Monday, May 9, 2011

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
Published 2009

Other books by this author:
Year of the Dog
Year of the Rat

The Hook: When Minli, the daughter of poor farmers, buys a talking fish from a street vendor, she decides to find the Old Man in the Moon and change her family's fortune.

Why I loved this story: style and adventure. The writing is beautiful and it is a fabulous blend of Chinese folklore and adventure. It feels like a Chinese Wizard of Oz. Minli encounters many different characters along the way that lead her closer to the Old Man in the Moon and the treasure she wants to bring home to her family. The story has a great moral and reenforces the importance of family. This is a great book for girls. I tucked it into my daughter's TBR pile and passed it to a couple of friends. While there is a great adventure, boys probably won't identify with Minli.

Want More? Go to Grace Lin's website to see book trailers, interviews, and an audio excerpt.


I love reading about Chinese culture. I'm a huge fan of Amy Tan and I just read Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. All fascinating reads. What culture do you love reading about?

6 comments:

  1. Thanks for the reminder on this one. I've been meaning to read it and it's now on my TBR pile!

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  2. I will for sure get and read this one. A culture I particularly enjoy reading about didn't spring to mind, but a book did. And it might be one you've read already...A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park, AMAZING....

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  3. Ooo, I've been wanting to read this and especially now that it's out in paperback. Great review!

    Thanks for the link.

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  4. I loved this book. What a great choice! And I love reading books about Chinese culture. We adopted my daughter, now 14, from China.

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  5. I've heard about this book but never read it. I've read Amy Tan's books and right now I'm listening to Girl In Translation. I'll have to add this to my list.

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  6. I loved this one, especially how she handled the koi/dragon legend.

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