This post was written as a Master's course
assignment for Texas Woman's University.
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Lin, Grace. 2010. WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON. Read by Janet Song. Listening Library (Audio) Unabridged Edition. ISBN 9780307746047.
2. PLOT SUMMARY
A young girl named Minli lives simply with her parents, Ma and Ba, in a town nestled in the valley of Fruitless Mountain. With a cast of characters that includes The Old Man of the Moon, Dragon, Magistrate Tiger, The Buffalo Boy, and many others, Minli sets off on a journey to Never-Ending Mountain, with the hopes of improving her family's fortune. Her discoveries and lessons along the way, peppered by numerous vignette short stories, teach the young girl, and the reader, the most important lesson of all.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Janet Song's excellent reading of WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON is at once delightful and engaging. The listener becomes instantly enthralled by the characters, the beautiful color imagery, the nuances of personalities, and the plot of the story. Song's seamless transition between character "voices" illustrates a clear picture of each individual character, and there are quite a number of them throughout the story. The pacing of the storytelling is done perfectly, and the reader experiences the emotions right along with the characters.
Grace Lin's choice to organize the book into small chapters, each featuring smaller, story-within-a-story sections, adds to the excitement, learning, and history that weaves together the entire larger story. The smaller stories are lessons in themselves, with morals that may apply to situations outside of this story, each with a descriptive title: "The Story of Jade Dragon," "The Story of the Goldfish Man," "The Story of the Old Man of the Moon."
The characters are imminently familiar, offering the reader a glimpse into the variety of accolades and flaws that exist within humankind. Though the setting is fantastic, with talking goldfish, mysterious magical mountains, and dragons, Lin's descriptive language keeps the reader interested and involved.
The language is lovely, colorful, emotional, and magical in itself, especially these particular phrases: "a joyful fire twirling in the water" (about the goldfish), "the water was clear as glass. Minli could see her feet and all of the stones and leaves at the bottom of the stream," and "It was brilliant red, the color of a lucky lantern, with emerald green whiskers" (about the dragon).
Numerous themes run throughout the book: good vs. evil, wealth/poverty and happiness, the pleasures of simplicity, thankfulness and appreciation for what we have, the influence of parents' wishes upon their children. Lin elegantly carries all of these themes, as well as others, through Minli's journey up to Never-Ending Mountain, where she herself learns the greatest lesson.
Janet Song's excellent reading of WHERE THE MOUNTAIN MEETS THE MOON is at once delightful and engaging. The listener becomes instantly enthralled by the characters, the beautiful color imagery, the nuances of personalities, and the plot of the story. Song's seamless transition between character "voices" illustrates a clear picture of each individual character, and there are quite a number of them throughout the story. The pacing of the storytelling is done perfectly, and the reader experiences the emotions right along with the characters.
Grace Lin's choice to organize the book into small chapters, each featuring smaller, story-within-a-story sections, adds to the excitement, learning, and history that weaves together the entire larger story. The smaller stories are lessons in themselves, with morals that may apply to situations outside of this story, each with a descriptive title: "The Story of Jade Dragon," "The Story of the Goldfish Man," "The Story of the Old Man of the Moon."
The characters are imminently familiar, offering the reader a glimpse into the variety of accolades and flaws that exist within humankind. Though the setting is fantastic, with talking goldfish, mysterious magical mountains, and dragons, Lin's descriptive language keeps the reader interested and involved.
The language is lovely, colorful, emotional, and magical in itself, especially these particular phrases: "a joyful fire twirling in the water" (about the goldfish), "the water was clear as glass. Minli could see her feet and all of the stones and leaves at the bottom of the stream," and "It was brilliant red, the color of a lucky lantern, with emerald green whiskers" (about the dragon).
Numerous themes run throughout the book: good vs. evil, wealth/poverty and happiness, the pleasures of simplicity, thankfulness and appreciation for what we have, the influence of parents' wishes upon their children. Lin elegantly carries all of these themes, as well as others, through Minli's journey up to Never-Ending Mountain, where she herself learns the greatest lesson.
The only thing lacking from the audiobook is access to the lovely illustrations in the print book, which is all the more reason to seek it out for future enjoyment.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
*Newbery Honor Book
*Starred Review from SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "Interwoven with Minli's quest are tales told by her father and by those she meets on the way. While these tales are original to Lin, many characters, settings, and themes are taken from traditional Chinese folklore. The author's writing is elegant, and her full-color illustrations are stunning."
*Starred Review from BOOKLIST: "With beautiful language, Lin creates a strong, memorable heroine and a mystical land."
*Starred Review from SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "Interwoven with Minli's quest are tales told by her father and by those she meets on the way. While these tales are original to Lin, many characters, settings, and themes are taken from traditional Chinese folklore. The author's writing is elegant, and her full-color illustrations are stunning."
*Starred Review from BOOKLIST: "With beautiful language, Lin creates a strong, memorable heroine and a mystical land."
5. CONNECTIONS
Readers may also enjoy other audiobooks by Grace Lin, such as STARRY RIVER OF THE SKY, read by Kim Mai Guest, ISBN 9781619691469.
Children may also enjoy other tales from classic Chinese folklore, such as TALES OF A CHINESE GRANDMOTHER: 30 TRADITIONAL TALES FROM CHINA, ISBN 9780804834094.
Readers may also enjoy other audiobooks by Grace Lin, such as STARRY RIVER OF THE SKY, read by Kim Mai Guest, ISBN 9781619691469.
Children may also enjoy other tales from classic Chinese folklore, such as TALES OF A CHINESE GRANDMOTHER: 30 TRADITIONAL TALES FROM CHINA, ISBN 9780804834094.
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