This Newbery Medal award-winning book is sure to leave you spell-bound and yearning for more. The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill introduces us to a world of witches, a dragon, a monster, and a baby girl. The witch named Xan rescues babies who have been left in the woods to die. She feeds them starlight on her journey to the Free Cities where she places them in a loving home.
One year, so spellbound by a child with a crescent moon birthmark, Xan accidentally feeds the baby girl moonlight instead. She is enmagicked and her powers grow. However, she cannot control them. Hence, Xan places a temporary hold on the girl’s powers until she turns 13. But as a consequence, her powers will wane and she will die as a result.
The town that leaves the babies to die, the Protectorate, is run by a Sister Ignacia who is really a witch herself who feeds off of sorrow. A cloud hangs over the place fueled by the ritual of leaving the babies to die. One young man named Antain starts to question how things are run.
As Luna, the girl who drank the moonlight, approaches 13, both worlds start to collide. Her powers start to grow inside her and she had no idea she is special. Antain leaves the Protectorate to stop the witch once and for all. Sister Ignacia attempts to stop him. Glerk, the swamp monster who has been around since the beginning of time and Fyrian, a very small dragon who begins to grow all go off to find Xan who is headed to rescue another baby.
Their worlds collide, mysteries will be resolved, and light will return–all while a volcano is about to explode!
A novel insanely hard to put down with all the twists and turns. Very cute with endearing characters. Glerk is lovable. Fyrian is naively happy. Xan is the protective parent. Luna is the rebellious child. A great storyline of challenging the status quo, questioning authority, following your heart and your gut, and doing anything for love lies underneath the surface. Great read. Worthy of the 2017 Newbery. Enjoy!