Description: In the Valley of Fruitless Mountain, a young girl named Minli spends her days working hard in the fields and her nights listening to her father spin fantastic tales about the Jade Dragon and the Old Man of the Moon. Minli’s mother, tired of their poor life, chides him for filling her head with nonsense. But Minli believes these enchanting stories and embarks on an extraordinary journey to find the Old Man of the Moon and ask him how her family can change their fortune. She encounters an assorted cast of characters and magical creatures along the way, including a dragon who accompanies her on her quest.

Review: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is an enchanting adventure story woven with various Chinese folklore and mythology. Living in the shadow of the Fruitless Mountain, Minli and her parents spend their days working in the rice fields, barely growing enough to feed themselves. Every night, Minli's father tells her stories about the Jade Dragon that keeps the mountain bare, the greedy and mean Magistrate Tiger, and the Old Man of the Moon who holds everyone's destiny. Minli's mother doesn't approve father telling stories and feels frustrated by their lack of food and needs.
  Determined to change her family's fortune, plucky Minli sets out to find the Old Man of the Moon. Along the way, Minli makes new friends and meets magical beings including a flightless dragon and an orphan. Minli is not only curious but she also proves to be resourceful when she tricks a group of greedy monkeys and gets help from a king.
  Reading Where the Moon Meets the Moon is much like sitting around a fire and being told a story by a storyteller. It is very easy to get swept away in its pages. Everything seems to fade away except for Minli's quest and the various tales interwoven with Minli's quest as they are told by her father and by those she meets on the way. Readers who enjoy a fantasy with a diverse setting and characters along with a strong female character shouldn't miss Where the Moon Meets the Moon.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: None. Recommended for strong Grade 3 readers and up.

If you like this book try: Starry River of the Sky by Grace Lin, When the Sea Turned to Silver by Grace Lin, Serpentine by Cindy Pon