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The Girl Who Drank the MoonKelly Barnhill

Middle grade fantasy

The Girl Who Drank the Moon

by Kelly Barnhill

400 pages · First published 2016

Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave a newborn baby in the forest as an offering to the witch they believe threatens their village. But the witch, Xan, is actually kindhearted, rescuing the abandoned children and carrying them to loving families on the other side of the forest. When Xan accidentally feeds one baby moonlight instead of starlight, she fills the child with extraordinary magic and decides to raise her as her own, naming her Luna. Growing up alongside a wise swamp monster named Glerk and an impossibly tiny dragon named Fyrian, Luna knows little of the dangerous powers sleeping inside her. As her thirteenth birthday approaches, her magic begins to awaken, while a young man from the Protectorate sets out to confront the witch and the sorrowful secrets holding his people captive. Rich with wonder, humor, and heartbreak, this Newbery Medal-winning fantasy explores the power of stories, the meaning of family, and the courage required to challenge the lies that shape an entire community.

Paired for this story

Moonlight Milk + Honeyed Reading Mead

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At a glance

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Spice0 of 5
Suspense3 of 5
Creepy2 of 5
What do these symbols mean? →

No surprises at chapter twelve

Content notes

Infants taken from their families and abandoned as ritual sacrifices (rescued rather than killed); separation of parents and children; grief and emotional distress; psychological manipulation and gaslighting; mental illness and confinement in a tower; threats and fantasy violence, including a magical attack that causes bloody injuries and scarring; frightening magic, deception, and peril; death and loss.

Alcohol-Free Pour

Moonlight Milk

A warm, silvery cup of Moonlight Milk is made for Luna, the little girl accidentally filled with moonlight magic, and for the tiny dragon, wise swamp monster, and loving witch who become her family.

What you'll need

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How to mix it

  1. Warm the milk gently with vanilla and honey until steaming. Whisk lightly and add only a tiny pinch of food-grade shimmer if desired.
  2. Garnish: Food-grade shimmer, optional.
  3. Glassware: Mug.
21+

Cocktail Pour · 21+

Honeyed Reading Mead

For adults of legal drinking age. Please drink responsibly.

A gently sweet honey mead evokes the nourishing magic Xan shares with the children she rescues, and the love that sustains Luna and her extraordinary family through sorrow, secrets, and change.

What you'll need

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Alcohol-shopping links are not shown on children's or young-adult book pages.

How to mix it

  1. Pour into a small wine glass. Serve chilled or at the temperature recommended on your chosen bottle.
  2. Enjoy plain, or add a strip of orange peel if desired.

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