The Girl Who Drank the Moon

The Girl Who Drank the Moon
Author: Kelly Barnhill
Medal: Caldecott Medal
Genre: Fantasy Fiction
Grades: 4-7

Every year the people of the protectorate leave a baby as a offering to a witch that lies in the forest. The people hope the baby will stop the witch from bothering the town. However, the witch, Xan, is actually a kind person. She shares her home with a swamp monster and a dragon. She rescues the sacrificial babies and gives them to loving families on the other side of the forest. One year, on accident, Xan feeds a baby moonlight instead of starlight, which gives the baby extraordinary magic. When the baby, Luna, turns 13 her magic starts to come with dangerous consequences. Luna now has a boy from the protectorate, deadly birds, and a woman with a tigers heart after her. I think this would be a book that is good for free reading time, and help kids with imagination.