The Girl Who Drank the Moon (Winner of the 2017 Newbery Medal)

I read this book in 2021, but it haunts me still almost 5 years on, in all its beautiful imagery and the mystical plot that Kelly Barnhill weaves so magically with her captivating writing. There are genuinely people in this world, who feed off the misery of others. It is these parallels that you can draw from fantasy to reality that make this a standout novel. I loved every word. From the very first chapter and the allegorical writing style, I was amazed at how quickly I sank into the world she created. I still feel that pace of urgency and movement, which is something so powerful and difficult to dramatise in literature. The carrying of “weight” or burden on one’s back or in one’s arms. The heavy duty of love and protecting something vulnerable from harm. The unexpected love as an unforeseen result of humanity and being a moral person. The meeting of all the characters at the climactic end when all is revealed and undone. It’s mesmerising and I cannot urge you enough to read this book. You will be as magnetised towards it as I was and I am about to read it again now as the Thanksgiving Holidays draw nearer. I couldn’t put this down, I completed this book within 48hrs and the delay was only because I had to sleep and take care of my newborn at the time! He is now 5yrs old and I have a second who is 16months. Let’s hope I will have some time to myself to enjoy this book once more and relish the writing again!

I LOVE this book now...this is my favorite book. Just when I read the first word I was soo happy I got this book! I’m surprised. I hope you are too. This is perfect for ANY age. I think I should read this whenever I’m bored!!! You should give the book full stars like me!!! I know I’m a boy but this is perfect. I know I’m writing a lot but... it’s only because I LOVE to read. My own dad when I was little said: Always smell the book. And ya know why ppl? That’s because it helps you read better and get focused and relaxed. If you think my dad was right, then tap that helpful button. Please do so because I love this book so much, that If God said I’d you want your book back, you have To destroy all your other books! You know what I would say?? J would say I will destroy my books. Because I love that book...and I’m not abandoning it or letting go of that magical book! Never.-I’ve got to say you did a good job. Not just good-but uplifting! Every good word. If you did not enjoy this book. Then...I’m sorry you don’t understand how GOOD this book is. Ik there’s a lot of words but you have to read my faithful words-to understand that book The girl who drank the moon is the best book!-plus read her other books. LETS GO for the author! Make more Good books try to make Good books like the girl who drank the moon. If witches were real then you should be one. This is a great book for adults and kids...pls say mine is Helpful if I were you I would say this is....and I and definitely making more of these likes or dislikes. But i PROMISE I will never dislike this beautiful, encouraging, nice, cute, cool, and good story. Thx! Thank you!!! I am liking this story a bunch! Have a good morning, night, or weekend. Thx for your feedback! “ And thx for giving these likes to her too!” If your a boy write:enjoyed if your a girl write: peace IF you enjoyed. So thank you anyways... hope you enjoyed I’m 39 years by the way. My name is: Jeremy Roggenkamp. If you know me say was up Man! So I know. If you’re Daren I’m just gonna say hi! I That was my boss. Now I’m going g General. If you’re name is... Emily... hi! If you’re name is Alice... hi! If you’re name is kolton hi! If you’re name is Jessica hi! If you’re name is Danny hi! If you’re name is Maggie Hi! If you’re name is Allyce Hi! If you’re name is Jerry hi! If you’re name is Dan Hi! If you’re name is Jeremy like me... Double Hi! If you’re name is Ella Hi! If your name is Anna hi! And I’m just Gonna say:bye. bye bye!

I read this with my kids and it was an incredible story, that grabbed our attention from page one. The writing was like poetry and a pleasure to read out loud!

What do an old witch, a magical baby and a fearful society all have in common? A thread of magic that connects them all through different perspectives. Kelly Barnhill’s The Girl Who Drank the Moon is a great young adult fantasy novel that demonstrates how magic comes in many different forms and is viewed in many different ways. One of the main characters, Xan, the old witch in the wood, who is mystical as most witches are, is filled with ancient power. She’s always been magic, infused with it centuries ago. Xan is basically a kind old individual trying to use her magic as beneficially as she can. However, the Protectorate doesn’t see her that way. Being the city on the outside of the wood, they have reason to be cautious of the dangers in the forest. Their solution is to sacrifice a baby to the witch every year so she doesn't destroy them. The day of sacrifice is a yearly ceremony to keep the witch in the wood pleased. The Protectorate has fear of magical destruction. However mothers go mad when their children are to be taken away and left in the woods. In fact, sorrow and madness follow any mention of magic In the Protectorate. Something marvelous can come from all of this sorrow and fear, though. Luna, a sacrificed child, is a fount of young beautiful magic. Xan took Luna as she does all babies but was so in awe of Luna’s beauty that Xan accidentally feeds her moonlight instead of starlight. As a result, Luna has a crack of blue and silver magic in her mind, waiting for the floods and waves to come crashing upon her shores to unleash her own magic. When this happens, this child becomes so whimsical that flowers sprout from each of her footsteps. Luna shows readers that you can have magic in you and can use it every day without even knowing about it. You can think magic is one thing but the perspectives of a witch trying her best, a supernatural baby, and a dreadful community show how much variety magic can contain. And they are only part of the creative world in this book. We also meet a madwoman, a scar-faced boy, a swamp monster, and a small dragon. I’d give this novel four out of five stars. I am not a huge fantasy fan but this book drew me into its fantastical world. Perhaps you’ll find yourself like me, getting lost in the world of magic, unable to put it down! Written by Jenna M. 8th grader

I recently read "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" and it quickly became one of my favorite books. This enchanting story, written by Kelly Barnhill, is a deserving winner of the prestigious 2017 Newbery Medal. The novel is a beautifully crafted tale of magic, mystery, and adventure that captivated me from the very first page. The characters are vividly drawn and I found myself deeply invested in their journeys and the connections they form with each other. One of the most compelling aspects of the book is the lyrical prose and rich world-building. Barnhill's writing is both poetic and poignant, drawing the reader into a world of wonder and imagination. The narrative is full of twists and turns, keeping me on the edge of my seat throughout. The themes of love, sacrifice, and the power of stories are woven seamlessly throughout the book, making it both thought-provoking and emotionally resonant. By the time I reached the end, I was deeply moved by the profound messages and the satisfying resolution. I highly recommend "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" to readers of all ages who enjoy a compelling and beautifully written fantasy story. It is a true gem of a book that will stay with me long after I have turned the final page.

Juvenile fiction is shaping up to be one of my favorite genres to read. I've read some amazing stories & I don't have to worry about sexual content or cursing that young adult fiction sometimes has. "She is here. She is here. She is here." The narrator does an amazing job of giving each character their own unique voice. The main villain uses gaslighting, manipulation to inflict sorrow over the town. The townsfolk never question it & believe their sorrow is for the greater good. I thought the villain was beautifully written. The villain reminds me of Mother Gothel, from the movie Tangled or Claude Frollo, from The Hunchback of Notre Dame. "She was ready to be many things at once child, grown up, poet, engineer, botanist, dragon the list went on." Luna, one of the pov's we follow is the most entertaining one. Together this make shift little family figure out the world together. Luna, Fyrian, Glerk, the poet, & Xan help brighten the book from all the sorrow the clouds the other pov's. My favorite character is Fyrian, so much cheerfulness in such a little body. "Who could possibly trick me? Nobody has told me anything, but the truth in my whole life. Isn't that right?" Oh naive little 500 year old dragon, you are too cute for your own good. "Everything is for Luna. It was true, she loved that girl with every ache in her back. She loved her with every hacking cough. She loved her with every aromatic sigh. She loved her with every crack in her joints. There was nothing she would not endure for that girl." Don't get me wrong I enjoy a good romantic love story. There is something that makes you smile & feel good about the love family has for one another. This is what more young adult books need. The love between children & their parents or in this case grandmothers.

At the San Francisco Writer’s Conference 2017, I heard this book repeatedly recommended by the agent Mary C Moore whenever discussing middle grade fantasy. After the conference, I put it on my reading list. In the past, I had the opinion that the best books are children’s books: an opinion that had faded of late. This book reaffirmed that faded opinion. The first thing that struck me was the writing. It’s frequently said, of course, that every line must serve a purpose, drawing the reader in. Yet I can’t remember the last time I read a book that executed that theory so well as this one did. From the start, the characters and their conflicts are crystal clear; and with a baby being sacrificed to a witch that the Elders know does not exist, the stakes are high. I only felt the story slow down as the writing took time with characterization in chapter two, when we meet said non-existant witch and her magical companions. The second thing that struck me was the diverse age range of our cast of characters. There is the elderly witch; the child that she adopts; the teen-turned-young-man that defies the culture of sorrow of the town in which he was born and raised; and the middle-aged woman who lost her daughter. Each of these characters is confronted with problems of their age. The child wants to find out who she is. The young man learns to push past his mother’s expectations to find a vocation he loves and the love of his life. The middle-aged woman has lost sight of the young woman she used to be in the face of the soul-rending grief of losing a child. The elderly witch is faced with her own mortality. I was also struck with admiration by the time course of this book, which takes place over the course of thirteen years. Of course, there are many stories that do this: Harry Potter and In Malice, Quite Close are only a few examples of books that begin with a set up a decade or more before the meat of the story begins. However, I am accustomed to such stories dedicating only a chapter or two to the set-up before diving into the main meat of the story. This is not so in The Girl Who Drank the Moon. Here, we are nearly half way through the book before we hit the “present,” or the meat of the story. Yet the first half of the book—covering nearly 12 years in the lives of several characters—felt neither tediously lengthy nor overly rushed. Barnhill doesn’t necessarily elaborate at length about her characters or her world. Yet she chooses her words with exceptional skill, weaving a simple world infused with depth to the reader who cares to look beneath the surface. This, I thought as I read, is what truly makes a children’s book ageless: a story so simple that children can enjoy it, but infused with so much depth and complexity that it can be meaningful at any age. The foremost theme from the onset of this book is Sorrow. The people of the town live their lives buried in sorrow and grief; meanwhile, the witch does not allow herself to feel sorrow. In the book, of course, there is a supernatural reason behind this. Taken at face value, one might interpret the story as a manifesto against the human tendency to sink into sorrow or grief. However, I don’t choose to see it that way. At the end of the book, sorrow has ceased to be a liability as it was in the past. The town is no longer perpetually sunken into grief, but nor is there a need to prevent oneself from feeling sorrow for the sake of self-preservation. I choose to see the theme as demonstrating the futility of either extreme: for while they do not wallow, there is still sorrow in the end, though it is presented in a form more complex than any previous form. The world and the story, though original, had a familiar feel to them that made them highly accessible and an easy read, but nevertheless one that made me think. I highly recommend this book.

The image of a huge, bright moon, a tiny dragon, a cloaked girl, and glowing paper birds quickly grabbed my attention. The lovely blue shade also caught my eye. Did I mention the 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓫𝓮𝓻𝔂 𝓜𝓮𝓭𝓪𝓵, prominent on the lower right? 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐣𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤! 𝐀𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐈 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. I turned the book over and words like baby, witch, moonlight, magic, Tiger’s heart, rescue, and extraordinary sparked my interest and sealed the deal. ɪ’ᴍ ʜᴏᴏᴋᴇᴅ. ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴍʏ ᴍᴏɴᴇʏ! A beautiful tale of change and growth, coming into your own, good and evil, set in a magical world with witches, dragons and monsters, it’s perfect for the whole family. Sure, there are some big words in there that will likely obfuscate your 9 year old, but all easily explainable. Chapter 3 was a favorite! I wish the word “enmagic” could be used on a daily basis. To be able to greatly bless or endow others with positive energy/good vibes/magic is something we all need more of. No spoilers here, but let me say that “baby offering” in the plot of a children’s fiction book is quite unusual… Will it turn out gruesome and give your child nightmares? Don’t worry. The author handles it very well, initially showing the story from two points. The Protectorate’s side is dark, gloomy, and traumatic and we are introduced to Antain and his uncle. Keep reading and get past that part. There is a bit of a twist when Xan, a main character, is introduced. Xan lightens up the doom and gloom. She is full of hope, light, and humor. She is the reason you will want to continue reading. Later in the story, another point of view is revealed, involving another character. For 11 year olds and above, go ahead and read the book or ebook. I have both versions. 48 chapters without illustrations may be daunting at first, but the story is told well, different characters are focused on, and each chapter has a different style of story-telling. There’s even a bit of poetry! Some chapters leave you wondering who those people were. The author will not spoon-feed the answer so keep reading . You’ll figure it out in the end! For younger kids, Audible may be a better choice. 386 pages comes alive with Christina Moore narrating. She was excellent, performing all the characters, but I like how she did the parts of Xan. She does a great “angry”/‘scary” voice as well. “The world is good. Go see it.” Luna, another main character, says this at the end. 🆃🅷🅸🆂 🅱🅾🅾🅺 🅸🆂 🅶🅾🅾🅳. 🅶🅾 🆁🅴🅰🅳 🅸🆃! I rate this book 5 stars ★★★★★. I had a great time reading the ebook/book and I would read it again! Great on Audible as well! The Girl Who Drank the Moon. Written by Kelly Barnhill and published by Algonquin Young Readers in 2016.