The Girl Who Drank the Moon
Written by Kelly Barnhill
Well-written and fascinating, this tale will leave you wanting to read more about the characters and their realm.
Even within the world of witches and dragons, not everything is as it seems. The Protectorate fears the Witch (Xan) in the woods so much that they sacrifice their youngest citizen to her each year. Meanwhile, she is the most benevolent of old ladies. Even the Elders are convinced there is no witch and the babies die in the woods. Meanwhile, Xan is caring for the babies and finding them homes in the surrounding villages, where they are honored and called Star Children. One mother is so distraught, she instantly goes mad. Meanwhile, her daughter becomes enmagicked by the Moon and is cared for by Xan herself. Her name is Luna. Add a kindly young man of the Protectorate, a sleeping volcano, a tiny motherless dragon, and an ageless Bog monster and you have a lot of excitement. Naturally, all these characters eventually collide, setting the universe right. But how?
There are many reasons this book won the Newbery Medal. It has a lot to say about the world today and the role perception plays in our actions. Luna transforms into a woman before our very eyes. Worth the read.
Title: The Girl Who Drank the Moon- Author: Kelly Barnhill
- Published: Algonquin Young Readers, 2016
- Reviewer: Sue Poduska
- Format: Hardcover, 400 pages
- Grade Level: 5 to 9
- Genre: Fantasy
- ISBN: 978-1-61620-567-6