Book Review: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Module 6

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Lin, Grace. Were the Mountain Meets the Moon. New York: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2009. ISBN 978-0-316-11427-1

2. PLOT SUMMARY

Minli and her parents spend their days toiling in the rice fields, barely able to produce enough for them to eat. Determined to change their fortune, Minli sets out on her own in search of the Old Man in the Moon. Along the way, she finds new friends and discovers that having a great fortune does not necessarily mean large amounts of jade and gold.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Minli’s story begins in the village of Fruitless Mountain, named for its lifeless land. It is a time and place that never truly existed, but readers are led to imagine the hills and mountains of China as Minli’s story unfolds. Minli and her family work hard every day just to survive and meet their basic needs. Minli is the only one in her village who does not turn brown and dull due to the harsh life. Her father’s stories keep her spirits up and her hopes alive. Although Minli believes in her father’s stories, her mother constantly claims that they are made up. However, her mother’s outlook on life is bleak, and Minli decides to search out the Old Man in the Moon so that she can ask him how her family can change their fortune. Along the way, Minli befriends a lonely dragon, hears many interesting stories of dragons and magistrates, and learns that the stories her father told were real. Minli and Dragon work together to find the Old Man in the Moon, because Dragon wishes to learn how to fly. When Minli finally finds the Old Man in the Moon, she is allowed only one question, and must decide whether to ask about her family’s fortune or how Dragon can fly. In pondering the question, Minli realizes that she already has the greatest fortune in the world, her family. She selflessly asks Dragon’s question instead and quickly returns home. In returning home, Dragon is also reunited with his mother, Fruitless Mountain becomes Fruitful Mountain, and though Minli and her family are showered with riches, the greatest treasure of all is their family. Readers will take to heart Minli’s story and begin to examine the riches in their own lives as they understand that it is not financial wealth that makes you happy and content, but thankfulness and love.

4. AWARDS AND REVIEW EXCERPTS

*Starred Review – School Library Journal: “Minli's determination to help her family, as well as the grief her parents feel at her absence, is compelling and thoroughly human.”

*Starred Review – Booklist: “With beautiful language, Lin creates a strong, memorable heroine and a mystical land.”

*Newberry Honor Book

5. CONNECTIONS

*Have students create a map of Minli’s journey to find the Old Man in the Moon.

*Sometimes parents tell stories to their children to comfort or inspire them. Have students discuss if their parents have done this with them. Were the stories real or fiction? Does it matter?

*Read other novels by Grace Lin:

Lin, Grace. LING & TING: NOT EXACTLY THE SAME! ISBN 978-0316024525

Lin, Grace. THE YEAR OF THE RAT. ISBN 978-0316033619

Lin, Grace. THE YEAR OF THE DOG. ISBN 978-0316060028