Call number
JF BAR
Collection
Genres
Publication
Algonquin Young Readers (2019), Edition: Reprint, 400 pages
Description
"An epic fantasy about a young girl raised by a witch, a swamp monster, and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon, who must unlock the powerful magic buried deep inside her. Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave a baby as an offering to the witch who lives in the forest. They hope this sacrifice will keep her from terrorizing their town. But the witch in the forest, Xan, is kind and gentle. She shares her home with a wise Swamp Monster named Glerk and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon, Fyrian. Xan rescues the abandoned children and delivers them to welcoming families on the other side of the forest, nourishing the babies with starlight on the journey. One year, Xan accidentally feeds a baby moonlight instead of starlight, filling the ordinary child with extraordinary magic. Xan decides she must raise this enmagicked girl, whom she calls Luna, as her own. To keep young Luna safe from her own unwieldy power, Xan locks her magic deep inside her. When Luna approaches her thirteenth birthday, her magic begins to emerge on schedule--but Xan is far away. Meanwhile, a young man from the Protectorate is determined to free his people by killing the witch. Soon, it is up to Luna to protect those who have protected her--even if it means the end of the loving, safe world she's always known. The acclaimed author of The Witch's Boy has created another epic coming-of-age fairy tale destined to become a modern classic"--… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member foggidawn
There is a witch in the woods. Every citizen in the Protectorate knows it, just as they know the horrific price they pay for their safety. Once a year, the youngest child in the Protectorate is left in the woods, a sacrifice to the witch. This is the story of one such child.
I'm always excited on
I'm always excited on
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the rare occasions when a fantasy novel wins the Newbery. I'm a little bit sorry that I didn't read this one before the award was announced. I don't know if I would have predicted its win, but I would have hoped for it. I found this to be a lovely story, full of warmth and charm, with touches of chilling danger -- all the more chilling because they originated in human hearts. Readers who enjoy Ann Ursu and Sage Blackwood should give this one a try. Show Less
LibraryThing member electrascaife
Gorgeous. Magic and dragons and witches and wizards and bog monsters who love the world and good and evil and happiness and sorrow. And, most importantly, and most wonderfully, powerful women in all shapes and sizes. I LOVE it. LOVE. IT.
LibraryThing member khaddox
I received this book as an uncorrected digital proof from the publisher, via Edelweiss.
The citizens of the Protectorate have learned to accept that every year the youngest child in the village has to be sacrificed to the witch who lives in the bog. They have been taught that the witch protects the
The Girl Who Drank the Moon is one of the best books of any genre that I have read in a very long time. The good guys are fallible, the bad guys aren’t completely bad, and the monsters have hearts. There isn’t a single character in this book that seems stilted or out of place. They all work together to create a cohesive story that flows so smoothly, that it takes more effort to put the book down than it does to just keep reading. The world-building done by Ms. Barnhill is exceptional. She has created a land of myth and magic that easily finds its way into the mind’s eye. I would recommend this book to fantasy lovers of all ages. This will be a book I read again and again.
The citizens of the Protectorate have learned to accept that every year the youngest child in the village has to be sacrificed to the witch who lives in the bog. They have been taught that the witch protects the
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citizens from the woods in exchange for this sacrifice. It has been this way for 500 years, but one baby, one little girl with a crescent birthmark on her forehead, is about to change everything.The Girl Who Drank the Moon is one of the best books of any genre that I have read in a very long time. The good guys are fallible, the bad guys aren’t completely bad, and the monsters have hearts. There isn’t a single character in this book that seems stilted or out of place. They all work together to create a cohesive story that flows so smoothly, that it takes more effort to put the book down than it does to just keep reading. The world-building done by Ms. Barnhill is exceptional. She has created a land of myth and magic that easily finds its way into the mind’s eye. I would recommend this book to fantasy lovers of all ages. This will be a book I read again and again.
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LibraryThing member bragan
The Protectorate sits, isolated, in the middle of dark and dangerous woods. And in the woods, there is a witch. The people of the Protectorate fear her, so once a year they sacrifice a baby to her, abandoning it to die in the woods because they believe it will appease her and keep her from
I've read a fair number of kids' books since the days when I was one myself, and I find I tend to have a couple of possible reactions to the good ones. Either I wish I'd read them when I was young (even if in many cases that would have required me to have access to a time machine), or I decide that they're equally (or very nearly equally) as appealing to adults as to kids. In this particular case, both of those things are true. Kid me would have imprinted on it hard, and adult me liked it very, very much. It's a lovely story, full of magic and darkness and hope and love, with some surprisingly subtle world-building and a really emotionally affecting ending. I definitely recommend it both for kids (at least ones who are old enough to handle something slightly dark and a little bit complicated) and for adults who are willing to read excellent kids' books.
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destroying them. And every year, the witch picks up the baby, wondering why on Earth they keep leaving them in the woods like that, and takes them somewhere they'll be cared for. Until she accidentally, or perhaps accidentally-on-purpose, imbues one of the babies with powerful magic and decides she needs to keep that one to raise herself.I've read a fair number of kids' books since the days when I was one myself, and I find I tend to have a couple of possible reactions to the good ones. Either I wish I'd read them when I was young (even if in many cases that would have required me to have access to a time machine), or I decide that they're equally (or very nearly equally) as appealing to adults as to kids. In this particular case, both of those things are true. Kid me would have imprinted on it hard, and adult me liked it very, very much. It's a lovely story, full of magic and darkness and hope and love, with some surprisingly subtle world-building and a really emotionally affecting ending. I definitely recommend it both for kids (at least ones who are old enough to handle something slightly dark and a little bit complicated) and for adults who are willing to read excellent kids' books.
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LibraryThing member VioletBramble
A coming of age fairy tale about a witch, a very small dragon, a bog monster, a boy, a sorrow eater, a very sad town, a madwoman, and a girl who turned magic when she was just a baby because she was fed moonlight.There are three interconnected stories that merge into one by the end. The prose was
I enjoyed the story but felt that it took a long time to read, esp for a children's book.
Winner of the 2017 Newbery Award. Recommended.
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lovely, esp the sections about the magic of words and paper. I enjoyed the story but felt that it took a long time to read, esp for a children's book.
Winner of the 2017 Newbery Award. Recommended.
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LibraryThing member Jjean7
Such a fun book along with exciting characters if you like "Fairy tales", it is a must read - a young girl is raised by a witch in the forest - suspenseful - strong plot - a can't put down book -
LibraryThing member cwhisenant11
The Girl Who Drank the Moon
Written by Kelly Barnhill
Narrated by Christina Moore
Published 2016 by Recorded Books
9 hours and 37 minutes
I received a free audio copy of this book from Librarything Early Reviewers Program in exchange for an honest review.
When a book has above a four-star rating and
The narrator, Christina Moore, was new to me. I think she could have done a better job distinguishing each character’s voice, but the reading pace and overall performance was good. Maybe it was more of a writing style issue and less of a narration issue, but there were multiple instances, and at least one whole chapter, in which I had no idea who was speaking. I found this to be very confusing and distracting from the story. I also thought the book was about three hours longer than it needed to be without compromising on the story. There was a lot of repetition and the pacing of the story was too slow to keep me interested. In fact, I had to force myself to continue listening until I got to disc five at which time the story picked up and I began to care how it ended. I’m glad I finished because the ending made it worth it.
Written by Kelly Barnhill
Narrated by Christina Moore
Published 2016 by Recorded Books
9 hours and 37 minutes
I received a free audio copy of this book from Librarything Early Reviewers Program in exchange for an honest review.
When a book has above a four-star rating and
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raving reviews, I tend to have pretty high expectations. This book falls into that category. While I was disappointed in the book overall, there were some redeeming qualities. The writing was beautiful—poetic and profound at times. As I mentioned before, I listened to an audio version of this book which consisted of eight CDs so I can’t reference page numbers or percentage complete. I can, however, say that the final CD saved this book from being just okay. The narrator, Christina Moore, was new to me. I think she could have done a better job distinguishing each character’s voice, but the reading pace and overall performance was good. Maybe it was more of a writing style issue and less of a narration issue, but there were multiple instances, and at least one whole chapter, in which I had no idea who was speaking. I found this to be very confusing and distracting from the story. I also thought the book was about three hours longer than it needed to be without compromising on the story. There was a lot of repetition and the pacing of the story was too slow to keep me interested. In fact, I had to force myself to continue listening until I got to disc five at which time the story picked up and I began to care how it ended. I’m glad I finished because the ending made it worth it.
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LibraryThing member rkchr
I really enjoyed this book. The magic was interesting as were the characters.
There was a nice balance of the parts of the story coming from the different characters and then they all came together easily in the end.
Lately I have been finding the books written for younger people to be annoying. But
I dont remember anything that folks should find objectionable for children.
There was a nice balance of the parts of the story coming from the different characters and then they all came together easily in the end.
Lately I have been finding the books written for younger people to be annoying. But
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as an adult I found this one very entertaining and looked forward to my next drive so I could hear more (I listened on Audio).I dont remember anything that folks should find objectionable for children.
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LibraryThing member renbedell
A cute children's fantasy book that takes you on a journey with an adorable female protagonist as she comes to terms with her own emotions and magical abilities. It's a well written story that has many characters that I think children would enjoy. The story itself is engaging and easy to grasp. The
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largest theme it centers on is emotions, as it is the foundation of the story. I believe it comes off empowering, but is also in the background enough that it only adds to the story. The narrator does a great job, with multiple cute voices for the characters. Show Less
LibraryThing member RandyHarper
WHAT A DELIGHTFUL BOOK!! Very seldom do I get a five star book on my rating system, but this one really deserved six stars. WIth Lund, Nan, Glurk, Therion and the whole cast of characters, Kelly Barnhill created a delightful story to read and more so to listen to. The reader in this audio book did
It probably gets listed as a children's book but like Peter Pan, The Hobbit and so many other great books it has plenty of appeal for an adult as well. The use of alliteration was uncommonly inciteful and ingenious. I have never had a book create so many tastes, smell, touches etc, with a group of words that were simple heard. This was a refreshing simple plotted story that was FUN to listen to and become a part of, but simple can sometimes have the most profound effect. I can't sing enough praises about this well crafted and marvelously worded book. I certainly hope this is the beginning of a long friendship with Kelly Barnhill, your verbal descriptions and word play left me with a sense of wonderment, yet unfulfilled, so I hope there is more to come. Great job on a great book to listen to.
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an A+ job distinguishing characters, reading fluently and creating the scene through the sound of her voice, but it was probably a pleasure to perform for this audio book because it was so well written.It probably gets listed as a children's book but like Peter Pan, The Hobbit and so many other great books it has plenty of appeal for an adult as well. The use of alliteration was uncommonly inciteful and ingenious. I have never had a book create so many tastes, smell, touches etc, with a group of words that were simple heard. This was a refreshing simple plotted story that was FUN to listen to and become a part of, but simple can sometimes have the most profound effect. I can't sing enough praises about this well crafted and marvelously worded book. I certainly hope this is the beginning of a long friendship with Kelly Barnhill, your verbal descriptions and word play left me with a sense of wonderment, yet unfulfilled, so I hope there is more to come. Great job on a great book to listen to.
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LibraryThing member willowsmom
This is a review of the audiobook version, which I received through the Early Reviewers program. I very much enjoyed this story--the characters were interesting, the tension between the town and the bog/the mothers and the town/the witch and her lost memories, the mystery surrounding the
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sisterhood...it all immediately sucked us in. I listened to this story, mostly in the car, with my 4 and 7 year olds--the 4 year old found the story booooooring and wanted us to switch to Harry Potter, while the 7 year old was immediately caught up in the story of the 'stolen baby' and the magic and couldn't wait to hear more. Overall, I'd rate this as one of the best family audiobooks we have listened to--the storyline was interesting but easy enough for my daughter to follow, and the narrator did an excellent job with the voice acting and each character was unique and easily identifiable. We will definitely be bringing this one out again in a year or two, once my youngest is ready for slightly more complex (and sad, in some places!) story lines. Show Less
LibraryThing member jldarden
I won this audiobook from early reviewers. This is more or less a YA book which i rarely do, but occasionally check out for my kids and grandkids. I found this an enjoyable story with well done elements of family, tradition, history and magic. The characters are well done and the various threads
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are finally brought together satisfyingly. I enjoyed the unusual way the magic was brought into play and passed on and used by the witches, good, bad and unknowing. I recommend it for young readers. Show Less
LibraryThing member hlevy
The Girl Who Drank the Moon is a beautifully written story of magic, witches, hero, and bogs. In the beginning of this tale we learn that The Protectorate is a sorrowful place to live. Each year the youngest baby is left in the woods to satisfy the witch so that she will leave the people of the
We soon find that the witch, Xan, is actually saving the babies. She comes every year, not knowing why the babies are left in the wood, but she carefully carries them to the outer cities, feeding them starlight along the way. This year, Xan lovingly carries the baby away and accidentally feeds her moonlight which enmagicks her. Because of this, Xan named the baby Luna and kept her as her own.
The story goes back and forth between the Protectorate, the tower housing the sisters and the mad woman, and the forest with Xan, Luna, Fryian (the dragon) and Glerk of the bog. Before too long we learn who the real evil witch is, and she is living with the people of the Protectorate. Key Barnhill weaves a tale that kept me riveted from the first page. I highly recommend this book.
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Protectorate alone. The baby taken this year leaves her mother mad and she is taken away to be locked up. We soon find that the witch, Xan, is actually saving the babies. She comes every year, not knowing why the babies are left in the wood, but she carefully carries them to the outer cities, feeding them starlight along the way. This year, Xan lovingly carries the baby away and accidentally feeds her moonlight which enmagicks her. Because of this, Xan named the baby Luna and kept her as her own.
The story goes back and forth between the Protectorate, the tower housing the sisters and the mad woman, and the forest with Xan, Luna, Fryian (the dragon) and Glerk of the bog. Before too long we learn who the real evil witch is, and she is living with the people of the Protectorate. Key Barnhill weaves a tale that kept me riveted from the first page. I highly recommend this book.
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LibraryThing member wildrequiem
This book absolutely deserved its Newberry Medal. I haven't read a middle grade book since I was in middle school myself, and this was a brilliant story to get back into MG fiction.
The magic elements are ethereal, the story develops slowly but is well-structured and leads to a fantastic climax; but
The magic elements are ethereal, the story develops slowly but is well-structured and leads to a fantastic climax; but
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most importantly, as with all fairytales, it has morals. It teaches the consequences of ignorance and denial in society, the infinite ways one finds familial love, and the distance that lies create between loved ones. Show Less
LibraryThing member keristars
Things have consequences.
A running theme of The Girl Who Drank The Moon is just that: you can mean well and try your best, or you can have bad intentions, or not try at all, and your actions will have consequences beyond what you expect. And like it or not, it's very easy to ignore things you don't
Sorrow is a mire that can hold you back and consume your life, but equally to refuse to acknowledge it at all is to willfully hide from the world and ignore possible consequences.
That is another theme of the book. The two themes are necessarily intertwined and illustrated most clearly in two witches and their realms of influence: the ancient witch of the woods, Xan, and the Sorrow-Eater of the Protectorate. The Girl Who Drank the Moon is the consequence of their actions, a long time in coming but all the more dangerous for the delay. But she's also just an abandoned baby, a little girl, nearly-but-not-quite-a-grown-up, Luna who is filled with joy and love.
There is a lot to be said for this book, but it's not a very happy one. It is a fairy tale and written in the fairy tale register, but much of the plot and settings are more similar to cynical dystopian stories instead. (It's clear to me why the Newbery committee found the book so appealing, despite it being a fantasy story with magic.)
I found that these two aspects were too jarring. The cozy fairy tale notes of Glerk the bog monster or Fyrian the perpetual baby dragon or even of Luna drinking moonlight to become enmagicked felt like a completely different story than the Grand Elder Gherland who is basically a fascist intent on maintaining his own power by keeping his people enslaved or the panopticon of the Sisters of the Star tower. It seemed like two stories were trying to be told, and the one about the town smothered by a fog of hopelessness and depression sort of faded out and wasn't done justice because of the fairy tale language. Or, maybe, it's that the opening chapters and story seemed to be going in one direction regarding the Protectorate, only to be waylaid by the fairy tale, and too many plot elements were left hanging.
The disjointedness, the unhappy story, it wasn't really something I was in the mood to be reading, and that made me like it even less. I noticed at one point that there are no female characters who are allowed to not be nurturing or motherly types - when they resist, they are villains or adjacent to villains. The good women are all mothers or daughters. This further upset me, and I couldn't justify it as being part of the Protectorate's dystopian narrative because that hadn't been further developed to do anything to establish the gender roles.
I can't say that I liked the book much. I passed it over on the library's new arrivals shelf many times, only to be swayed by a teaser chapter posted the day of the Newbery award. It's nicely written with lots of elements for discussion in a classroom (many chapters are tellings of stories and rumors, there's a lot of repetition and symbolic phrasing and foreshadowing), but it's very sad, even though the ultimate message is to have hope, and I just didn't like the competing plots.
A running theme of The Girl Who Drank The Moon is just that: you can mean well and try your best, or you can have bad intentions, or not try at all, and your actions will have consequences beyond what you expect. And like it or not, it's very easy to ignore things you don't
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want to think about, or bottle them up, or let the memories fade, and those consequences are enormous.Sorrow is a mire that can hold you back and consume your life, but equally to refuse to acknowledge it at all is to willfully hide from the world and ignore possible consequences.
That is another theme of the book. The two themes are necessarily intertwined and illustrated most clearly in two witches and their realms of influence: the ancient witch of the woods, Xan, and the Sorrow-Eater of the Protectorate. The Girl Who Drank the Moon is the consequence of their actions, a long time in coming but all the more dangerous for the delay. But she's also just an abandoned baby, a little girl, nearly-but-not-quite-a-grown-up, Luna who is filled with joy and love.
There is a lot to be said for this book, but it's not a very happy one. It is a fairy tale and written in the fairy tale register, but much of the plot and settings are more similar to cynical dystopian stories instead. (It's clear to me why the Newbery committee found the book so appealing, despite it being a fantasy story with magic.)
I found that these two aspects were too jarring. The cozy fairy tale notes of Glerk the bog monster or Fyrian the perpetual baby dragon or even of Luna drinking moonlight to become enmagicked felt like a completely different story than the Grand Elder Gherland who is basically a fascist intent on maintaining his own power by keeping his people enslaved or the panopticon of the Sisters of the Star tower. It seemed like two stories were trying to be told, and the one about the town smothered by a fog of hopelessness and depression sort of faded out and wasn't done justice because of the fairy tale language. Or, maybe, it's that the opening chapters and story seemed to be going in one direction regarding the Protectorate, only to be waylaid by the fairy tale, and too many plot elements were left hanging.
The disjointedness, the unhappy story, it wasn't really something I was in the mood to be reading, and that made me like it even less. I noticed at one point that there are no female characters who are allowed to not be nurturing or motherly types - when they resist, they are villains or adjacent to villains. The good women are all mothers or daughters. This further upset me, and I couldn't justify it as being part of the Protectorate's dystopian narrative because that hadn't been further developed to do anything to establish the gender roles.
I can't say that I liked the book much. I passed it over on the library's new arrivals shelf many times, only to be swayed by a teaser chapter posted the day of the Newbery award. It's nicely written with lots of elements for discussion in a classroom (many chapters are tellings of stories and rumors, there's a lot of repetition and symbolic phrasing and foreshadowing), but it's very sad, even though the ultimate message is to have hope, and I just didn't like the competing plots.
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LibraryThing member GayWard
An engaging fantasy. Residents in a sad village give a baby up each year to a witch. The witch keeps one for her granddaughter and feeds her the moon to make her enmagicked. As the story unravels, we learn with the help of the witch, the dragon, the swamp monster and Luna, that the witch is not
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wicked but the mother superior who feeds on sorrow is. Very appropriate for elementary and middle school readers. Show Less
LibraryThing member Kristelh
A girl who was accidentally fed moon light instead of star light after she was rescued by the witch when she was left in the woods to die by her village. This is a coming of age story told through fairy tales. There are really some very great lines in this story. I listened to the audio read by
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Christina Moore so I don't have any to quote here but the prose is great, the characters are wonderfully developed from the swamp monster, pocket dragon and old witch are Luna's adoptive family. It is a fun read but also carries lessons like fairy tales usually do. Show Less
LibraryThing member ladycato
I read this as part of the Norton finalist packet.
What an extraordinary book! It felt a bit odd to start, with its various viewpoints, but it builds up to a coming-of-age tale that's extraordinary and fresh. This is one of those middle grade books that can be readily loved and enjoyed by anyone who
What an extraordinary book! It felt a bit odd to start, with its various viewpoints, but it builds up to a coming-of-age tale that's extraordinary and fresh. This is one of those middle grade books that can be readily loved and enjoyed by anyone who
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loves magic, tiny dragons with big hearts, and wants a book where most people are genuinely good though with different motivations. Like real people. Show Less
LibraryThing member bell7
In the Protectorate, every year at a certain time the youngest child in the village is left in the woods. The story is that this sacrifice appeases the Witch of the forest, who in turn keeps them safe from the evils of the forest. Young Antain, an Elder-in-Training, watches over a baby and does
I hate to give much away because one of the beauties of this story is the way it unfolds, each thread weaving together a poetic fairy tale. Stylistically it reminded me somewhat of The Underneath by Kathi Appelt, having that same feel of otherworldliness and the desire to read it out loud and roll the words on your tongue. It's also a reflection on the power of story, both to tell the truth and to obfuscate, and the power of love. A truly lovely tale that adults would love just as much as kids.
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indeed see a Witch take her. But what he doesn't see is that the Witch isn't evil at all - she takes these unwanted babies to other towns on the other side of the forest and there they grow up happy and healthy with adoptive families, fed on their journey by starlight. But this baby... well, Luna just turns out different.I hate to give much away because one of the beauties of this story is the way it unfolds, each thread weaving together a poetic fairy tale. Stylistically it reminded me somewhat of The Underneath by Kathi Appelt, having that same feel of otherworldliness and the desire to read it out loud and roll the words on your tongue. It's also a reflection on the power of story, both to tell the truth and to obfuscate, and the power of love. A truly lovely tale that adults would love just as much as kids.
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LibraryThing member DabOfDarkness
In this beautifully magical book, the witch Xan adopts a sacrificial baby from the Protectorate into her heart, having accidentally fed her the moonlight. As baby Luna grows, so does her magic yet she is unable to control it. Soon she unknowingly becomes a hazard to her adoptive family, turning
Wow! Just, simply, wow! I fell in love hard with this book. I do enjoy a fun kid’s book here and there but this hit all the right buttons for me. It has this wonderful mix of magic, sorrow, adventure, loss, love, discovery, humor, and goodbyes. Barnhill has magnificently caught the sorrow of losing a child and also a child’s longing to know their biological parents in this intense fairy tale. Those two things give what would otherwise be a light, fun read a certain keen edge that makes all the beautiful parts that much more intense.
The Protectorate is surrounded by a bog and a forest and few of the residents know of any life outside the area. It is ruled by two powers – the Council and Elders (a group of ‘wise’ old men) and the Tower (which is filled with armed, armored, and well-educated women). Right away, we are privy to a yearly scene where a child is taken from its family and walked to edge of the town and left for the evil ‘witch’ to retrieve. The townsfolk are told this is to keep the entire town from being decimated by the witch, but the Elders all know there is no witch. The ritual keeps them in power and comfort. Young Antain, who is being groomed to become an Elder, sees first hand the horrible result of this as the baby’s mother goes insane with grief and is locked in the Tower for safekeeping.
Xan has known for years that the Protectorate gives up a child on the same day every year so she has been visiting them in secret and taking the babies off to other cities to be adopted into willing families. Yet this time it is different. Xan calls down the starlight to feed the baby, but she is extra hungry, and before Xan knows it, she has accidentally fed the babe moonlight, enmagicing her. Xan decides to adopt her, names her Luna, and becomes her Grandmother. Glerk, an ancient, friendly bog monster, and Fyrian, a tiny baby dragon, round out the family.
Xan is the real star of this book. She gives so much and becomes a bit of a willing sacrifice herself. Her decisions drive much of the plot. Plus I just enjoy her character. She’s got a bit of a hidden history that becomes clearer towards the end of the book. Luna is fun but she doesn’t have much of a personality until the last quarter of the book. I was also quite taken with Antain. His story arc is the most dynamic, starting off as a young lad, being groomed as an Elder, studying in the Tower, suffering a scarring accident, and eventually resolving to put an end to the yearly sacrifices. I think Antain deserves a story of his own. Fyrian and Glerk provide the comedic relief much of the time but add so much love and happiness to the tale I would be shallow to dismiss them. Glerk, being as ancient as he is, knows the importance of family and the ties of love and friendship. Fyrian is not as young as he thinks he is but he’ll grow into it.
There is a hidden villain in the story and I didn’t figure out their identity until the last third of the book. I loved that I was totally not expecting it and therefore, I didn’t really know where this tale would take me. I loved that I couldn’t easily predict how things would turn out. The story has just enough hard edges, just enough evil and sorrow, that the author had me wondering if this fairy tale would indeed have a happy ending. Luna’s mom really captures the heart of this novel. Her immense love for her lost baby has driven her into a deep sorrow and that sorrow has pushed her into a touch of insanity and that touch has opened the door of magic just a crack. All these elements are connected in one person here and the bigger story shows how those elements connect all the people in this tale to one another. It’s really quite clever. Like up there with Neil Gaiman kind of clever.
In short, I can’t recommend this book enough. I was captured from the opening scene and didn’t want to put it down. I was never quite sure how things would end and this kept me thoroughly invested in the story and characters.
I received a free copy of this book.
The Narration: Christian Moore did a great job with this book. I loved her voice for Xan, Glerk, and Fyrian. She also managed quite well in portraying not only a young Antain but also the man he grew into over the course of the book. Her voice for the true villain could be quite spooky indeed! She was excellent at imbuing scenes with the correct, and sometimes subtle, emotions.
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Glerk into a fuzzy mammal. Xan fears tiny dragon Fyrian may be next, so she bottles up Luna’s magic until she is older and can control it. Meanwhile, sorrow hangs heavy over the Protectorate as the Tower and the Elders demand the yearly sacrifice to the ‘witch’ to keep their town safe. Meanwhile, young Antain has grown into a young man and over the course of the book he becomes determined to stop the ‘witch’ from stealing any more of their children.Wow! Just, simply, wow! I fell in love hard with this book. I do enjoy a fun kid’s book here and there but this hit all the right buttons for me. It has this wonderful mix of magic, sorrow, adventure, loss, love, discovery, humor, and goodbyes. Barnhill has magnificently caught the sorrow of losing a child and also a child’s longing to know their biological parents in this intense fairy tale. Those two things give what would otherwise be a light, fun read a certain keen edge that makes all the beautiful parts that much more intense.
The Protectorate is surrounded by a bog and a forest and few of the residents know of any life outside the area. It is ruled by two powers – the Council and Elders (a group of ‘wise’ old men) and the Tower (which is filled with armed, armored, and well-educated women). Right away, we are privy to a yearly scene where a child is taken from its family and walked to edge of the town and left for the evil ‘witch’ to retrieve. The townsfolk are told this is to keep the entire town from being decimated by the witch, but the Elders all know there is no witch. The ritual keeps them in power and comfort. Young Antain, who is being groomed to become an Elder, sees first hand the horrible result of this as the baby’s mother goes insane with grief and is locked in the Tower for safekeeping.
Xan has known for years that the Protectorate gives up a child on the same day every year so she has been visiting them in secret and taking the babies off to other cities to be adopted into willing families. Yet this time it is different. Xan calls down the starlight to feed the baby, but she is extra hungry, and before Xan knows it, she has accidentally fed the babe moonlight, enmagicing her. Xan decides to adopt her, names her Luna, and becomes her Grandmother. Glerk, an ancient, friendly bog monster, and Fyrian, a tiny baby dragon, round out the family.
Xan is the real star of this book. She gives so much and becomes a bit of a willing sacrifice herself. Her decisions drive much of the plot. Plus I just enjoy her character. She’s got a bit of a hidden history that becomes clearer towards the end of the book. Luna is fun but she doesn’t have much of a personality until the last quarter of the book. I was also quite taken with Antain. His story arc is the most dynamic, starting off as a young lad, being groomed as an Elder, studying in the Tower, suffering a scarring accident, and eventually resolving to put an end to the yearly sacrifices. I think Antain deserves a story of his own. Fyrian and Glerk provide the comedic relief much of the time but add so much love and happiness to the tale I would be shallow to dismiss them. Glerk, being as ancient as he is, knows the importance of family and the ties of love and friendship. Fyrian is not as young as he thinks he is but he’ll grow into it.
There is a hidden villain in the story and I didn’t figure out their identity until the last third of the book. I loved that I was totally not expecting it and therefore, I didn’t really know where this tale would take me. I loved that I couldn’t easily predict how things would turn out. The story has just enough hard edges, just enough evil and sorrow, that the author had me wondering if this fairy tale would indeed have a happy ending. Luna’s mom really captures the heart of this novel. Her immense love for her lost baby has driven her into a deep sorrow and that sorrow has pushed her into a touch of insanity and that touch has opened the door of magic just a crack. All these elements are connected in one person here and the bigger story shows how those elements connect all the people in this tale to one another. It’s really quite clever. Like up there with Neil Gaiman kind of clever.
In short, I can’t recommend this book enough. I was captured from the opening scene and didn’t want to put it down. I was never quite sure how things would end and this kept me thoroughly invested in the story and characters.
I received a free copy of this book.
The Narration: Christian Moore did a great job with this book. I loved her voice for Xan, Glerk, and Fyrian. She also managed quite well in portraying not only a young Antain but also the man he grew into over the course of the book. Her voice for the true villain could be quite spooky indeed! She was excellent at imbuing scenes with the correct, and sometimes subtle, emotions.
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LibraryThing member bookwren
I love this story for its folkloric tone, quirky supporting characters (Glerk the kind, elder bog monster and Fyrian the Perfectly Tiny Dragon who believes he's huge), strong female protagonist, and unusual bog setting. I love how Barnhill creates in Glerk a poetic sage who believes poetry and the
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bog and everything in the world is one. I love how madness saves a life. I love how fantasy speaks of real life in words of magic. Show Less
LibraryThing member kmann63
I just finished reading the winner of the 2017 Newbery Medal.
Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave a baby as an offering to the witch who lives in the forest. They hope this sacrifice will keep her from terrorizing their town. But the witch in the Forest, Xan, is kind. She shares her
One year, Xan accidentally feeds a baby moonlight instead of starlight, filling the baby with magic. Xan decides she must raise this girl, whom she calls Luna, as her own. As Luna’s thirteenth birthday approaches, her magic begins to emerge--with isn't good because she hasn't learned to control it yet. Meanwhile, a young man from the Protectorate is determined to free his people by killing the witch. Deadly birds with uncertain intentions flock nearby. A volcano, quiet for centuries, rumbles just beneath the earth’s surface. And the woman with the Tiger’s heart is on the prowl . . .
Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave a baby as an offering to the witch who lives in the forest. They hope this sacrifice will keep her from terrorizing their town. But the witch in the Forest, Xan, is kind. She shares her
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home with a Swamp Monster and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon. Xan rescues the children and delivers them to welcoming families on the other side of the forest, feeding the babies starlight on the journey. So it's really just a mix up!One year, Xan accidentally feeds a baby moonlight instead of starlight, filling the baby with magic. Xan decides she must raise this girl, whom she calls Luna, as her own. As Luna’s thirteenth birthday approaches, her magic begins to emerge--with isn't good because she hasn't learned to control it yet. Meanwhile, a young man from the Protectorate is determined to free his people by killing the witch. Deadly birds with uncertain intentions flock nearby. A volcano, quiet for centuries, rumbles just beneath the earth’s surface. And the woman with the Tiger’s heart is on the prowl . . .
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LibraryThing member DonnaMarieMerritt
Love, knowledge, poetry, witches, magic, sorrow, good vs. evil, forgiveness . . . I couldn't put this book down. Well deserving of the 2017 Newbery.
LibraryThing member Katya0133
The greatest compliment I can give this book is to say that it feels old, like a fairy tale or a myth, complete with witches and dragons and bravery in facing death. Highly recommended.
LibraryThing member karen813
This is a well written fantasy about Luna, an abandoned baby who is accidentally enmagicked and adopted by the witch of the woods, Xan. The language in the book is beautiful and lyrical, it sounds like a perfectly told fairy tale. It is full of interesting characters and the storyline is original
I received a complimentary audio copy of this book from the publisher via the Early Reviewers program.
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and complex. I have a few concerns about the book which led to my lower rating. I felt the book was a bit too long, the story tended to drag a bit through the middle. I listened to the audio of the book and while I felt that the narrator did a good job overall it was hard to distinguish between the many characters at times. Finally it was a little too heavy for a middle grade book and this made it harder to enjoy. I loved that this book had strong female characters and a classic fairytale feel but overall it was just okay for me.I received a complimentary audio copy of this book from the publisher via the Early Reviewers program.
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Awards
Texas Bluebonnet Award (Nominee — 2018)
Massachusetts Children's Book Award (Nominee — 2020)
Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction (Finalist — 2016)
Locus Award (Finalist — Young Adult Novel — 2017)
BCCB Blue Ribbon Book (Fiction — 2016)
Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader's Choice Award (Nominee — Junior — 2019)
William Allen White Children's Book Award (Nominee — Grades 6-8 — 2019)
Newbery Medal (Medal Winner — 2017)
Vermont Golden Dome Book Award (Nominee — 2018)
Sunshine State Young Reader's Award (Nominee — Grades 3-5 — 2018)
Oregon Reader's Choice Award (Nominee — 2019)
Grand Canyon Reader Award (Nominee — Intermediate — 2020)
NCSLMA Battle of the Books (Middle School — 2018)
Volunteer State Book Award (Nominee — Middle School — 2019)
E.B. White Read-Aloud Award (Winner — 2017)
Charlotte Huck Award (Honor — 2017)
CCBC Choices (2017)
Notable Children's Book (Middle Readers — 2017)
Nerdy Book Award (Middle Grade Fiction — 2016)
Tome Society It List (2018)
Idaho Battle of the Books (2019)
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best: Kids (Fiction for Older Readers — 2016)
Pages
400
ISBN
1616207469 / 9781616207465