Young Adult

Just Read: “The Girl Who Drank the Moon” by Kelly Barnhill

Kay Goodnight Just Read , , , , , , , , ,

THE GIRL WHO DRANK THE MOON is a middle grade novel by Kelly Barnhill that won the 2017 Newberry Medal. Well deserved, in my opinion.

THE GIRL WHO DRANK THE MOON is the story of a girl, Luna, and the witch who saved her, Xan. It centers around one town’s sad tradition of sacrificing one baby each year to the witch in the woods so that she won’t curse the village. (Reminiscent of “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson.) The villager’s believe in this necessity. The councilmen who implement it do too, but for different reasons. They don’t believe there’s a witch. They do believe that this Day of Sacrifice crushes the spirits of the villagers and allows the council to maintain control.

But the witch does exist, only not the evil one the people imagine. Baffled by the villager’s actions, the witch Xan rescues the children and nourishes them with starlight as she makes the journey to find each baby a home on the other side of the forest. Then one special baby captures the heart of Xan. And when Xan accidently enmagics baby Luna with moonlight instead of starlight, she decides she must raise Luna herself, because an enmagiced child is a dangerous child to herself and to others.

This charming story is brimming over with interesting characters. There are two dragons (who doesn’t like dragons?), one regular size poem-reciting dragon and one “simply enormous” dragon that often sleeps in Luna’s pocket. There’s Antain, the village boy who sees the Day of Sacrifice as a day of horror and decides he must kill the witch to save the children. There’s a madwoman whose paper birds maim, a threatening volcano, and a woman with a tigers heart that prowls the night.

Whew. There’s a lot going on. But Barnhill masterfully weaves the characters, setting, and magical elements of THE GIRL WHO DRANK THE MOON into a well-pace story filled with twists, mystery, magic, and more. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it for middle grade and young adult readers. THE GIRL WHO DRANK THE MOON won’t disappoint.

Just Read: “What Big Teeth” by Rose Szabo

Kay Goodnight Uncategorized , , , , , ,

Do you like books with magic? How about witches, werewolves, and other equally mystifying and somewhat terrifying creatures? Then WHAT BIG TEETH by Rose Szabo will be an interesting read for you.  

Eleanor Zarrin runs away from school after an alarming incident between herself and another pupil. With nowhere else to go, she returns home. Even though Grandma was the one who suddenly sent her away to boarding school all those years ago. Even though nobody wrote to her while she was away.  Or visited her. Even though they all forgot about her – stopped loving her.

Eleanor didn’t fit in at school. But she doesn’t fit in with the multiple generations of creatures that make up her family either. Grandma is a tarot-card-reading witch. Grandpa, one sister, and her cousin constantly shift between human and wolf. Mom sprouts polyps on half her body and sits in a tub of water even while eating. And then there’s Arthur, a family friend who hides behind dark glasses, appears from nowhere, never eats, and only drinks a dark brew prepared by her other monosyllabic sister.

When her Grandma suddenly passes away, she charges Eleanor with protecting their family. But her family treats her with suspicion, often casting fearful glances her way. Why would they fear her? What is it about herself that even she doesn’t understand? That’s the question that draws you into the story and keeps you reading.

To be honest, I didn’t think WHAT BIG TEETH was a good fit for me. I was wrong. And I’m going to tell you why.

Szabo humanizes even this mismatched group of not-quite-humans. She grounds you in the setting, makes you believe in the unbelievable, and writes monsters readers can sympathize with. Because we all need to belong, all need to be loved. We all want to feel safe and secure. It’s a universal need for humans and (I suppose) for monsters alike. But beyond that, Szabo creates a story blooming with intrigue, mystery, and the complicated relationships of the ultimate dysfunctional family.