Kelly Barnhill

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 deliver 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 Girl Who Drank the Moon

Holly

“Meanwhile the mystery of love reveals itself, again and again, in the mystery of you.

“Knowledge is powerful, but it is a terrible power when it is hoarded and hidden. Today, knowledge is for everyone."

And in her soul, the madwoman felt a thousand birds—birds of paper, birds of feathers, birds of hearts and minds and flesh—leap into the sky and soar over the dreaming trees.

Compassion or revenge? Sometimes the two were the same.

What was a name, anyway? You can’t hold it. You can’t smell it. You can’t rock it to sleep. You can’t whisper your love to it over and over and over again.

Memory was a slippery thing—slick moss on an unstable slope—and it was ever so easy to lose one’s footing and fall.

“Babies, babies, babies, BABIES!” Fyrian continued. “Oh, how I love babies!” He had never met a baby before, at least not that he could remember, but that did not stop the dragon from loving them all to bits.

Moonlight, however. That is a different story.

Tried to be/do too many things in the 300ish pages that it was. 

Floofyflower

Joy Bush

My 14 yr old daughter asked me to read this with her so I did. Finished it in 3 days. Its a really good book, i do recommend it.

Books are magic and so is a mothers love for her daughters. Always and forever!

At no point did I expect to cry at the end of this book, but, alas, I did.

This book took me by surprise—the writing was absolutely gorgeous, and I loved Luna, Xan, Glerk and Fyrian, my family. Their bond is so wholesome and sweet and the story is so strong and loving. I just did not expect it to take the turn it did. 

There were some parts where I did kind of doze off, for example the kind of narrated poetry/story chapters that are told directly to the audience. I didn't really enjoy those chapters much so sometimes it reduced my enjoyment, but in no way did it ruin the story for me. It helped that the chapters were short and sweet!

I'm so glad I decided to read this—I genuinely enjoyed it a lot and it exceeded my expectations!

At no point did I expect to cry at the end of this book, but, alas, I did.

This book took me by surprise—the writing was absolutely gorgeous, and I loved Luna, Xan, Glerk and Fyrian, my family. Their bond is so wholesome and sweet and the story is so strong and loving. I just did not expect it to take the turn it did. 

There were some parts where I did kind of doze off, for example the kind of narrated poetry/story chapters that are told directly to the audience. I didn't really enjoy those chapters much so sometimes it reduced my enjoyment, but in no way did it ruin the story for me. It helped that the chapters were short and sweet!

I'm so glad I decided to read this—I genuinely enjoyed it a lot and it exceeded my expectations!

sadique arman

Writing is very beautiful and i love the characters so much. But the story is a bit not to my taste.

Nikki Milton

What an interesting and, surprisingly, lovely story. Picked it up for my daughter but glad to have read it first. Well done.

Mellanie Ann Duque

The Girl Who Drank the Mood have been on my TBR list for such time, the title itself is fascinating enough to catch my attention and the cover in addition. I admit the title offer so much to the readers, a very intriguing one. When I started reading it, I was in awe the moment I finished the first chapter. It was really mysterious and vividly written. Truly perfect for young readers who love magic and stories told by grandmas.

There are no parts in this book that I felt tired nor bored. It has the ability to tickle the minds of readers to dream and imagine things wildly. The Characters are amazingly mysterious and cute specifically this tiny dragon who is full of mischievousness but very friendly. I have found myself rooting to have these magical characters for they are really funny and adorable.

The plot was amazing! I never though nor imagined about all the plot twists that took place in the book. For me there are no backlogs nor portions of this book that needed improvement. The books is really child friendly and a good material to promote good conduct.

Luna, is such a lovely girl who learns about her real abilities and real self. I never felt annoyed by her for having so much questions in her head unlike the other characters from other books I have read before. Other characters have supplied the exact quality of presence I am longing to see. They are all amazing!

All in all I love it and I would highly recommend this to anyone of any age. A book that offers adventure, love, lessons in life, poetry, magic and many more!

Midori Kobayashi

5/5stars


Knowledge is power, but it is a terrible power when it is hoarded and hidden.

the cover? 11/10 made me want to read it asap. and then the story? immaculate. haven't read a single chapter in over a month and now reading 3 books back to back? that should tell you a lot. furthermore, i COULD NOT for the life of me stop thinking about Luna and her story while working today. so i finished my work early and got back to this. i know this is supposed to be a children's book but it had so much going on, please i loved every page of it. 

my first five stars this entire month? cheers to that I guess! :P

Fran Gutiérrez

whimsical, wholesome, touching, clever, beautiful, addicting, inspiring, amazing, 10/10, completely new, never done before. (4.5)

Ryan LaFerney

Kelly Barnhill’s The Girl Who Drank the Moon (the recipient of the 2017 Newbery Award) is a book I've been meaning to read since I'd received an arc (advance readers copy) in 2016. I've started and stopped reading it a few different times but alas, I've finally read it. I can report that it is an artistically written yet flawed fairy tale like fantasy that will best appeal to lovers of children and young adult fantasy.

So what's the story? The Girl Who Drank the Moon is 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. 

For many, The Girl Who Drank The Moon is a modern classic and I can see why - it has a lovely moral, beautifully written passages, and it is full of whimsy and the fantastical. However, it is a flawed story. Sadly, for how beautiful the writing often is (especially the first half of the book), the story drags (particularly in the middle) to a very predictable, (although -I must admit-touching) conclusion. I guess my biggest complaint is that the flow of the story felt off. Some passages were quite wonderful to read and quite lyrical while others felt so redundant. I really felt this book could have been further edited to make a more cohesive story. 

That being said: I didn't hate this book. It had a warmth to it that appealed to me. And I applaud its message regarding familial love and use of knowledge and power certainly. The ending, although predictable, was quite touching (I might have even got a little teary eyed). And if I ever have kids, I'd be glad to read this to them/with them, for there are many lessons to be learned from this tale (however, I wonder if this story would be traumatic for an adopted child)?

I just think it might have been a tad bit over-hyped for this reader. And that's okay.

For fans of: J.K. Rowling, Neil Gaiman.

Izza

4.75 stars | This is such a beautiful book with a beautiful story about magic, love and family. Highly recommend.

felicity yoon

I would prefer the writing of `The Ogress and the Orphan' The story telling isn't that smooth in this book and it jumps from one scene to another, making me a little frustrating. But the atmosphere of the story and the characters are diverse as the usual Barn Hills' novels. My favorite character would be the tiny dragon, he is so human-like. The last part of the book totally broke my heart as well.

Kirsten Simkiss

This book was truly lovely book. The pacing was good, the characters were diverse and relatable, the world was a creature all it's own, and the magic - oh the magic - was infused in every word of this story. I was nearly to the end before I realized it was the kind of story Hayao Miyazaki might be inspired to make into a movie. It's that kind of unusual and amazing all at the same time. From the youngest character to the oldest, every character was distinct and had an energy of their own to contribute to the story. Even the most wretched of characters were made memorable by their eccentricities and quirks.

The story surrounds the life of a little girl from the Protectorate who was left in the woods as a sacrifice to the witch. The Protectorate believes that the sacrifice of the youngest child in the village once a year will prevent the witch from doing them harm. Little do they know that Xan the witch simply saves the children from being eaten by wild animals or from starving to death and brings them to other towns, where she leaves them with good families to be raised. Normally, she feeds them starlight on the way, and the villages call them the Star Children. However, in the case of little Luna, our protagonist, Xan accidentally feeds her moonlight, making her a magic wielder like Xan. Needless to say, Xan is left with no choice but to raise the child herself - with the help of Glerk the many-legged swamp beast and Fyrian, a dragon who thinks himself a giant despite being the size of a large bird.

The book is really, really lovely. While it focuses around the time of little Luna, there are so many perspectives in this story to add to the fabric of the events. You're never left wondering how one group of people might feel about the events happening in the story because the author makes sure to provide you with bits and pieces of everyone's stories.

This book is a little bit dark in places. The author has geared this toward middle grade students, which I think seems about right to me, but it was also perfectly appropriate for those older than that age group. It was enjoyable for me and I'm 27 years old. If this review or the description of this book sound like something that would be up your alley, I encourage you to find a copy of this book and give it a read.

Annwyn Jensen

sofia !

this book took way too long to finish than necessary-

Nicole Dykeman

Wasn’t really feeling it in the first half…but then it made me cry, so.

4.5 stars. (listened to the audiobook).

I adored the mood of this book and it was exactly what I needed during my assessment period. The writing style is so pretty but not overly pretentious, I felt completely wrapped up in the world without having to work too hard, which is the perfect balance for me. 

There are so many loveable characters. Fyrian (a very tiny dragon who believes he's massive and terrifying so never goes near humans for fear of scaring them) and Glerk ( a pretentious swamp monster who claims to be grumpy about taking in Luna but stays up every night to read her poetry), were honestly the best part of the book for me. I would've appreciated a bit more development of Xan and Luna, while I still enjoyed them, I didn't get attached to them in the way I felt I was expected to.

My one complaint is the pacing. I always love books where you have multiple perspectives and interconnecting stories and while I think they were all interesting to start with, they all began to drag around the middle of the book. The ending, in my opinion, should've come sooner. While it was satisfying, it did feel a little rushed. 

Despite that, I still adored this book and while at points I may have had less motivation to read it, I was always filled with so much happiness when I actually did which is why I gave it such a high rating despite its faults.

Livia

This book is just simply magical, hopeful, beautiful, and entertaining at the same time. Although I am annoyed at some part, it doesn't diminish the experience of reading this book, and I believe more people should read this sweet, middle-grade book it's simply beautiful

Charlotte J. Ruth

Josefina

3.5*
somehow i expectedthis book to be more whimsical and i didn't feel as attached as i expected to, but it was still a beautiful, emotional story that i would definitely recommend.

Nadine 

Lovely modern type fairytale for more sophisticated fans of land of stories.

Mumluk

One of the very best fantasy YA I ever read. Recommended.

Maria Luiza

This was so good and so wholesome. I loved it completely from the very first page.

Maria

задумка ничего себе такая. но очень растянуто. есть куски каких-то внутренних монологов, которые вообще бессмысленные.

Inês Santos

I really liked this book. It was so magical, pure, funny and sad. I loved the lyrical writing. I also adored the characters and I felt for them and what they were going through. Plus I felt like they weren't exactly perfect and I really liked that realistic aspect in a story that was very magical. It felt a bit slow at times and on some occasions I had to put the book down because I was getting a bit bored but overall a great wholesome book that I would totally recommend.

The Girl Who Drank the Moon

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