Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

By Grace Lin

Lin, Grace. 2009 Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. NY, NY: Little Brown Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 978-0-0316-11427-1

PLOT SUMMARY:

Minli and her family live in a poor village.  One day after hearing a tale from Ba she decides she is going to change her family’s fortune.  Ba’s tale is about the Old Man in the Moon and his power to write people’s futures. 

Minli purchased a gold fish from the gold fish man.  She ends up setting her free because she decides it’s unfair for her family to have another mouth to feed when they can barely feed themselves.  When she sets the gold fish free it tells her where the Old Man in the Moon is. Minli sets off on a journey to see him and runs into many interesting characters including a dragon.  When Minli finally reaches the Old Man she asks him why Dragon cannot fly, the Old Man tells her what to do and she does it.  Dragon is now able to fly, and he gives her the pearl she pulled off him which makes him able to fly. 

The pearl was worth a fortune, and she gave it to the king and the shadow covering her small village faded away.  She brought good fortune upon her village and her family.  Minli’s journey changed everything.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

The story transfers the reader back and forth between two worlds, the old world with fables and tales and the new world where Minli is off on her quest.  The story is interseing and keeps the reader’s attention.  The description on the characters is vivid and realistic.  Minli is a hopeful young girl with courage that enables her to go on a journey to change the lives of her family and town.  Ma has lost hope and is tired of being poor. Ba tells Minli tales to encourage her and keep her hopeful.  Dragon helps Minli with her quest, he stays with her and in the end he is able to fly.  Minli is looking her place in the world; she is trying to discover where she and her family fit.  The novel is a coming of age story that follows the main character as she grows into a young woman. 

The images in the book, one per chapter are vivid and add to the story.  The reader can see exactly what the author is talking about in the story.  The plot is logical and follows Minli through her journey and to its conclusion.

CONNECTIONS:

*Parts of this story could be acted out in reader’s theater style.

*The history of gold fish could be looked up. One could see what gold fish represent and how they were used in other cultures.

*Paint dragon in how you would expect him to look from the description in the book.

REVIEWS:

Children will embrace this accessible, timeless story about the evil of greed and the joy of gratitude. Lin’s own full-color drawings open each chapter. Grades 3-6. --Andrew Medlar

~Booklist

Rapunzel’s Revenge

By Shannon and Dean Hale

Hale, Shannon and Dean. 2008 Rapunzel’s Revenge. NY, NY: Bloomsbury U.S.A.. ISBN: 978-1-59990-070-4

SUMMARY: Rapunzel was growing up living in a beautiful garden with her mother, Gothel, or so she thought. One day Rapunzel is brought outside the garden and meets a woman at the well.  They discover that the woman is actually Rapunzel’s birth mother.  Rapunzel goes back to the garden and confronts Gothel who banishes her to the tower tree.

Rapunzel eventually escapes and meets a man, Jack, who helps her get back to defeat Gothel and save her mother.  They have many adventures along the way but they finally do make it back to defeat Gothel and save Rapunzel’s mother.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

Rapunzel is a young girl who finds out she has been betrayed and lied to.  She interacts in the way a normal child would under those circumstances.  She contronts her mother and gives her attitude like most teenagers would.  Her story is believable as is her position in the story.  Gothel is like any other wicked step mother, trying to control her step daughter.  She is mean and manipulative.  The plot keeps the reader interested.  It is fast moving and consistent with the rest of the story.  Rapunzel finds herself on the other side the law and that compels her to learn to fight.  She becomes stronger after each incident and when she finally returns to the garden she is able to defeat Gothel. The theme of the story is good verse evil and it shows good prevailing over evil.  Each character has their own unique voice in the story.  The vocabulary changes slightly for each of the characters.  This work also includes images on every page to show the reader what is going on.  The reader is able to gain insight from the images and get a clear view of what is happening. 

CONNECTIONS:

*This story is a twisted version of a fairy tale.  Each student could take their        favorite fairy tale and create their own twisted version. 

*Compare this story to the original Rapunzel. What are the differences in her character, the setting, the plot, and theme? What are the similarities?

REVIEW:

Rich with humor and excitement, this is an alternate version of a classic that will become a fast favorite of young readers. Grades 5-8. --Tina Coleman

~Booklist

The Book Thief

By Markus Zusak

Zusak, Markus. 2005.The Book Thief. NY, NY: Random House. ISBN:978-0-375-93100-0

SUMMARY:

Liesel and her brother were being sent away to foster care.  Along the journey Liesel’s brother became ill and he passed away right in front of Liesel.  The boy had to be buried by grave diggers.  One of the grave diggers dropped his book in the snow and Liesel took it.  That is how she became the book thief.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

This book takes place during a dark part of history. The text has a creepy look to it.  The overall book has a dark style and theme to it.  The main character, Liesel saw her brother die.  The book is written in a mysterious voice, almost like the reader is missing something, like the book is a dark secret. 

German language is sprinkled throughout the book.  The plot is believable for the time period.  The story fits in well with other holocaust books; it follows the same themes and darkness.  There are times during raids when the characters are hiding, they are wondering what is going to happen to them.  The reader can feel the fear in them and image what it would be like to be in that position. 

CONNECTIONS:

·        This story could be read during a history lesson on World War II.

·        The Diary of Anne Frank could also be read with this.

·        Write about what it would be like if you were unable to have books. 

                                                     

REVIEW:

Yet even she admitted that The Book Thief "will be widely read and admired because it tells a story in which books become treasures." And, as we all know, "there's no arguing with a sentiment like that." ~Bookmarks Magazine