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Kelly I wrote this with a fifth grade reader in mind - but the cool thing about Middle Grade Fiction in general is that it allows for "Big Tent Storytelling…moreI wrote this with a fifth grade reader in mind - but the cool thing about Middle Grade Fiction in general is that it allows for "Big Tent Storytelling". In other words, everyone is invited: little kids, big kids, teenagers, adults, old people. Everyone. The story manifests differently for different people - just like my experience reading THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE as an adult is different than the experience I had as a teenager, which is different than the experience I had as a child. Same book, different stories. There are some scary bits in this story, but no scarier than any other fairy tale. If they can handle the prose (and I don't pull any punches with the difficulty; I always expect my readers to come with their A game), then they can handle the content. I hope that helps!(less)
Mary Lanham The book doesn't include real-world ethnicities or races, but several of the main characters are described as having darker skin and curling black hai…moreThe book doesn't include real-world ethnicities or races, but several of the main characters are described as having darker skin and curling black hair. The setting has a classic fairy tale feel without being overtly European, so it's the sort of book kids from many different backgrounds will be able to identify with. Hope this is helpful!(less) Community Reviews· 81,309 ratings · 13,415 reviews Start your review of The Girl Who Drank the Moon
Click here to watch a video review of this book on my channel, From Beginning to Bookend. The people of the Protectorate leave a baby deep in the forest each year, a sacrificial offering made to a witch to deter her from terrorizing the village. When the witch, Xan, finds the babies, she feeds them starlight, but one year she accidentally pulls light from the moon and enmagicks a baby girl. Xan knows that the baby imbued with moonlight will have extraordinary abilities, so she decides to rais Click here to watch a video review of this book on my channel, From Beginning to Bookend.
The people of the Protectorate leave a baby deep in the forest each year, a sacrificial offering made to a witch to deter her from terrorizing the village. When the witch, Xan, finds the babies, she feeds them starlight, but one year she accidentally pulls light from the moon and enmagicks a baby girl. Xan knows that the baby imbued with moonlight will have extraordinary abilities, so she decides to raise the child. As the child grows, she lacks the skill to control her evermore erratic magic, and her thirteenth birthday approaches - a day when her magic threatens to emerge in full and with dangerous consequences. The Girl Who Drank the Moon is a shining example of a good ol' fashioned fairy tale, replete with witches and dragons and creatures from the bog, along with enchanted objects, talking animals, and villainous monsters. The setting is moody and atmospheric, be it the fog-riddled village populated with sorrowful people or the treacherous forest said to have taken the lives of travelers who stumbled into its boiling streams or choked on the foul-smelling fumes spewed from its fissures. Fog clung to the city walls and cobbled streets like tenacious moss. At the center of the forest was a small swamp - bubbly, sulfury, and noxious, fed and warmed by an underground, restlessly sleeping volcano and covered with a slick of slime whose color ranged from poison green to lightning blue to blood red, depending on the time of year. Because this is a multigenerational saga, the cast of characters is relatively large, but each character brings their own quirks and idiosyncrasies to the page, making them easy to differentiate (though pinpointing a "main character" is a bit of a grey area). The best part of the book - the succulent cherry on top of this decadent treat - is the way magic is used or emerges by accident. Magic is portrayed as being whimsical and sweet, familiar yet fresh. Some forms of magic are playful in their innocence, while other forms rely on the exchange of a sinister currency that is disturbing to read about whenever it's employed. She transformed a book into a dove and enlivened her pencils and quills so that they stood on their own and performed a complicated dance on the desk. As [she] ran, each footstep blossomed with iridescent flowers. When she waded into the swamp, the reeds twisted themselves into a boat, and she climbed aboard, floating across the deep red of algae coating the water. The story is fairly complicated for a middle grade novel and some elements are disquieting; the book is subsequently recommended for a slightly older audience (ages 10 to 14). With luscious prose, a winding plot, and a charming cast of characters, The Girl Who Drank the Moon makes a proud addition to the list of Newbery Medal winners.
===================================== Post finishing these magical books, the hearts overflow, with ideas of magic, ambitions of achieving the impos Post finishing these magical books, the hearts overflow, with ideas of magic, ambitions of achieving the impossible , and smiles nestled with hope inculcated! They generally proclaim victory of good over evil, all the killings and
cruelty are justified by acts of kindness, and kingdom of love thrives amidst all the treacherous and pernicious surroundings! And Bingo, for me “The Girl who drank the moon”, ticked all the departments of fantasy steadily! It is an endearing, spell-binding, resplendent fairy-tale bursting with enchantment, moonlight, starlight, a baby dragon, a swamp monster, a good-hearted witch, an
innocent playful baby and magic overflowing. Heroes are flawed who evolve into villains. The villains in the story are overflowing with emotions of humanity and love, they are the saviours of grace. This divergence from the regular, makes this work “enmagicked”! ############################ As the child is growing, Xan realises that the baby is overflowing with magical powers, she names her Luna and decides to look after her and nurture her like a grandmother instead of abandoning her. She finds kinship in her. The story has a loving witch who is the HERO ! The swamp monster is a witty poet, and the playful little dragon imbues the plot with
humor and intermittent bouts of laughter. Not revealing much to stay back from spoilers. ############################ This book is thematic of kindness and cruelty, hope and despair, magic and menace, loss and tragedy, creating families and sprinkling love among all. A definite and easy 5-star without an iota of doubt! Few of my favourite quotes from this book are: “Knowledge is power, but it is a terrible
power when it is hoarded and hidden.” “Just because you don't see something doesn't mean it isn't there. Some of the most wonderful things in the world are invisible. Trusting in invisible things makes them more powerful and wondrous.” “Everything you see is in the process of making or unmaking or dying or living. Everything is in a state of change.” “A story can tell the truth...but a story can also lie. Stories can bend and twist and obfuscate. Controlling stories is power
indeed.” “Some of us...choose love over power. Indeed, most of us do.” “My love isn't divided," she said. "It is multiplied.” “When you apologize, however, you may begin healing yourself. It is not for us. It is for you. I recommend it.” “It was wrong not to be curious, it was wrong not to wonder.” “How many feelings can one heart hold? She looked at her grandmother. At her mother. At the man protecting his family. Infinite, Luna thought. The way the universe is infinite. It is light and dark and endless motion; it is space and time, and space within space, and time within time. And she knew: there is no limit to what the heart can carry.” ...more
Apr 24, 2016 Donalyn rated it it was amazing Stunning language and memorable characters. Worthy of a spot alongside Susan Cooper, Ursula LeGuin, and Lloyd Alexander. The sort of book that makes you believe in magic (and love).
Look at that beaut' of a cover guys! How could anyone walk past this in a bookstore and NOT want to read it?! And then the blurb: witches, tiny dragons, swamp monsters, lunar magic...this book had all the ingredients for me to drop everything and just read! Which is why it turned out to be even more disappointing than it would've been without the great expectations... Oh, where to start?! The first 10% was fabulous. After that: I'll just divide this review into pros and cons to make it easier for Look at that beaut' of a cover guys! How could anyone walk past this in a bookstore and NOT want to read it?! And then the blurb: witches, tiny dragons, swamp monsters, lunar magic...this book had all the ingredients for me to drop everything and just read! Which is why it turned out to be even more disappointing than it would've been without the great expectations...Oh, where to start?! The first 10% was fabulous. After that: I'll just divide this review into pros and cons to make it easier for me to keep it organised and easier for you to read it! The Pros: - Magic being drawn directly from mother nature. - There are a lot of strong female characters present. - You can discover several elements from classic fairy tales such as Hansel and Gretel, and Little Thumbling. - Glerk, the friendly gross-looking Swamp Monster. Who doesn't want a scary looking monster for a friend? It's the entire reason I'm the proud owner of an Old English Bulldog! - Fyrian, the tiny naive dragon with ADD. He reminded me of the original Toothless a lot and we 'all' know how much I love him! The Cons: "If I have to read about Luna's magic seeping out of her pores one more time, I'll eat my fucking sock." - The magical realism. If I read a fairytale, I want it to be a 100% fairytale and with none of that emotional metaphorical nonsense. - The length of the book. It could have easily been cut by a 100 pages if you take out all the redundant parts. -This is supposedly Middle-Grade fiction, but I found it a bit too dark for that at times. Especially in combination with the magical realism. No 10-year-old wants to read about depressed grownups being drowned in magical sorrow. I'm aware that most of the classic myths and fairy tales are also quite dark and have lots of metaphors in them. Yet it's all about being subtle, which wasn't the case in The Girl Who Drank the Moon. -The male characters are depicted as ignorant simpletons. Which, as a self-proclaimed feminist, shouldn't be that much of a problem *winks*, but I like to see a certain balance between the genders. -The story tends to drag on and on. I had a hard time ploughing through it at the end. TL; DR: The concept is nice. Combining nature with magic and weaving it into a fairy tale is fantastic. Sadly, it was poorly executed in this one. I'm giving it two brownies, meaning it was okay. I'd really like to see a properly edited version some day, though! Thanks to Algonquin Young Readers for providing me with a copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion! ...more
Feb 17, 2022 s.penkevich rated it it was amazing ‘Knowledge is power, but it is a terrible
power when it is hoarded and hidden.’ With children’s literature, there is a wonderful opportunity not only to entertain but to educate, and to pass on lessons that a young reader may carry in their heart their entire life. The best tend to be the ones where the reading is so enjoyable it isn’t until later in life you realize how impactful the lessons were. The Girl Who Drank the Moon’, the Newbery Medal novel from Kelly Barnhill, is undeniably one of the With children’s literature, there is a wonderful opportunity not only to entertain but to educate, and to pass on lessons that a young reader may carry in their heart their entire life. The best tend to be the ones where the reading is so enjoyable it isn’t until later in life you realize how impactful the lessons were. The Girl Who Drank the Moon’, the Newbery
Medal novel from Kelly Barnhill, is undeniably one of these books. It has become a favorite of mine, and one I love to recommend to young readers at every opportunity. This fantastical story of a young girl gifted with powers who finds herself in a battle that threatens the world against ancient evils who have long oppressed the kingdom is a slow burn of pure poetry and charm that bestows beautiful lessons of love, challenging the status quo, and being true to your beliefs. With a thrilling cast
of characters, both human and magical beings, Barnhill has created a magnificent middle-grade read that is as engaging to young readers as it is to adults who wish to feel the flame of resistance warm their hearts in an empowering burst of magical fire. ‘“Once upon a time, something terrifying lived in the woods. Or perhaps the woods were terrifying. Or perhaps the whole world is poisoned with wickedness and lies, and it's best to learn that now. The set-up touches on the familiar, pulsating with the mythical aesthetics of fairy tales with menacing dark woods and castle spires, making it feel as if it were already passed down through generations. Yet it remains fresh in a way that is frequently surprising and modern. The world here is bleak and life is hard (they call the town the City of Sorrows in case you didn’t catch on), and a witch threatens the kingdom. Yet the elders have discovered they can keep
the witch at bay if they sacrifice a child every year to the witch. Yet, as we soon learn, this is a lie with just enough truth to keep the belief thriving. The story keeps them ‘a frightened people, a subdued people, a compliant people.’ The elders have invented the witch and assume the child dies in the forest every year, yet it turns out there is a witch who carries off the children year after year. But instead of devour them, she takes them to new homes in kingdoms beyond the
horrid forests and bogs. Each child is brushed with magic, giving them a happy life, yet one year a child feasts on moonlight and becomes ‘enmagicked’ with powers the witch could never anticipate. And so the story of Luna begins. This is a blissfully complex novel for a middle-grade, one that believes in the reader’s abilities and guides them through a tangle of plot-lines and characters to create a stunning tapestry of themes. Alongside Luna’s story of coming into her magic that
was repressed for years (very metaphorical of puberty here) is the story of a boy in the village, Antain, who has failed from his path to being an elder and is horribly scarred across his face. He encountered a woman kept in the prison after she became uncontrollable from having her baby taken away and sacrificed, and her pain is writ forever across the boy’s face when she attacks him with magically created paper cranes. Antain slowly seeing through the veil of lies and corruption in the village
is juxtaposed with Luna learning the truth of herself and their stories are quickly headed on a collision course that threatens to upheave the obdurate structures of powers that have kept the City of Sorrows down for decades. ‘A story can tell the truth...but a story can also lie. Stories can bend and twist and obfuscate. Controlling stories is power indeed.’ The most striking of themes is the way rhetoric can either oppress you or set you free. The kingdom is oppressed by
lies and held hostage by fear. The appeal to fear is a powerful political force, one that will make people commit atrocities or push others out. We see this every day in political struggles. Meanwhile we have Luna and her friend Glerk, the beast of the bog, who tells of the world as a beautiful place. Glerk, who frequently quotes “the Poet”, who is less a god-figure and more the world itself, shows the world as a unified idea, the poet, the people, the bog, the beast, all as one Being. It is a
message of peace and understanding. And in this book we see these two ideologies clash. Rule by fear is a fast track to power whereas Luna is learning power should only be used for good and aid. It is a beautiful lesson and the poetic unraveling of this theme sews it directly into your heart. ‘Everything you see is in the process of making or unmaking or dying or living. Everything is in a state of change.’ This is a fantastic story, one I was so glad to share with my own
daughter when we read it together. There are witches, some good but still prone to making mistakes, and bad witches who will eat your happiness. There are dragons, and even the smallest of them may have the biggest heart and destiny. Past and present clash in a glorious narrative that will have you flipping pages late into the evening, rollicking along the flow of Barnhill’s prose. This story reminds you to love, to question and to live. The Girl Who Drank the Moon is magic, pure and
simple. 5/5 ‘How many feelings can one heart hold? She looked at her grandmother. At her mother. At the man protecting his family. Infinite, Luna thought. The way the universe is infinite. It is light and dark and endless motion; it is space and time, and space within space, and time within time. And she knew: there is no limit to what the heart can carry.’
May 15, 2019 Debra rated it really liked it Winner of the 2017 Newbery Medal So, this book has won a lot of awards and it is easy to see why. This is a great book for middle school readers who enjoy some fantasy and So, this book has won a lot of awards and it is easy to see why. This is a great book for middle school readers who enjoy some fantasy and supernatural elements in their books. Plus, the writing is beautiful, lyrical even at times. It really gives the feel of being in a fairy tale
land where every year the people of the Protectorate give up an infant to the witch in the forest. They believe abandoning a child (i.e. sacrificing the baby) will protect them from the *gasp* wicked witch who lives there. Every year, Xan, rescues the abandoned children in the forest. She is a kind and loving witch. She doesn't understand why the people would leave their infants in the forest. She cuddles them, nourishes them with starlight and finds them new homes with loving families on
the other side of the forest. Xan lives with a miniature dragon and a clever swamp monster. She is quite content and one evening she rescues a baby and accidentally gives her moonlight instead of starlight. OOPS! That's a big no-no. So, Xan decides to raise the girl as her own and names her Luna. As Luna draws near her thirteenth birthday and her magic begins to show, things begin to happen.... So obviously there is magic in this book but there was for me also nice messages about loyalty,
family and what makes a family. That family can be the family one is born into, but it is also the family we choose, those we let in and share our lives with. It's about learning the truth, coming home, and what is truly magical. This book also has some bittersweet moments because it is also about saying goodbye, about loss, and about grief. What is sorrow? What is sadness? How do we cope with these emotions? The characters are quirky, like-able - and yes, lovable. A witch raising a child
in the woods, what is so magical about that??? Everything! Keep in mind this was written for middle grade readers and it is geared for the age range but don't let that stop you. If you have a middle school reader, this would be a great book to read with your child as there are a lot of relevant issues in this book.
Update: 3-3.5 stars I really didn’t feel comfortable giving this book 4 stars. I have a lot of friends who LOVED this book and I really wanted to love it too but just couldn’t. I didn’t dislike this book, there was
some beautiful writing in it, but I can’t bring myself to rate it any higher.
Sep 27, 2017 Calista rated it it was amazing This is a new favorite book of mine. I love this book. I love Luna and her dragon. I love the witch who feed her moonlight. The story feels so big and it seems there is more to it and behind it. I love the tone of the book and the feeling of magic conveyed to the reader.
There are some really horrible things that happen in the village and Sister Igraine is quite a character. I love the resolution of the book and how things conclude. It is so satisfying. I don't want to give anything away, simply This is a new favorite book of mine. I love this book. I love Luna and her dragon. I love the witch who feed her moonlight. The story feels so big and it seems there is more to it and behind it. I love the tone of the book
and the feeling of magic conveyed to the reader. There are some really horrible things that happen in the village and Sister Igraine is quite a character. I love the resolution of the book and how things conclude. It is so satisfying. I don't want to give anything away, simply read the story as it's worth your time. I love the prose of this work. It is beautiful and it's like a spindle thread of a spider web that has collected the nights dew and now sparkles like diamonds in the sun. Such a
work of beauty. I have so enjoyed reading this book and I will miss being part of it's world. This would be one of my favorite books of 2017 for me. It more than deserves the Newberry award. This book deals with belonging, of life and death, growing up and loss. It deals with sorrow. It turns all this to magic, to transformation and growth. This is a STORY!
Jan 19, 2021 J.L. Sutton rated it really liked it “How many feelings can one heart hold?...
Infinite, Luna thought. The way the universe is infinite. It is light and dark and endless motion; it is space and time, and space within space, and time within time. And she knew: there is no limit to what the heart can carry.” Kelly Barnhill's The Girl Who Drank the Moon is a compelling story about love, healing friendship and magic. It is geared toward middle school readers, but I enjoyed it. It has a fairy tale quality that was never going to be as da “How many feelings can one heart hold?... Infinite, Luna thought. The way the universe is infinite. It is light and dark and endless motion; it is space and time, and space within space, and time within time. And she knew: there is no limit to what the heart can carry.”Kelly Barnhill's The Girl Who Drank the Moon is a compelling story about love, healing friendship and magic. It is geared toward middle school readers, but I enjoyed it. It has a fairy tale quality that was never going to be as dark or philosophical or ambiguous as it might have been had it been for general readers. Goodness and love will triumph over evil. That's certain from the beginning, but getting to the end is still fun. “Everything you see is in the process of making or unmaking or dying or living. Everything is in a state of change.” ...more
FYI: Middle Grade (MG) and "middle school" are two different things... Middle Grade = ages 7/8 - 11/12 (elementary school) Stop leaving nasty rude comments because you think I'm talking about middle school ages, when I'm talking about elementary school readers. Good grief! I'm not even going to reply with an explanation anymore; I'm just going to delete those uninformed comments. UPDATE: I have recently been reminded of my loathing of White authors writing Middle Grade = ages 7/8 - 11/12 (elementary school) Stop leaving nasty rude comments because you think I'm talking about middle school ages, when I'm talking about elementary school readers. Good grief! I'm not even going to reply with an explanation anymore; I'm just going to delete those uninformed comments. UPDATE: I have recently been reminded of my loathing of White authors writing dark-skinned characters so the cover can
depict a seemingly POC MC. It's all for the diverse book attention. Let POC authors write these books, please. Newbery shouldn't even entertain the thought of awarding White authors writing POC main characters. Please, when you see a book with a person of color depicted on the cover click over to the author's bio and see if you will be reading and supporting an authentic, diverse Own Voices story. This book was way too long for Middle Grade, there was too much boring political
content, and it was having a huge identity crisis. Some parts read like a great Children's chapterbook, a lot of it was based on an older character and read like okay YA, and then there were two adults in the story who had their adult thinking added in too often. For such a long book there was very little MG age interesting content. Many of the scenes were too long and a lot of them were basically the same scene in a different location. It would have been better to write things like, "She
felt like she did the day she found the *fill in the blank* when she picked up the book," instead of describing the same sensations and thoughts over, and over, and over again. If these redundant scenes had been taken out, and most of the adult storyline extracted, the book would have been more MG length and a lot more interesting for MG age readers. Luna, the bog monster, and the tiny dragon were the highlights of the story and more focus should have been on them. This book needed an
editor who knows MG inside and out. I was excited to read this book after reading the summary, but ended up being disappointed. I was approved for an eARC, via Netgalley, in return for an honest review.
Feb 26, 2017 Jane rated it it was amazing 4.5 stars A beautiful, surprisingly complex story. Perhaps it is a little
longer with somewhat darker themes than many middle grade books, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. This reminded me in some ways of A Wrinkle in Time -- the author didn't pull any punches when it came to more sensitive subjects like grief and death. Although this book deals with some pretty heavy topics, there is also humour sprinkled throughout that lightens the tone. I listened to the audible edition, and Christina A
beautiful, surprisingly complex story. Perhaps it is a little longer with somewhat darker themes than many middle grade books, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. This reminded me in some ways of A Wrinkle in Time -- the author didn't pull any punches when it came to more sensitive subjects like grief and death. Although this book deals with some pretty heavy topics, there is also humour sprinkled throughout that lightens the tone. I listened to the audible edition, and Christina
Moore did a fantastic job with the various voices. Badass Female Character score: 5/5 -- At its heart, this is a story about the strength of women. From Xan, to Luna, to the women in the village, this book is filled with women and how they use the powers they possess.
Feb 17, 2017 Renata rated it it was amazing The beauty of this book begins with its magical title: The Girl Who
Drank the Moon.
Feb 24, 2017 Lindsay rated it liked it Fwew. Finally! It felt like it took me forever to finally get through this. I
would rate this somewhere between 3 and 3.5 stars. It's not a bad book, but for a Newbery winner, I was expecting more. What Worked: The writing is very pretty. Descriptive, poetic, lyrical...it has all the makings of an old-fashioned fairy tale story. It has some intriguing characters- a swamp monster who's been around since the beginning of the world, a sorrow eater, a childlike dragon, a magical girl...it has a lot of What Worked: The writing is very pretty. Descriptive, poetic, lyrical...it has all the makings of an old-fashioned fairy tale story. It has some intriguing characters- a swamp monster who's been around since the beginning of the world, a sorrow eater, a childlike dragon, a magical girl...it
has a lot of promise. What Didn't Work for Me: This was slow. It's a case of lots of description and showing and not much action actually happening. It's quite passive. Sleepy would be the word I would use to describe the plot. 13 years go by in the book, but hardly anything really...happens. The first 2/3 sets up the events of the last third of the book, constantly hinting at things to come. And then it does come...and everything fits together seamlessly. There's no real tension or
showdown or anything to make the reader wonder what the outcome will be. The climax is a bunch of characters finally meeting, the villain losing without a fight, and a natural disaster that doesn't end up threatening any lives or much besides Xan's home. If you like excitement, there isn't much here. The writing gets repetitive. Ideas such as the bog, magic being locked inside Luna, poetry, etc. are discussed over and over again. "She is here", "Sorrow is dangerous"...I feel like some
ideas and themes were beaten to death. Sometimes the description was so...descriptive that I lost interest and went foggy, having to re-read entire pages. This is so full of symbolic imagery and poetic figurative language that the plot gets a big lost in it. Problem is, I didn't always know what it was getting at. What was up with the bog? Is it symbolic for life? Death? Both? All of the paper birds...was that about the Madwoman trying to fly to her child? Why did they cut up Antain's face? Why
was Fyrian small for years and suddenly large? Was he linked with Luna? I could have used a bit more concrete information. Examples: "She was an old woman. She was a girl. She was somewhere in between. She was all of those things at once." Huh? "In the beginning, there was the bog. And the bog covered the world and the Bog was the world and the world was the Bog." WTF (This is mentioned several times throughout the story. I still don't get it.) The POV can be a bit confusing.
There are a ton of characters- Xan, Glerk, Fyrian, Luna, the Madwoman, Antain, Grand Elder Gherland, Ethyne- that at some point or another become the focus for the omniscient narrator. It's a lot. And when most of these characters come together and start speaking to each other, the pronouns could have been a bit better defined, IMO. There are also short "story" chapters, in some of which I'm not exactly sure who is supposed to be speaking. Some of the characters' musings get off topic and go on
for too long. I feel like this could have been about 100 pages shorter cleaned up. So...This is okay. Not bad, but not award-winning IMO. Also, it's supposedly written with 5th graders in mind. I teach fifth grade language arts, and I don't think most of my kids would "get this" and want to stick with it. It's like a middle grades book that middle grades kids would be bored by. I think that Diana Wynne Jones or Neil Gaiman has written in a similar vein, but better.
I read THE GIRL WHO DRANK THE MOON by Kelly Barnhill because I want to give a copy to my ten-year-old neice for her birthday. The book is beautiful and poetic, the language is rich, and the
characters finely drawn. Even the smallest speaking characters feel real by the end of the book. The paper birds are one of my favorite literary elements ever. I desperately love Flurian, the prolonged-baby dragon. I listened to an audiobook of this book from Recorded Books. The narrator, Christina Moore, per I read THE GIRL WHO DRANK THE MOON by Kelly Barnhill because I want to give a copy to my ten-year-old neice for her birthday. The book is
beautiful and poetic, the language is rich, and the characters finely drawn. Even the smallest speaking characters feel real by the end of the book. The paper birds are one of my favorite literary elements ever. I desperately love Flurian, the prolonged-baby dragon. I listened to an audiobook of this book from Recorded Books. The narrator, Christina Moore, performed it beautifully, and I think I probably liked it better than I would have if I had read it. Barnhill doesn't opt for a straight
narrative in this book, but rather tells the story in chapters that both jump around in time and also alternate character perspective. Chapter headings gloss the chapters, but not in a way that illuminates changes in time or narrative lens. In fact, if anything, the glossing can further obfuscate the function of the coming chapter. If I had to guess, I would say Barnhill is trying to build suspense, but all she really does is reduce clarity. The form of this book is confusing, and I'm an adult,
seasoned reader. Clarity is also reduced by a convoluted concept. I'm not exactly sure what Barnhill was try to say with this book. Communicating multiple messages in a single book is fine; that's why we have subplots. She does, in fact, have so many threads, that she drops them and resumes them with some regularity. Unfortunately, Barnhill's many messages fight with each other for the reader's attention. What are the young readers supposed to invest in? Is this a story about family and
loyalty? Individuality and conformity? Power and control? Fear and bravery? Generosity and sorrow? Standing up for what's right or getting along? It's impossible to say, because all these themes smother each other or just plain disappear off the page, only to reappear later. I will still give this book to my niece, but I will tell her that if it confuses her she can come talk to me. If she comes to talk to me, I will give her the advice that she could DNF it. I want her to know early that
she doesn't have to finish books that don't do it for her! Nor does she have to like every book she reads, even books that are just her type, even if everyone else likes it, EVEN if it won a Newberry! Rating 3 stars *Follow my Instagram book blog for all my reviews, challenges, and book lists! http://www.instagram.com/donasbooks *
Oct 31, 2018 chloe rated it it was amazing Update: changing my rating from 5 stars to 4.5 stars
I've been done with this book for a couple of weeks,
and wasn't sure how to write this review. I thought about just throwing a 3 or 4 star rating down and being done with it, but I feel like I owe it to my friends that have similar tastes to be honest. A tiny note for Audible listeners. The narrator for this book is FANTASTIC!
I’m not surprised this won the Newbery, because it is absolutely stunning. Told in a wonderfully mystical narrative, this book is sure to join the ranks of enduring middle grade
classics. The story centers around a long held tradition in the Protectorate, that every year the youngest child must be sacrificed to appease the witch in the forest. But right away the reader finds out the the witch, named Xan, is actually kind and makes the yearly trek to the Protectorate to save the babies from dying I’m not surprised this won the Newbery, because it is absolutely stunning. Told in a wonderfully mystical narrative, this book is
sure to join the ranks of enduring middle grade classics. The story centers around a long held tradition in the Protectorate, that every year the youngest child must be sacrificed to appease the witch in the forest. But right away the reader finds out the the witch, named Xan, is actually kind and makes the yearly trek to the Protectorate to save the babies from dying alone. One day, Xan picks up a baby girl and instead of feeding her starlight she feeds her moonlight, which imbues the child
with incredible powers. What follows is an intricate cast of characters that are all affected by Luna, the girl who drank the moon. I loved every word in this book, and I look forward to reading it again and again and again. –Karina Glaser from The Best Books We Read In March 2017: http://bookriot.com/2017/04/04/riot-r...
Aug 04, 2018 Kenny rated it liked it 3.5/5 “Knowledge is power, but it is a terrible power when it is hoarded and hidden.” This is a hard one for me to rate. I kept going back and forth between 3 or 4, and finally settled upon 3. There are things I loved about this book and other elements that I did not care for. This a book I really wanted to love and had high expectations for. Perhaps I've grown too old for YA novels. An elderly witch, an enmagicked girl, a brave young father, a wise, po 3.5/5“Knowledge is power, but it is a terrible power when it is hoarded and hidden.” This is a hard one for me to rate. I kept going back and forth between 3 or 4, and finally settled upon 3. There are things I loved about this book and other elements that I did not care for. This a book I really wanted to love and had high expectations for. Perhaps I've grown too old for YA novels. An elderly witch, an enmagicked girl, a brave young father, a wise, poetry loving monster, a tiny dragon, with a huge heart, paper birds, and a mysterious madwoman meet to stop an evil witch who feeds on sorrow. The heroes and heroines here are all endearing; in fact they are enchanting. As a baby, Luna is left as a sacrifical offering to an evil witch ~~ but is she??? Instead, the witch, Xan, rescues baby Luna, just as she had rescued hundred of babies like her the past 500 years. In addition to goat's milk, Xan feeds the babies starlight. That gives the babbies strength while Xan looks for a safe home for children. However, with Luna, Xan makes a huge mistake. She feeds Luna moonlight, which fills the girl with magical powers. As Luna grows, her magic is unstopable ~~ and truths begin to unfold about the place and her people and where she came from. There’s so much to love in this book ~~ and yet, I didn't love it. What I admire about The Girl Who Drank the Moon is Barnhill championing the spiritual powers of hope, love and rebellion in the face of fear and cruelty and nationalism. And while I didn't love this book, I do think it is is a marvelous read for young readers all over the world.
Nov 03, 2020 sarah rated it really liked it “A story can tell the truth...but a story can also lie. Stories can bend and twist and obfuscate. Controlling stories is power indeed.” The Girl Who Drank the Moon is a lovely little book that I would recommend to everyone from ages 10 to 100. It was
surprisingly sophisticated and complex with its poetic writing, sprinkles of magical realism and darkness. The magic within this book felt like it was simply seeping out through the pages. It had the tone of a classic fairy tale- complete with dark The Girl Who Drank the Moon is a lovely
little book that I would recommend to everyone from ages 10 to 100. It was surprisingly sophisticated and complex with its poetic writing, sprinkles of magical realism and darkness. The magic within this book felt like it was simply seeping out through the pages. It had the tone of a classic fairy tale- complete with dark themes and the occasional melancholic passage. It is no surprise to me that this won the Newbery award as it is without a doubt one of the best middle
grade novels I have read in a while. “How many feelings can one heart hold?... Infinite, Luna thought. The way the universe is infinite. It is light and dark and endless motion; it is space and time, and space within space, and time within time. And she knew: there is no limit to what the heart can carry.” As for the plot, I would recommend just reading it and seeing where the story takes you. I will just let you know a few things that are included to give you an idea: all this combines effortlessly to create a spell binding tale of family, magic and sorrow. Be prepared to maybe take it a little slower than other books in this age category. It truly is like a fairytale in its slow burning, occasionally repetitive nature, but that just added to its charm for me. I
am not quite sure what prevented me from loving this book to a 5 star extent. All of the elements were there, the writing was beautiful and I liked the characters. But looking back on it, something is inexplicably holding me back from giving it 5 stars. Perhaps I will reread it in a couple of years and see if my thoughts have changed, but for now I am settling on 4 stars. Overall, this was an endearing and charming book that helped to break up the heavy fantasies I was reading at
the time. I would recommend this if you like slower, magical realism type books but also loveable characters. I would love to try out any books that are in the same vein as this, so definitely feel free to let me know if you know of any! “Stuff. The stuff of stars. The stuff of light. The stuff of a planet before it is a planet. The stuff of a baby before it is born. The stuff of a seed before it is a sycamore. Everything you see is in the process of making or unmaking or dying
or living. Everything is in a state of change.”
pre-read “Not all knowledge comes from the mind. Your body, your heart, your intuition. Sometimes memories even have minds of their own.” For a book geared towards middle grade readers The girl who drank the moon is exceptionally wise. There were so many hidden truths in its m “Not all knowledge comes from the mind. Your body, your heart, your intuition. Sometimes memories even have minds of their own.” For a book geared towards middle grade readers The girl who drank the moon is exceptionally wise. There were so many hidden truths in its many quotable moments - I
found myself taking my time with it. Trying to savor it. I will say though that this book is probably not for everybody. It's quite different from other middle grade fantasy books - both in style of writing and structure. Some things would take a really long time to happen, and some other ones happen too quickly. Points of view jump and differ and wave through time, and stories and memories. To be completely honest I was quite confused for the first 100 pages or so. But somehow I
was okay with that. “And the more they asked, the more they wondered. And the more they wondered, the more they hoped. And the more they hoped, the more the clouds of sorrow lifted, drifted, and burned away in the heat of a brightening sky.” I would especially recommend this book to mothers, expectant mothers and families who are looking to adopt. The girl who drank the moon is bursting with motherly instincts, affection and family. And with love. So much love. “Human
babies are only tiny for an instant—their growing up is as swift as the beat of a hummingbird’s wing.” Kelly Barnhill really understands motherhood and growing up. She is either a fantastic mother herself, or knows somebody who is. The bonds of a child and a parent were so beautifully and vividly portrayed here, if anything that is enough of a reason to read this book. “Knowledge is powerful, but it is a terrible power when it is hoarded and hidden.” A solid read with many beautiful messages, a definite must for young minds. As The girl who drank the moon tells that it's okay to grow up, that change is inevitable. It teaches to think for yourself and to question everything. It shows love for
what it is - boundless, ever expanding and never jealous. I will definitely be reading more by this author in the near future. “Everything you see is in the process of making or unmaking or dying or living. Everything is in a state of change.” My WEBSITE
This book was a whimsical treasure of a book. It's one of those middle grade books that works on two levels, like a Pixar movie. Middle
graders will love the story just for the story (even if some of the deeper themes woven in go over their head; not discounting children readers, though, we don't give them enough credit), but adults will also find a lot of deeper meaning to the book. This is a story for EVERYONE to enjoy. Beautiful writing, quirky, lovable characters (like a big-hearted and wise This is a story for EVERYONE to enjoy. Beautiful writing, quirky, lovable characters (like a big-hearted and wise swamp monster named Glerk, a delightful tiny dragon named
Fyrian suffering from delusions of grandeur, and a sweet tempered and gentle witch named Xan), and most of all a plot that will make your heart grow bigger and bigger and bigger. It's ultimately about hope and forgiveness and love. Hope in the midst of suffering, forgiveness in the midst of failure, and loving so big and so much that no one is left out. And it's about consequences - the consequences of power unchecked, hiding from memories, and most of all, of pushing down and ignoring the hard
things like sorrow and pain. I LOVED THIS BOOK. Please read it. Even if you never read middle grade. It's worth it.
Apr 27, 2016 Peter Damien rated it it was amazing Just finished, and it was so amazing. Gorgeous, lyrical writing, a warm and clever story, a fairy tale quality. Reminded me of STARDUST by Neil Gaiman, more than anything else. Really recommended.
Nov 13, 2016 Jessica rated it it was amazing Stunningly beautiful writing mixed with a perfectly plotted story filled with adventure, humor, and love. Each of Kelly's middle grade books gets exponentially better (which is astonishing, because they are all amazing), and this one will be a new classic for certain sure. Stunningly beautiful writing mixed with a perfectly plotted story filled with adventure, humor, and love. Each of Kelly's middle grade books gets exponentially better (which is astonishing, because they are all amazing), and this one will be a new classic for certain sure. ...more
Apr 27, 2020 Grace rated it it was amazing In the Protectorate, a baby is sacrificed each year to the witch who lives in the forest to keep the peace. Or so the citizens believe. The witch is not wicked. She saves the babies and feeds them starlight, which causes them to have successful lives, and delivers them to
a new, loving family in the Free Cities. The witch, Xan, lives with a monster named Glerk and a tiny dragon named Fyrian. When Xan accidentally feeds a baby moonlight, the baby is enmagicked, and Xan raises the child as her own In the Protectorate, a baby is sacrificed each year to the witch who lives in the forest to keep the peace. Or so the citizens believe. The witch is not wicked. She saves the babies and feeds them starlight, which causes them
to have successful lives, and delivers them to a new, loving family in the Free Cities. The witch, Xan, lives with a monster named Glerk and a tiny dragon named Fyrian. When Xan accidentally feeds a baby moonlight, the baby is enmagicked, and Xan raises the child as her own, with Glerk and Fyrian to help. This eventually leads to trouble, as baby Luna grows into her magical abilities. Meanwhile, we also experience life in the Protectorate from the POV of a boy, Antain, who is supposed to join
the Council of Elders and a women who went mad after being forced to give up her child. Actual Rating: 4.5 The Girl Who Drank the Moon is extremely cute, often funny, and surprisingly dark for a middle grade novel. It’s about mothers and their children, and in fact the bond shared between all caregivers and their young charges. Many of the characters, including Antain, Luna, and Fyrian must grow up over the course of the novel. Thus, there are three coming-of-age stories hidden
in one. It’s also nice that the parent figures aren’t perfect. Xan is not a perfect parent, and it makes her all the more lifelike and relatable. At just under 400 pages, this novel is somewhat long, but not too long. I was worried the large time span of the story—which ranges from Luna’s infancy to her thirteenth birthday—would make the story clunky, but my fears were unfounded. In fact, I could barely put this down until I had finished it. I was constantly worried for Xan, Luna, and the
citizens of the Protectorate. Seeing them develop along the way was sweet and tender, and it gave the story breadth and feeling. This is a magical tale perfect for anyone of any age*, for everyone who has learned to love—as a parent, a child, or a friend. The story sucks you in until you finish, and you hear it’s message of love and hope loud and clear. *although perhaps too dark for children younger than 9 or 10
“Just because you don't see something doesn't mean it isn't there. Some of the most wonderful things in the world are invisible. Trusting in invisible things makes them more powerful and
wondrous.” The Girl Who Drank the Moon is enchanting, endearing, and filled with important life lessons. An extraordinary work of love and imagination. 🌕✨ The Girl Who Drank the Moon is enchanting, endearing, and filled with important life
lessons. An extraordinary work of love and imagination. 🌕✨
DNF Sometimes you click with a book,
sometimes you don't. I was curious about this book because of the Newbery Award but I've been pushing myself for days to keep reading this and I am just not interested anymore. :( DNF Sometimes you click with a book, sometimes you don't. I was curious about this book because of the Newbery Award but I've been pushing myself for days to keep reading this and I am just not interested anymore. :( Follow me on ♥ Facebook ♥ Blog ♥ Instagram ♥ Twitter ♥ ...more
Sep 08, 2019 Spencer Orey rated it really liked it I heard great things about this book and
had high expectations. And the cover is gorgeous. Overall, I thought it was alright. It was kind of overly tense without a totally cohesive world. Also, the writing has great vocabulary. I live in Denmark, and I checked this out of the library. Some kid had underlined in pencil all the words they didn't understand. There were a lot of words! Good job, kid. The moon magic was cool! Also, the writing has great vocabulary. I live in Denmark, and I checked this out of the library. Some kid had underlined in pencil all the words they didn't understand. There were a lot of words! Good job, kid. The moon magic was cool!
This book was an amazing read! A great story on magic and witches as well as friendship and family. A beautiful story for mother and daughter, but of
course anyone can read it and I do recommend it. The chapter titles were eye catching and interesting. I liked how the author created each character. They were unique and individual with their own sets of skills and talents. The ending was great and it got me a bit teary eyed. Would have been awesome if there was a cure for Antain's face because he This book was an amazing read! A great story on magic and witches as well as friendship and family. A
beautiful story for mother and daughter, but of course anyone can read it and I do recommend it. The chapter titles were eye catching and interesting. I liked how the author created each character. They were unique and individual with their own sets of skills and talents. The ending was great and it got me a bit teary eyed. Would have been awesome if there was a cure for Antain's face because he's such a sweet guy. I loved how sorrow was spotlight in this book and the weapon to beat it. This
book started with a kid being told a story of an existence of a witch in the woods. Each year, when The Day of Sacrifice arrived, the youngest child in the town has to be sacrificed to a witch. No one knew why. Then the story began with Grand Elder Gherland, told in the third person point of view, who was the leader of the town. He rather enjoyed The Day of Sacrifice and kept a fat secret from the people in town, until his nephew Antain, nearly 13 Elder-in-training, started questioning the
process. The second view was Xan, the Witch, more than 500 years old. Every year she arrived at the forest to rescue an infant and brought the baby to a new home. Except this year, Witch Xan took a detour and brought the baby, named her Luna home to be part of her family with Glerk, the swamp monster and Fyrian, the small dragon. The third view was Antain, now nearly 18. He has been faking sick for the past 5 years on The Day of Sacrifice because of what he had witnessed during his first time
out. The fourth view was the madwoman at the top of the Tower with her paper birds. Readers will know how each person felt as the story included them like Sister Ignatia, Wyn, Ethyne, etc. The mystery of the town and the witch slowly unravel as the story move forward. The Girl Who Drank the Moon was very well written and a fast paced read! Such an original story unlike any others I have read before, though the beginning reminded me of The Hunger Games where a sacrifice was required from
the poor population. The title was explained in the story and it was excellent. I loved the cover of this book! The characters were well developed and I couldn't help but felt for Antain and his wife as well as Glerk, Xan, Fyrian, and Luna. The origami paper birds are a plus! I used to hang my ceiling full of paper birds back in middle and high school. Loved the suspense and mystery and at times a couldn't put down kind of read. xoxo, Jasmine at www.howusefulitis.wordpress.com for more details Many thanks to Algonquin Books for Young Readers for the opportunity to read and review. Please be assured that my opinions are honest.
Captivating and wonderful. Kelly Barnhill is an author and teacher. She won the World Fantasy Award for her novella The Unlicensed Magician, a Parents Choice Gold Award for Iron Hearted Violet, the Charlotte Huck Honor for The Girl Who Drank the Moon, and has been a finalist for the Minnesota Book Award, the Andre Norton award, and the PEN/USA literary prize. She was also a McKnight Artist's Fellowship recipient in Children Kelly Barnhill is an author and teacher. She won the World Fantasy Award for her novella The Unlicensed Magician, a Parents Choice Gold Award for Iron Hearted Violet, the Charlotte Huck Honor for The Girl Who Drank the Moon, and has been a finalist for the Minnesota Book Award, the Andre Norton award, and the PEN/USA literary prize. She was also a McKnight Artist's Fellowship recipient in Children's Literature. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with her three children and husband. You can chat with her on her blog at www.kellybarnhill.com ...more News & InterviewsThose of us who like to give books as holiday gifts have the same problem every year: People are weird. Well, people are very…specific is... “Knowledge is power, but it is a terrible power when it is hoarded and hidden.” — 123 likes “How many feelings can one heart hold?... Infinite, Luna thought. The way the universe is infinite. It is light and dark and endless motion; it is space and time, and space within space, and time within time. And she knew: there is no limit to what the heart can carry.” — 114 likes More quotes…Welcome back. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. What age is The Girl Who Drank the Moon appropriate for?Magical stories (9-12)
These books are brilliant for older children who want to get lost in a magical journey.
Is The Girl Who Drank the Moon worth reading?“The Girl Who Drank the Moon is a marvelous children's story about fear, secrets, and the power of love . . . a wonderful book that older children and teens should enjoy reading.”
Why should people read The Girl Who Drank the Moon?It is an enchanting modern fairy tale that will draw you into its mysterious world of witches, a swamp monster and a magical girl named Luna. However, this book is so much more than that, with its elegant prose, high emotion and characters that you can't help but connect with and care about.
What is the moral of The Girl Who Drank the Moon?The Girl Who Drank the Moon successfully presents a fairy tale that serves not only to entertain, but to also educate children on corruption, selfishness, and oppression as well as the importance of banding together and striving to do what is right in trying circumstances.
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