Take everything you ever thought about the witch of the woods and toss it out the window! A village that lives by a stict set of rules, lead of fanatics that encourage child sacrifice, always feared the witch. So to spare thir village,they gave away a child to save themselves. Foolosh village. The truth is so far from what they know. And more magical then they can likely believe.

I loved this book! It is fast moving, sweet and just wonderful. I loved the characters and the fantasy element. Fyrian is an adorable, brave dragon and Glerk, Xan and Luna make a wonderful team. But don't forget to keep some tissues handy, you might need them as the story progresses. Beautiful and memorable. Highly recommended for Middle Grade, teens and adults alike.

As with many Newberry Award Winners, this book feels more tuned to adults than youth readers. It's not a bad read, but it's not something I can see a grade-school kid devouring.
The legends and magic built into this story are wonderful, and the bones of this novel are strong. It ends up being bogged down with too many side quests and wordiness. The beginning and the end make the whole book worth while, but the middle is kind of like the swamp where the witch lives. Rough terrain.
Recommended for older tweens and up, and those willing to spend time in a roughly shaped fantasy world.

Such a gorgeous story, this is why I love reading middle grade books. So much thoughtfulness and wonderful writing that YA sometimes forgets to infuse into their stories.

An absolutely fabulous story. It is a unique take on the trips of a wicked witch in the forest. This "witch" is actually a benevolent person who tries to assist in any way she can.

This book received several literary awards, for good reason.

The perfect book for teens and tweens.

5 out of 5 Stars

The Girl Who Drank the Moon is a great coming of age tale for a young girl, and a self reflection tale of an old woman. All of the characters in this novel are richly described and well-developed. Each character’s transformation carries the story. I found the novel challenging to get through, but worth it in the end.

A dreary, miserable village. An aging witch with a soft heart. An enormous dragon that fits in a pocket. A wise swamp monster and the magic of the moon. A carpenter with a scarred face trying to save the village. Marvelously woven together into a story you can't put down.

Thank you for the chance to review this book, however, unfortunately, I was unable to download this title before it was archived

I'm afraid I can no longer access an edition of this book so cannot give a fair review.

Loved this book!! What a wonderful book for students interested in fantasy, mystery, and suspense. Definitely recommend!

I totally see how this won the Newbery. It was so beautifully written and the characters were so diverse with many dimensions. It was so rich and wonderful to read. It ultimately didn't pack the emotional connection and zing to earn my five star rating, but I truly enjoyed it. Fantasy at its best.

A wonderful story, dark and mysterious and magical.

The Girl Who Drank the Moon is a middle grade novel by Kelly Barnhill. 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 and gentle. She shares her home with a wise Swamp Monster named Glerk and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon, Fyrian. Xan rescues the abandoned children and deliver 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 enmagicked girl, whom she calls Luna, as her own. To keep young Luna safe from her own unwieldy power, Xan locks her magic deep inside her. When Luna approaches her thirteenth birthday, her magic begins to emerge on schedule--but Xan is far away. Meanwhile, a young man from the Protectorate is determined to free his people by killing the witch. Soon, it is up to Luna to protect those who have protected her--even if it means the end of the loving, safe world she’s always known.

The Girl Who Drank the Moon is an interesting story, and I liked the overall story. The growth of some characters, and the changing perspectives made the story quick paced, although it might be confusing for some. I think the stories in italics might be the most confusing for some readers, but if they stick it out until the end those stories and changing perspectives give the readers a much more comprehensive understanding of the story and individual characters than they might have otherwise. I really liked the reversal of 'good' and 'bad' characters- where those in opower and acting as the good guys are so much different than they seemed, and the same holds true for those characters initally believe to be dangerous. I enjoyed the character and world development and think that the book was well written and an enjoyable read. My biggest issue with the story is that while it focuses on Luna and how she effects the world, we get much more information about her from others than from her. I would have liked more of the story to come from her perspective, however I still greatly enjoyed the read.

The Girl Who Drank the Moon is a solid fantasy. I think many middle grade readers will enjoy the read, and it might even make the reread pile for some.

I actually found that this book was very difficult to get into. I gave it multiple shots and finally gave up about a third of the way in. It seemed like the author spent a lot of time describing Luna's magic and there actually wasn't much plot. Of course we purchased it at my library anyway.

This incredible tale about family and sorrow is bound to stay with you. One of the best books I have read all year!

I read a lot of incredible books in 2016, but I have to say, this was one of my favorites. It is the kind of book that you just want to put in someone else’s hands the minute you finish it, because you want to talk about it with someone you care about as soon as possible. This was an almost grown-up kind of fairy tale, so perfectly imagined and wondrously told that I am hesitant to say too much about it.

I might have wanted to listen to this book, if only to know how to pronounce the characters’ names correctly, but that was a minor distraction in this otherwise joyful book. Of course, there is treachery and deceit — all proper fairy tales need a villain or two (and there are quite a few here) — and there is the mandatory clash with evil and the ultimate victory for the side of the good, but knowing this still does not take away from the dramatic tension or suspense. The publisher’s blurb is not hyperbole — the lyrical language, the moving story and the truly unique and imaginative characters all combine to make this a modern classic.