Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

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Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin is an exciting story about the importance of family. This story begins with the main character, Minli, who lives in the Valley of Fruitless Mountain and follows her as she goes on an adventure. Although Minli and her parents work hard, long days in the fields they barely survive on small amounts of food and cramped living space. All Minli wants is enough money to take care of her parents as they grow into old age. At night time Minli's father tells many stories, one story is about the Old Man of the Moon who is said to know everything. Minli becomes convinced that if she can find the Old Man of the Moon, he would bring her family great fortune. This story follows Minli as she leaves her home to complete this quest, meeting many magical creatures, royalty, and seeing many interesting places on the way. This story also follows the perspective of Minli's parents as they realize she has gone missing and decide to follow her. 

This is a beautiful story that I have read numerous times. I first read this story when I was nine years old, and over the years I have read it over and over again. Every time I read it I feel like I am learning something new. I also think it carries a lot of nostalgia for me. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon has received multiple awards and so has the author, Grace Lin. I think this is a great book to read no matter what age you are because even though the story is simple, the message is complex and thought-provoking. I especially love reading this book with my younger brother like my parents read this book with me when I was young. I think the book teaches you that family is the most important thing and shows readers just how far love for family can reach. I also love that the main character is female, because I feel like adventurous books for youth like this one feature a male main character. 

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