The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
Yes. There is a witch in the woods. There has always been a witch.
- Opening lines
Magical babies are dangerous babies, Glerk tried to remind himself, day after day. When he wasn't cradling Luna. Or singing to Luna. Or whispering poetry into her ear as she slept.
-Chapter 5
A story can tell the truth, she knew, but a story can also lie. Stories can bend and twist and obfuscate. Controlling stories is power indeed.
- Chapter 38
Knowledge is powerful, but it is a terrible power when it is hoarded and hidden.
- Chapter 38
The village has always known about the witch, and about the sacrifice. Once a year, the Council of Elders takes the youngest baby and leaves it in the woods to appease the witch. But... the witch (Xan) has no idea why they leave the baby, so she takes it to the village across the forest and gives it to a loving home. Except for Luna... The witch accidentally feeds Luna moonlight (instead of the starlight she usually feeds the babies). The moonlight makes Luna magical. Luna grows up with Xan, Glerk (the swamp monster), and Fyrian (a Perfectly Tiny Dragon who thinks he is a Simply Enormous Dragon).
With characters like Xan, Glerk, Fyrian, and Luna, how could this story fail? The characters are amazing and the world is magical. People have been recommending this book to me all year, but I kept putting it off. I don't know why, but the cover just didn't appeal to me. Once I started reading it, I loved it.
Recommended to: Grades 5 & up. Fans of magical stories or fairy tales.
7
