October Read--The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
Monday, Oct. 25 4-6
Facilitator:
Winner of the 2017 Newbery MedalThe New York Times Bestseller
An Entertainment Weekly Best Middle Grade Book of 2016
A New York Public Library Best Book of 2016
A Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2016
An Amazon Top 20 Best Book of 2016
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2016
A School Library Journal Best Book of 2016
Named to KirkusReviews’ Best Books of 2016
2017 Booklist Youth Editors’ Choice
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. She shares her home with a wise Swamp Monster and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon. Xan rescues the 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 girl, whom she calls Luna, as her own. As Luna’s thirteenth birthday approaches, her magic begins to emerge—with dangerous consequences. Meanwhile, a young man from the Protectorate is determined to free his people by killing the witch. Deadly birds with uncertain intentions flock nearby. A volcano, quiet for centuries, rumbles just beneath the earth’s surface. And the woman with the Tiger’s heart is on the prowl . . .
I really enjoyed reading The Girl Who Drank the Moon. Barnhill's story is full of suspense and it would garner a lot of interest in a middle school classroom (although I do think it is below grade level). The use of multiple perspectives adds to this suspense and Barhhill does throw in some sophisticated language that would be great for building vocab. This text would work great when teaching plot diagram, climax, rising action, etc.
ReplyDeleteConsidering some of the deficits our students have, I'm thinking maybe 7th grade?