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Award winning and bestselling author Grace Lin launches her critically acclaimed trilogy with Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. This book, frankly, is like nothing I have ever read before. Though it’s no Percy Jackson, this book still manages to master the combination of a long-haul adventure story and mythology -- in this case, elements of classical Chinese mythology, folklore and tradition. The main character is a high spirited and adventurous young girl named Minli, who resides with her Ma and Ba in the poverty-stricken Village of Fruitless Mountain, which used to be the Village of Fruitful Mountain until a great misfortune struck the land. Her parents work in the mudfields from sunrise to sunset, but still barely manage to provide enough rice to feed themselves and their daughter. Life is very bleak and grueling for Minli and the village as a whole. One of Minli's few sources of happiness is when Ba regales her with mystical folktales, particularly the legendary Old Man of the Moon, a wise immortal rumored to possess the answers to all of existence. Read along as Minli, motivated by her family’s constant struggle to get by, sets off on an insane all-or-nothing adventure to find this Old Man of the Moon, hoping to learn how to bring good fortune to her village. Along the way she encounters a talking goldfish, a regal king secretly leading a double life, some thieving monkeys and a dragon who can’t fly! If you’re looking for a uniquely inspiring adventure tale mixed with some very insightful Chinese culture, then the story of Minli and her daring quest to bring good fortune to her people is guaranteed to be the story for you. Don’t forget to check out Starry River of the Sky andWhen the Sea Turned to Silver to continue the adventure! - Mohammed A. (Sunset Teen Advisory Council)