This is a companion to Lin’s lovely book, When the Mountain Meets the Moon.
A young boy runs away from home with no destination, only the wish to be far away from where he once was. When his hiding place is discovered, he finds himself at an inn, with no choice but to work for the innkeeper in the small Village of Clear Sky.
Rendi is not the only newcomer to the inn. The lovely and elegant Madame Chang arrives soon after Rendi, bearing tales to entertain (and perhaps enlighten) the small group that gathers at the inn. Soon Rendi finds he has more questions than answers. Where has the moon gone? What is the sad moaning that keeps him up at night? Who is Mr. Shan and why does he seem alternately confused and clever? Where is the water? Before long, curiosity and a sense of belonging have Rendi revealing his own tales as they find themselves searching together for solutions.
The pace of this book is very dreamy and leisurely. It’s definitely not a high action adventure story, even if some of the folktales do have adventures in them. A lovely choice for a read aloud, there are lots of natural stopping points, both at chapters and at the folktale breaks. Like Where the Mountain Meets the Moon the illustrations are gorgeous and rich and add to the story.
Age Recommendation: While on the challenging side for third graders, I would recommend this for Grades 3 and up, with 3-5 being the sweet spot for readers.
Sex, Nudity, Dating – A girl’s older brother may have married. A girl is told that a boy couldn’t have forgotten about her. A man is standing naked in the grass. A couple is to be married. A couple holds ahnds.
Profanity – Bad men release a “torrent of curses and swears”.
Death, Violence and Gore – In a story, a man is said to have killed a giant. A girl’s father died. Another girl’s mother has died. Adults joke about beheading or drawing and quartering a boy. A boy is shaken and nearly hit. An animal faces amputation of a limb.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – A merchant tries to sell wine to an innkeeper. People drink wine to protect them from Noxious Animals. Men drink wine. Men drug the wine of other men.
Frightening or Intense Things – In a story, it is feared that a tiger will attack a village. A boy is kidnapped and bound.
