Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
Grace Lin is the author of The Year of the Dog and The Year of the Rat. Now she is the author of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, a book about a girl named Minli who goes on a journey to find Never-Ending Mountain and the Old Man of the Moon, so she can change her fortune.
It starts out with a description of what her village, which is shadowed by Fruitless Mountain, a mountain where nothing grows. Minli’s family works hard, like everyone else in the village, but they are still poor. Her life changes when a man, selling goldfish, comes by. According to him, the goldfish will bring fortune to the house that it lives in.
So Minli gives him some copper coins, and the goldfish is hers. When she brings it home, though, her mother is mad. “Another mouth to feed!” she complains. So that night, Minli sneaks out of the house with the goldfish, and sets her free. And then the goldfish speaks to her, and gives her directions to Never-Ending Mountain, where she will find the Old Man of the Moon.
I would tell you more, but you should read it instead.
May 19th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
I was told it was a bit like The Wizard of Oz. Do you think so?