Search This Blog
June Reviews Link-Up
July Reviews Link-Up
August Reviews Link-Up
September Reviews Link-Up
October Reviews Link-Up
November Reviews Link-Up
December Reviews Link-Up
2024 Literary Escapes Challenge
- Alabama (1)
- Alaska
- Arizona (1)
- Arkansas
- California (3)
- Colorado (1)
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia (1)
- Hawaii
- Idaho (2)
- Illinois (1)
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky (1)
- Louisiana (1)
- Maine (1)
- Maryland
- Massachusetts (2)
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York (2)
- North Carolina (2)
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma (1)
- Oregon (2)
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island (1)
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee (1)
- Texas (2)
- Utah
- Vermont (1)
- Virginia (1)
- Washington (2)
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- Washington, D.C.*
International:
- Australia (1)
- Canada (1)
- England (7)
- France (1)
- Indonesia (1)
- Ireland (2)
- Italy (1)
- Scotland (2)
- The Netherlands (1)
2024 Build Your Library Reading Challenge
Wednesday, June 21, 2017
Moon An "EnMagickal" Middle Grade Adventure
3:51 PM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Dark and gloomy, the Protectorate is a village beset by fear—fear of the Elders, who rule the town; fear of the wicked witch, who watches from the forest; and fear of bearing children, one of whom must be sacrificed every year in order to protect the village. Not everyone supports the annual tradition of leaving a newborn in the woods for the witch, but no one has the courage to speak out against the practice. It's simply what has to be done.
Xan, a witch who is not wicked in the least, does her best to ferry the Protectorate's unwanted children to better homes in happier locales. One night, however, she accidentally "enmagicks" a baby girl, infusing her with a strong dose of moonlight. The safest solution to the problem is for Xan to raise young Luna herself, which she does with the help of a swamp monster and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon.
Everything is well and good until Luna's magic grows too strong to control, Xan's body starts to fail her, and a determined farmer plunges into the woods, determined to kill the witch. What ensues is a tense, exciting quest for truth, right, and justice.
The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill is a magical fantasy that is both lovely and uplifting. The prose is lyrical, poetic. A layered tale, it instructs on many levels, teaching lessons about thinking for one's self, finding courage to do what is right, the importance of truth, and the endurance of love. I'm sure a digger could find much in the way of symbolism and allegory in this story; me, I just enjoyed it for its surface sweetness. If you love fantasy stories with a timeless feel, you'll definitely want to let The Girl Who Drank the Moon "enmagick" you.
(Readalikes: I can't really think of anything. Can you?)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for brief, mild language (no F-bombs), violence, and scenes of peril
To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find
2 comments:
Comments make me feel special, so go crazy! Just keep it clean and civil. Feel free to speak your mind (I always do), but be aware that I will delete any offensive comments.
P.S.: Don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away. I have to approve each one before it posts to prevent spam. It's annoying, but it works!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments
(Atom)
Reading
Listening
Followin' with Bloglovin'
-
-
#ThrowbackThursday. Stephen Fry in America3 hours ago
-
Time Travel Thursday4 hours ago
-
-
-
The Wild Lavender Bookshop by Jodi Thomas8 hours ago
-
Daily Prompt 15 May Wednesday10 hours ago
-
-
World of Books ~ Review19 hours ago
-
Review: One of the Girls by Lucy Clarke21 hours ago
-
-
-
Spoon To Be Dead By Dana Mentink1 day ago
-
Very Bad Company by Emma Rosenblum1 day ago
-
Displaced Persons - Joan Leegant1 day ago
-
Reading Recap April 20241 day ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
Bridge to Bat City2 days ago
-
-
-
Blood Rubies by Mailan Doquang5 days ago
-
-
-
-
47. The One and Only Family1 week ago
-
A bit of catching up1 week ago
-
-
May TBR2 weeks ago
-
-
-
-
March Monthly Wrap-up1 month ago
-
-
-
-
-
What Happened to Summer?7 months ago
-
6/25/23 Extra Ezra10 months ago
-
-
-
-
-
Are you looking for Pretty Books?1 year ago
-
-
-
-
-
Grab my Button!
Blog Archive
- ► 2021 (159)
- ► 2020 (205)
- ► 2019 (197)
- ► 2018 (223)
- ▼ 2017 (157)
- ► 2016 (157)
- ► 2015 (188)
- ► 2014 (133)
- ► 2013 (183)
- ► 2012 (193)
- ► 2011 (232)
- ► 2010 (257)
- ► 2009 (211)
- ► 2008 (192)
I've had my eye on this one and even though I don't usually enjoy middle grade I'm going to have to read it.
ReplyDeleteYou should. It's different and even though it's MG, it has a timeless feel that makes it seem more wise than your average MG, if that makes sense.
Delete