Bibliography
Lin, Grace. 2009. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. New
York: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. ISBN 978-0316114271.
Brief plot summary
Minli is raised in poverty at the
base of Fruitless Mountain. After her mother scolds her for spending what
little money they had on a goldfish, Minli is inspired by the folktales her
father has told her to set off alone to find the Old Man of the Moon with the
hopes that he will tell her how to bring prosperity and happiness to her family
and village. Along the way she encounters an assortment of characters and
magical creatures, including a dragon that accompanies her on her quest to
learn the secret to happiness.
Critical analysis
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon begins with a
happy, but poor, Minli content growing up at home. She is fascinated by the
folktales that her father Ba tells her. After spending most of the family's
money to buy a goldfish, she soon begins to understand her mother's
disgruntlement with the family's lack of means and food. Minli decides to set
off on a quest to find the Old Man of the Moon, a character she heard about in
Ba's tales. Because of the tales she is certain that the Old Man of the Moon
will be able to help her family find wealth and happiness. This is the
beginning of Minli's adventure into a lush, mythical world that includes
dragons, talking goldfish, an evil tiger, kings, trickery, riddles, and plenty
of magic.
This fast-paced, timeless story of greed,
gratitude, faith and friendship is highly accessible. Minli's adventures are
interwoven with stories drawn from Chinese folk and fairy tales. These tales
not only strengthen and advance the plot, but they also add to
characterizations and the setting. Typeface changes are used to differentiate
between Minli's story and the folktales. The story stays partially rooted in
reality as chapters cut to Minli's worried parents who are desperately waiting
back home for Minli's safe return. Throughout these chapters we watch as
Minli's parents grow and find the secret to happiness.
The
book design is striking and includes artwork by the author. A list of books
about the Chinese folktales and fairy tales that inspired the story is
provided. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is often compared to The
Wizard of Oz. As a devotee of Baum’s Oz books, I agree that there are some
similarities: Minli like Dorothy goes on a quest and picks up friends who both
help and need to be helped. But I don’t think Linn had Oz in mind when she
wrote this book—the similarities are simply coincidental in her original and
compelling work.
Review excerpts
"Children will embrace this accessible, timeless
story about the evil of greed and the joy of gratitude." – Booklist, Starred Review
"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." – Kirkus Reviews, Starred
Review
"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." – School Library Journal, Starred Review
"Readers will love this extraordinary tale with its fanciful characters, colorful illustrations, and the hopes and dreams of a determined and courageous young girl." – Library Media Connection, Highly Recommended
"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." – School Library Journal, Starred Review
"Readers will love this extraordinary tale with its fanciful characters, colorful illustrations, and the hopes and dreams of a determined and courageous young girl." – Library Media Connection, Highly Recommended
"Gorgeous
book design augments this fast-paced fantasy…" – Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices (CCBC)
Awards / Best Books
Cybil Award Finalist, 2009
Indies Choice Book Award
Honor Book, 2010
John Newbery Medal Honor
Book, 2010
Mythopoeic Fantasy Award
for Children’s Literature Winner, 2010
ALSC Notable Children’s
Books, 2010
Booklist Top 10 SF/Fantasy
for Youth, 2009
Choices, 2010
Teachers’ Choices, 2010;
International Reading Association
Classroom Connections
Students write their own
original fantasy story based on a folk/fairy tale from another culture.
Students work in groups to
create a board game based on the book. An example created by an 11 year old can
be seen here: http://www.gracelin.com/content.php?page=wherethemountainmeetsthemoon&display=activities
Students research and
identify examples of dragons that are found in literature and depicted in
artwork from other cultures. They then create their own dragons and identify
how their dragon is similar/different from the dragons they researched.
Read-Alikes:
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
The Conch Bearer by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
City of Embers by Jeanne DuPrau
Treasury of Chinese Folktales: Beloved Myths and Legends
from the Middle Kingdom by Shelley
Fu
Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones
Tale of Emily Windsnap by Liz Kessler
Dumpling Days (Pacy
Series) by Grace Lin
The Year of the Dog (Pacy
Series) by Grace Lin
The Year of the Rat (Pacy
Series) by Grace Lin
The Five Ancestors series by Jeff Stone
The Dragon Keepers series by Carole Wilkinson
The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede
