Review: The girl who drank the moon by Kelly Barnhill

“Not all knowledge comes from the mind. Your body, your heart, your intuition. Sometimes memories even have minds of their own.”

For a book geared towards middle grade readers The girl who drank the moon is exceptionally wise. There were so many hidden truths in its many quotable moments - I found myself taking my time with it. Trying to savor it.

​I will say though that this book is probably not for everybody. It's quite different from other middle grade fantasy books - both in style of writing and structure.
Some things would take a really long time to happen, and some other ones happen too quickly. Points of view jump and differ and wave through time, and stories and memories. To be completely honest I was quite confused for the first 100 pages or so. But somehow I was okay with that.

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“And the more they asked, the more they wondered. And the more they wondered, the more they hoped. And the more they hoped, the more the clouds of sorrow lifted, drifted, and burned away in the heat of a brightening sky.”

I would especially recommend this book to mothers, expectant mothers and families who are looking to adopt. The girl who drank the moon is bursting with motherly instincts, affection and family. And with love. So much love.

“Human babies are only tiny for an instant—their growing up is as swift as the beat of a hummingbird’s wing.”

Kelly Barnhill really understands ​motherhood and growing up. She is either a fantastic mother herself, or knows somebody who is. The bonds of a child and a parent were so beautifully and vividly portrayed here, if anything that is enough of a reason to read this book.
I also really enjoyed the other aspect of the book, which focused on how some people abuse power and twists the truths to mold the reality they wish to impose. If I think about it, this book got quite political, but in a way that was accessible to younger readers.

“Knowledge is powerful, but it is a terrible power when it is hoarded and hidden.”

A solid read with many beautiful messages, a definite must for young minds. As The girl who drank the moon tells that it's okay to grow up, that change is inevitable. It teaches to think for yourself and to question everything. It shows love for what it is - boundless, ever expanding and never jealous.

I will definitely be reading more by this author in the near future.

“Everything you see is in the process of making or unmaking or dying or living. Everything is in a state of change.”