Minli lives on the Fruitless Mountain with her family. Times are tough and her family is being worn down by exhausting work that yields them so little. When the Goldfish Man comes to her village, Minli uses one of the two coins she was given to buy a goldfish, and it does not go over well. Her parents stress how little food they have even as her father feeds the last tiny bit of his rice to the goldfish. Though it breaks her heart, Minli decides to set the goldfish free so it does not hurt her family by just being her pet. But before the fish swims free, she talks to Minli. Raised on her father’s stories, such as the Man in the Moon who has helped o hers change their fortunes. The fish knows how to find the Man in the Moon and tells Minli. The young girl embarks on the journey when her parents leave to work the fields, leaving them a note telling them what she intends.
Her journey is not an easy one. She saves a dragon. Meets a boy only a few years older than she has that has no family and lives in a destitute hut. A pair of twins trying to stop the evil Green Tiger from feeding on the children of their village. And so much more. Each encounter leads to a new fantastical story and each story plays an essential role in Minli’s journey to find the Man in the Moon. The Bulletin for the Center of Children’s Books stated, “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” (2009).
The author, Grace Lin, not only wrote this beautiful, fantastic book that embraces Chinese culture, history, and legends, but she drew the beautiful illustrations that can be found throughout the book and at the beginning of every chapter. The stories and the illustrations help shed light on an enchanting culture, time, and their myths and legends while a family tries to deal with their sorrows and complications. Kirkus believes “Minli emerges a stalwart female role model who learns the importance of family, friendship and faith during her amazing journey. Richly hued illustrations reinforce the Chinese folk theme” (2009).
Below is the extensive awards list taken from Ingram that Where the Mountains Meet the Moon earned:
Awards: Newbery Medal | Honor Book | Children’s | 2010 – 2010 ; Parents Choice Awards (Spring) (2008-Up) | Gold Medal Winner | Fiction | 2009 – 2009 ; Indies Choice Book Awards | Honor Book | Middle Readers | 2010 – 2010 ;Children’s Book Committee Award | Winner | Fiction | 2010 – 2010 ; Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children’s Book Award | Nominee | Children’s | 2011 – 2011 ; Massachusetts Book Award (MassBook) | Winner | Children/Young Adult | 2010 – 2010 ; Rhode Island Children’s Book Awards | Nominee | Grades 3-6 | 2011 – 2011 ; Beehive Awards | Winner | Fiction | 2011 – 2011 ; Nene Award | Nominee | Children’s Fiction | 2011 – 2011 ; Black-Eyed Susan Award | Nominee | Grades 4-6 | 2010 – 2011 ; Capitol Choices: Noteworthy Books for Children and Teens | Recommended | Seven to Ten | 2010 – 2010 ; E.B. White Read Aloud Award | Honor Book | Older Reader | 2010 – 2010 ; Cybils | Finalist | Fantasy/Sci-Fi/ELM/Midgr | 2009 – 2009 ; Georgia Children’s Book Award | Nominee | Children’s Book | 2012 – 2012 ; Massachusetts Children’s Book Award | Nominee | Children’s Book | 2011 – 2012 ; North Carolina Children’s Book Award | Nominee | Junior Book | 2011 – 2011 ; William Allen White Childens Book Award | Nominee | Grades 3-5 | 2012 – 2012 ; Sunshine State Young Reader’s Award | Nominee | Grades 3-5 | 2012 – 2012 ; Young Hoosier Book Award | Nominee | Intermediate | 2012 – 2012 ; Young Reader’s Choice Award | Nominee | Junior/Grades 4-6 | 2012 – 2012 ; Nene Award | Nominee | Children’s Fiction | 2012 – 2012 ; Nutmeg Book Award | Nominee | Intermediate | 2013 – 2013 ; California Young Reader Medal | Nominee | Intermediate | 2013 – 2013 ; Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award | Nominee | Grades 4-8 | 2012 – 2012 ; Nene Award | Nominee | Children’s Fiction | 2014 – 2014 ; Nene Award | Nominee | Children’s Fiction | 2013 – 2013
Lin, Grace (2009). Where the Mountain Meet the Moon. New York: Little Brown Books for Children.
Ingram (2009). {Awards – Where the Mountain Meet the Moon by Grace Lin}. Retrieved on November 14, 2018 from https://ipage.ingramcontent.com/ipage/servlet/ibg.common.titledetail.pd1000?queryString=H4sIAAAAAAAAAC3KsQqDQBCE4Vc5prbQdksJSAgJKbQSEcENSs5buVuRJOTds0K67x_mgzSCHoNPnCGJgDRuxlVBKEWeMKc3qMhzk7f1fKuuOM7me1Oe6iNWUNsWGcwXfu0Sx76e1bP1PnFkpxO7RbagwxzcwqzpP0lA131_C2lQ24gAAAA&R=9457222&dNo=6
Ingram (2009). {Digital Image – Where the Mountain Meet the Moon by Grace Lin}. Retrieved on November 14, 2018 from https://ipage.ingramcontent.com/ipage/servlet/ibg.common.titledetail.pd1000?queryString=H4sIAAAAAAAAAC3KsQqDQBCE4Vc5prbQdksJSAgJKbQSEcENSs5buVuRJOTds0K67x_mgzSCHoNPnCGJgDRuxlVBKEWeMKc3qMhzk7f1fKuuOM7me1Oe6iNWUNsWGcwXfu0Sx76e1bP1PnFkpxO7RbagwxzcwqzpP0lA131_C2lQ24gAAAA&R=9457222&dNo=6
Ingram (2009). {Book Reviews – Bulletin from the Center for Children’s Books – Where the Mountain Meet the Moon by Grace Lin}. Retrieved on November 14, 2018 from https://ipage.ingramcontent.com/ipage/servlet/ibg.common.titledetail.pd1000?queryString=H4sIAAAAAAAAAC3KsQqDQBCE4Vc5prbQdksJSAgJKbQSEcENSs5buVuRJOTds0K67x_mgzSCHoNPnCGJgDRuxlVBKEWeMKc3qMhzk7f1fKuuOM7me1Oe6iNWUNsWGcwXfu0Sx76e1bP1PnFkpxO7RbagwxzcwqzpP0lA131_C2lQ24gAAAA&R=9457222&dNo=6
Ingram (2009). {Book Reviews – Kirkus Reviews – Where the Mountain Meet the Moon by Grace Lin}. Retrieved on November 14, 2018 from https://ipage.ingramcontent.com/ipage/servlet/ibg.common.titledetail.pd1000?queryString=H4sIAAAAAAAAAC3KsQqDQBCE4Vc5prbQdksJSAgJKbQSEcENSs5buVuRJOTds0K67x_mgzSCHoNPnCGJgDRuxlVBKEWeMKc3qMhzk7f1fKuuOM7me1Oe6iNWUNsWGcwXfu0Sx76e1bP1PnFkpxO7RbagwxzcwqzpP0lA131_C2lQ24gAAAA&R=9457222&dNo=6
Ramblings of Jhenry 