Sunday, June 21, 2009

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

This is an enchanting young adult's book. It has dragons, magic, and mystery in the story.

Within the main story, there are many small storyteller tales that Minli's father tells her as they struggle along in life. There is no rain, so the rice crops are small and everyone is hungry and tired. But the stories bring the Jade Dragon and the Old Man in the Moon to life in Minli's mind.

Her belief, a talking fish, and other fantastical events conspire to lead her towards the way to the Jade Dragon and the Old Man in the Moon. But will she survive her adventure? Will they do the things she hopes they will to bring rain and harvest back to her parent's fields? Or will she just become another statistic on the road to life?

Along with the fantasy tale, there's also an underlying message about how to be happy with what you do have instead of wanting something more.

This a great book for a young one who likes dragons or other flights of fancy. And the illustrations are very colorful and striking and definitely add to the charm of the book. I'd recommend reading this one (even by adults).

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

This book is right up my alley -- and my daycare kids, too!

We all enjoy books with dragons and some magic..... and having an underlying "moral of the story" is always a good thing, too.

If only all of us were happy with what we've got, instead of always seeking ways to have more, we'd be a lot better off.

Thanks for the great review!
Donna

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