Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Minli, the only child of a poor family in a poor village, undertakes a journey to better their lives based upon stories told by her father. The stories are featured as insets and are charming in themselves and how they build on Minli's hero's journey, which is fairly straight forward, but the unusual counterpoint is the changes her parents experience when they fail to catch up with her after they find she's gone. Ya gotta love the goldfish with ambitions! And the illustrations!

華裔美國作家林珮思（Grace Lin）的新作，因為題材和獲得今年Newbery Honor而引起我的好奇。WTMMTM是本設計和印刷都很精美的小書，每章開頭上方是和劇情相關的彩色剪紙，重要劇情處還有全頁的彩色插圖，都是出自作者之手，帶著濃濃中國味。此書另外最大的特色是除了主角的冒險，另外以主角父親口述與沿途聽來的形式帶入許多中國民間傳說，如月下老人牽紅線綁住姻緣、畫龍點睛、鯉魚躍龍門、牛郎織女、吳剛伐桂、種梨（聊齋誌異）等等，配合故事經過作者的改寫；最特別的是主角的故事和這些傳說息息相關，最後都圓滿地連在一起，好像在玩six degrees show more of separation，可見作者巧思。

此書有個非常東方的主題：感恩、惜福、知足常樂。雖然也有人說不知足才是人類進步的原動力，不過書裡的知足是指珍惜現有的、每天接觸的、親情與友情帶來的幸福，金銀財富絕對比不上這些小小的快樂。對已經熟知中國民間故事的人來說，WTMMTM可能沒有多大新意，不過閱讀這些傳說的英文版畢竟是個很奇妙的體驗，而且還帶著挖掘童年記憶的趣味。作者將中國文化與傳說介紹給西方小讀者，也是好事一件。值得一讀。 show less

Book on CD narrated by Janet Song

From the book jacket: In the valley of fruitless mountain, a young girl named Minli spends her days working hard in the fields and her nights listening to her father spin fantastic tales about the jade Dragon and the Old Man of the Moon. Minli’s mother, tired of their poor life, chides him for filling her head with nonsense. But Minli believes these enchanting stories and embarks on an extraordinary journey to find the Old Man of the Moon and ask him how her family can change their fortune.

My reactions
What a delightful story for middle-school readers (and adults). Inspired by Chinese folklore, Lin weaves a fantasy tale of one young woman’s quest to help her family. Minli’s courage, grace, kindness show more and perseverance are to be admired. Over and over again she is tested, and always finds a way to succeed. But her ultimate test is one of friendship and faith, for she has had help along the way and one friend in particular, a dragon, has asked her to pose a question to the Old Man of the Moon.

I loved the many stories told by Ba and Ma as much as I enjoyed the central story of Minli’s adventurous journey. I am reminded of the stories my grandparents, aunts and uncles told on many a night, as we sat on the front porch in the dark, my imagination running wild with tales of adventure.

Janet Song does a superb job performing the audio book. Her delivery was perfectly suited to this type of fantasy. I was mesmerized. I’m glad that I also had a copy of the text, however, because it includes some lovely illustrations. show less

i just finished reading Grace Lin's Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. over the years we've read a few of Lin's books - Dim Sum for Everyone, Fortune Cookie Fortunes and Lissy's Friends. i'm always so impressed with her stories and illustrations. there's something about them that is so carefully crafted and well... full of grace. :) her latest novel is absolutely dazzling. from goodreads:

"In the Valley of Fruitless Mountain, a young girl named Minli spends her days working hard in the fields and her nights listening to her father spin fantastic tales about the Jade Dragon and the Old Man of the Moon. Minli’s mother, tired of their poor life, chides him for filling her head with nonsense. But Minli believes these enchanting stories and show more embarks on an extraordinary journey to find the Old Man of the Moon and ask him how her family can change their fortune. She encounters an assorted cast of characters and magical creatures along the way, including a dragon who accompanies her on her quest."

paloma got to read it first when we got it from the library. i was a little worried because she's only 7 and i've read reviews that it's geared towards 10 yos. but she picked it up eagerly - see dragon on cover - and finished it within a few days. she knew that i wanted to read it to her, but she couldn't wait. she even teased me, letting me know where she was in the book and what fantastical event was happening. she also kept complaining that peaches were not in season now and their constant presence in the book made her crave them. as soon as she finished, and i picked it up, she continually asked me, "where are you? are you done yet?"

finally, i read it and was so sad to put it down... unlike my experience with The Anybodies, i couldn't put it down. although both books focus on young girls with seemingly impossible quests, magical circumstances and creatures, i felt so much more sympathy and appreciation for minli. i loved every character really - even the silly laughing stone lion cub. minli's incredible adventure and the fables/parables interwoven into her story are as gorgeous and lush as the peaches she eats, the dragon well tea she drinks and the moon rain flowers that bloom. grace lin's pacing, prolific language, luminous and detailed illustrations complete the perfect package. it was especially clear to me that because of paloma's deep interest in all kinds of myths and fairytales and her own sense of innocent fearlessness that she feels a kindred spirit in minli.

last but not least, grace lin writes a final note at the end of the book - here's part of it:

"By the age of eleven, I had fully disregarded my Asian heritage. My wise mother, knowing that any type of forced cultural exposure would lead to scorn, silently left half a dozen Chinese folktale and fairy-tale books on the bookshelf. Unable to resist the pull of a new book, I very quietly began to read them."

she continues to say that she was disappointed at first in the translations and illustrations of the stories. however, eventually, she overlooked these flaws and rediscovered the core beauty of the stories and her asian roots.

as an asian american woman and now mother, i can totally relate to grace and her mom. there was a time in my life (hello, 1980s chicago!) when i found it too difficult to "be filipino enough". i didn't speak tagalog, bisaya or ilocano. for a filipino - i was too dark, too tall with an athletic, instead of lithe and willowy, build. i didn't play piano. i was far from graceful, etc... and the very prominent asymetrical cystic hygroma on my neck didn't help matters either.

but my father, like minli's, is an excellent storyteller. when he would visit, he would always retell stories about Juan Tamad other filipino mythical creatures like aswangs and wakwaks. it helped me to realize that i shouldn't dwell on not being filipino enough... i realized how proud i was that we had our own folktales... that i should focus on learning everything i could about what being filipino meant to me how my meager offerings would add to that definition.

as a mom, i worry that paloma and porkchop will also feel a disconnect to their filipino sides. like grace lin's mom, i have left many filipino children's books on their bookshelves to read. and they do! :) we will have to add Where the Mountain Meets the Moon to our collection. i'm especially thankful for this wonderful book, that exists among other not so great multicultural books, in that it might remind my children of the wonder of their own heritage, to reflect on what it means to be thankful, to have faith, to be patient, to understand what it means to be courageous, to read more, to tell stories and dream bigger - all the way up to the moon and back again.... show less

This one was recommended by a fellow LT-er, and I'm glad she suggested it! It's a children's book based on Chinese myths and legends, which were completely unknown to me. I appreciated the author's note at the end explaining a bit about how she crafted this story by fleshing out the underdeveloped characters of the traditional tales, and it was also interesting to hear how she approached her Chinese heritage as an American.

The story itself is focused on an enthusiastically idealistic girl named Minli. Her family is barely making ends meet, so she leaves home in an attempt to discover how to change their fate. On her travels she encounters royalty, dragons, and plenty of stories: the main narrative regularly breaks off while a character show more recounts a tale, and these tales are later woven back into the central story in a satisfying way.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is a sort of warm-fuzzy fairy tale, where good people are ultimately rewarded and bad people are ultimately punished. It has a strong moral, but it doesn't feel forced. I enjoyed reading about Minli's adventures, and the beautiful illustrations really added to the reading experience. In short, this is one I'd recommend.

As a final note, this was a 2010 Newbery Honor book, and I have to say I liked it far more than the actual winner. show less

“Where the Mountain Meets the Moon” is an excellent story with a universal message.
A collection of Chinese folktales woven into an overarching story. If you have any interest in folklore this a must. What elevated this story to a true work of art is the author’s mastery of storytelling. The narrative often pauses to tell a Chinese folktale. At first this seems like only a texture for the characters and world but as the story unfolds it becomes apparent that each tale is woven into the tapestry of the plot - exposing either backstory, motivation, or what may come.

Grace Lin never explicitly states this is what she is doing, but once the folktales within folktales is revealed and everything begins to connect, the experience changes. show more It makes one want to reread past tales within the narrative and sift through each new one looking for the crumbs of story within.

The storytelling is further enriched by the writing. Most of the sentences are straightforward, with simple language for younger readers. However the images that are used are beautiful, and the succinct writing keeps the pace going smoothly. This easy writing style puts the focus on what is happening and being said more than how it is said.

Where this story really shines is its theme. I will not spoil it here since the slow reveal of the point of this story lends the narrative a good deal of strength. But the ultimate ending is well worth the journey and the themes are a good reminder for everyone. Though the characters are often one-note they feed into the theme well. Most of them reflect the ideals of these central themes, showing their good and their evil. From style to characters, this is a masterful lesson in how to make a meaningful story where all the different elements come together to form an emotional and impactful journey.

The only real issue with this work is also its greatest strength: its stories. All of them are engaging but there are quite a few. Though they add rather than subtract from the whole, there is enough of them that pacing can feel bogged down at times. Especially in the middle, rapid fire stories interrupt the main plot.

“Where the Mountain Meets the Moon” should be on everyone’s reading list. For parents and children, and for authors as a great example on how to tell a story, and for everyone else as a heartfelt and important reminder of life's values. show less

My son got this book in an Owlcrate Jr but didn’t have an interest in it, so he gave it to me. I ended up really loving this book, it is a wonderful blend of fantasy and folklore and has a very fairy tale feel to it with heavy Asian influence.

Minli decides to leave her desolate home and poor family to seek out the Old Man on the Moon and ask how to change her family’s fortune. She ends up being accompanied on her journey by a dragon and meets a number of fascinating magical creatures on the way.

On her journey Minli hears a variety of folklore and fairy tales (stories within the main story) that help to guide her on her quest. The whole book is beautifully illustrated in full color and was very well put together.

I loved the fairy show more tale feel to this book and enjoyed the Asian influence as well. The characters are interesting and intriguing and the writing style is beautiful and easy to read. I really loved everything about this book.

Overall this was an incredibly well done book. It’s written in a somewhat classic fairy tale style but has heavy Asian influence. The writing and the illustrations throughout are both very beautiful. After finishing this I immediately went and put some of Lin’s other books on my wishlist. I would recommend to all ages, but particularly kids and adults who enjoy fairy tales and adventure. show less