Book #13 for 2026
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
This book has been sitting on my shelf for ages and I decided to give it a read for my 50 📚 by 50 🎂 challenge. It’s a fairy tale set in China. The author cleverly uses traditional Chinese folktales throughout her story, she adapts the folktales to fit her overarching storyline. Various characters will tell one another short little side stores throughout the main storyline. It’s very cool. At the end of the book, there are discussion questions, and after the discussion questions is a chapter called “behind the book” where the author describes her writing process. I give this book two very enthusiastic thumbs up. 👍👍 I will be adding this to our TBR list for family read-aloud books.
Here are a few of my favorite lines:
“Minli was not brown and dull like the rest of the village. She had glossy black hair with pink cheeks, shining eyes always eager for adventure, and a fast smile that flashed from her face.” page 2
“The fallen leaves made a soft carpet for her feet and the night birds flew into the sky as she passed.” page 35 [When my sister and I were growing up my dad would call bats, night birds. It wasn’t until I was married and I was telling my husband that I’d never seen a bat that he pointed out that what I thought were “night birds”, were in fact, bats!] 🦇
“Amah poured some tea from a pot and handed Minli a cup. Minli sipped it gratefully. The steaming liquid slipped down her throat smoothly and seemed to fill every part of her with a fresh energy.” page 193
“Ma stood by the window as the stars began to poke holes in the deep, blue velvet sky.” page 224
“We have clung to it, always afraid of losing it,” the king said. “But if I choose to release it, there is no loss.” page 141
🌎 Have you read any interesting books set in a country different from where you live?
heavens to betty 