Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin — a Book to Read
By: Hunter Han
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is the opening book of the “Where the Mountain Meets the Moon” trilogy by Grace Lin. This Newbery Honor book has elements of Chinese culture and tradition. I would rate this book 4.7 stars.
This book is followed by Starry River of the Sky and When the Sea Turned to Silver. The three books have interlocking elements, characters, and events. They can be read in any order, although I feel it is best to begin with Where the Mountain Meets the Moon.
In the beginning, the mountain that Minli, the main character, lives on is gray and “fruitless,” hence the name “Fruitless Mountain.” Minli listens to stories told by her father, Ba. They are a poor family, so Minli goes off on a quest to change their fortune, traveling for days and days. On her way, she meets Dragon, the dragon and they become friends. When Minli returns, the Fruitless Mountain turns green, and the village becomes prosperous.
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon shows a change in character. It shows that personalities change when conditions change. Ma, the main character’s mother, starts as bitter and complaining, and is later turned into smiling and welcoming. Her personality and opinion change according to how her family‘s conditions change.
Sometimes, to learn, you must experience the consequence first. The change in family conditions is what causes Ma to change. She learns a lesson and starts to show regret for her actions. This can be the same in many real-life situations. For example, someone could not turn in homework, suffer a punishment, and then become someone who is always on-task.
I would recommend the book for children and adults aged 6 and above, but children aged 4 and above may like it read to them. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a chapter book, but the chapters are usually a few pages, making the story into step-by-step chapters, like cutting long noodles into shorter bits, making it easier to grasp. The parts of the story about parents looking for their “lost” child can reassure the younger readers that their parents will always care for them. Also, there are only minor bits of “violence,” like when a tiger roars at a character and when that tiger eats some livestock.
This compelling story is written with stories in stories. This framing method can explain more background than your average book, adding an exciting twist. However, the book leaves part of the mystery for you to solve, and I think the book could have given answers for every mystery left unanswered at the end of the book. Otherwise, I think this book is great and would rate it 4.7 stars out of 5.
Word Count: 469