Lin, Grace. 2009. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. New York: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 9780316052603
Plot Summary
Minli and her parents are poor. They live in a village where Fruitless Mountain and the Jade River meet. It is hard to grow anything on the land near the village and so they live a life of hard work with meager reward. In the evenings, Minli loves to hear stories told by her father. Minli becomes inspired to find good fortune for her family from one of her father’s stories about the Old Man of the Moon who can answer any question. Thus, an adventure begins when Minli steals away from home to seek an answer from the Old Man of the Moon on how to bring fortune to her family.
Critical Analysis
Grace Lin explains at the end of her book how the story of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon came about. The text mends together Chinese folktales and fairy-tales which were her inspiration for embracing her culture. Visits to Hong Kong, Taiwan, and China gave her the inspiration for many of her illustrations. A little imagination and some embellishments give us a wonderful story filled with love, adventure, and even a lesson learned at the end.
Like any traditional children’s tale, the plot involves a journey. Little Minli goes out alone to seek the Man of the Moon to find out how to bring fortune to her family. She meets many characters on her way including monkeys, a dragon, goldfish, twins, a king, and a goddess. The characters are all simple and easily understood. Yet, they are interesting and aid Minli in some way in finding the Old Man of the Moon. Throughout Minli’s journey, there is always a story to be told that explains a situation or how something came to be. For example, “The Story of Fruitless Mountain” explains why the village and the mountain are so barren. These stories come up throughout the chapters and in the end, one finds that they all connect together seamlessly.
I did a disservice to myself by reading this book on my Kindle. A book trailer from Lin’s website reveals beautifully colored illustrations that I was not able to experience on my black and white Kindle screen! Rich hues of red, blue, green, yellow, and purple bring the simple sketches to life. All characters are in traditional Chinese dress with long, straight black hair pinned up. This, with the rural settings, truly takes readers into a faraway land where anything can happen. It all reveals the beauty and imagination of the Chinese culture.
Although some may argue that the mystical setting and embellishments may take away from the authenticity of the book, the book is a fairy-tale. Until now, I have had no exposure to Chinese fairy-tales, and I find this one to be even more enjoyable than the European tales I grew up with. Unlike European fairy-tales, there is not much about good winning over evil. Lin’s tale focuses on being happy with what you have and the journey to get there. I feel that this focus alone is what makes this book so authentic to the Chinese culture.
Awards Won & Review Excerpts
- Cybil Award, 2009 Finalist Middle Grade Fantasy & Science Fiction
- John Newbery Medal, 2010 Honor Book
- Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature, 2010 Winner
- Booklist: "With beautiful language, Lin creates a strong, memorable heroine and a mystical land. Stories, drawn from a rich history of Chinese folktales, weave throughout her narrative, deepening the sense of both the characters and the setting and smoothly furthering the plot. Children will embrace this accessible, timeless story about the evil of greed and the joy of gratitude."
- Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices: "Grace Lin deftly inserts a series of tales inspired by traditional Chinese folktales into the larger tapestry of Minli’s extraordinary journey that is full of adventure and trials. Gorgeous book design augments this fast-paced fantasy, including occasional full-page color illustrations, chapter heading decorations, and a typeface treatment that visually distinguishes the folktale segments from the overarching story of Minli’s quest."
- The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books: "While the conclusion is somewhat contrived, readers will enjoy following the feisty heroine as she travels through this lush, mythical world; the episodic structure also lends itself easily to reading aloud, and listeners will be eager to share tales of their own journeys."
- Grace Lin has a wonderful website at http://www.gracelin.com/. There is background information and activities for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon there. Try some of the book related activities: http://www.gracelin.com/content.php?page=wherethemountainmeetsthemoon&display=activities.
- Other books by Grace Lin:
The Year of the Rat: A Novel. ISBN 031611426X
- More Chinese Fairy-Tales:
Napoli, Donna Jo. Bound. ISBN 0689861753
Yep, Laurence. Dragon Prince: A Chinese Beauty & the Beast Tale. ISBN
0060243813
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