Minli’s world and was experiencing exactly what she did. Each character was unique and well-rounded, each with his or her own...more

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Dec 17, 2011 NebraskaIcebergs rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own

Lin’s Newbery Honor book Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a fantasy inspired by Chinese folklore. In the tradition of journey stories, this is about Minli, who goes on a trip to seek a solution to a problem. Her family work hard in the fields but are still poor. Minli seeks the Man of the Moon to ask how the family can change their fortune. As in The Wizard of Oz, Minli meets characters along the way who also need help from the Man of the Moon. Unlike in The Wizard of Oz, only one travels wi...more

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Dec 09, 2011 Kelley rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Genre: Fantasy/ Newbery Honor
Minli is a young girl who listens to her father as he tells tales of the Jade Dragon and the Old Man of the Moon and tries to change her family’s fortune by heading out to find the Old Man of the Moon.

Illustrations
This book does not have a lot of illustrations since it is not a picture book, but the pictures it does have are a beautiful addition to the story. The heading of each chapter has a single color illustration of a scene from the chapter. Breaks within the ch...more

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