The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
One thing I miss about working in a bookstore is being near the kid's books. I always enjoyed walking into that space and looking at all of the great stories on the shelves. I'm pretty sure if I'd had the opportunity to see so many kid's books when I was a youngster I'd probably have danced around and twirled a bit through sheer excitement. I realized as I started reading The Girl Who Drank the Moon that I had read Kelly Barnhill's earlier novel, The Mostly True Story of Jack years ago when it first came out in 2011. I loved that book; it took place in Iowa, and was very unusual and magical. What an imagination Kelly Barnhill has--what a gift! I picked up this novel because it had just recently won the Newbery Award and I was curious. Whenever I read a teen or young reader novel, I have to constantly check my inner voice and basically tell it to shut up. I have to remember who the intended audience is, and that they are reading fro...