Where The Mountain Meets The Moon

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

• Genre: Fiction; middle grade; fantasy; adventure
• Originally Published: 2009
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 810L; grades 3-6
• Structure/Length: 48 chapters; approximately 320 pages; approximately 4 hours and 56 minutes on audiobook
• Protagonist/Central Conflict: The novel follows Minli, an adventurous girl from a poor village, who embarks on an epic journey to find the Old Man of the Moon, hoping to change her family’s fortune. The story intertwines traditional Chinese folktales, creating a rich tapestry of adventure, friendship, and self-discovery.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Peril and danger; themes of poverty; temporary family separation

Grace Lin, Author

• Bio: Born 1974; American author and illustrator of children’s books; of Taiwanese descent; known for her work featuring Asian Americans and Asian culture; received her degree from the Rhode Island School of Design
• Other Works: The Year of the Dog (2006); Starry River of the Sky (2012); When the Sea Turned to Silver (2016)
• Awards: Newbery Honor (2010); Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature (2010); Bank Street College of Education Josette Frank Award (2010); Massachusetts Book Award for Children’s/Young Adult Literature (2010)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:

• The Value of Gratitude
• The Virtue of Sacrifice
• The Power of Faith

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Guide, students will:

• Explore background information on the hero’s journey and its relationship to the human life cycle to increase their engagement with and understanding of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon.
• Read/study short paired texts and other resources to deepen their understanding of themes related to The Value of Gratitude, The Virtue of Sacrifice, and The Power of Faith.
• Demonstrate their understanding of the significance of stories and the symbolism of the red thread by using red thread to model how the characters are connected by their stories.
• Analyze the significance of various elements of the novel, such as personification, characterization, diction, plot detail, symbolism, and structure, and construct essay responses tying these to the novel’s meaning.