The Girl Who Drank the Moon (Winner of the 2017 Newbery Medal)

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. She shares her home with a wise Swamp Monster and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon. Xan rescues the children and delivers 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 girl, whom she calls Luna, as her own. As Luna's thirteenth birthday approaches, her magic begins to emerge--with dangerous consequences. Meanwhile, a young man from the Protectorate is determined to free his people by killing the witch. Deadly birds with uncertain intentions flock nearby. A volcano, quiet for centuries, rumbles just beneath the earth's surface. And the woman with the Tiger's heart is on the prowl . . .

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Published Apr 30, 2019

400 pages

Average rating: 8.16

129 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

What Bookclubbers are saying about this book

✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI

Readers say *The Girl Who Drank the Moon* is a charming, magical tale with lovable characters and themes of family, love, and hope that appeal to both...

yahoo mail
Dec 15, 2021
10/10 stars
Wonderful, magical, relevant to today’s social and political environment. In my top 5!
Monika Dančová
Feb 19, 2026
8/10 stars
what a nice story.
If I was thirteen, I would be thrilled to read this one. It reminds me of Harry Potter and similar books - perfect for the early teens, but still enjoyable even for adults. Really nice, creative piece of a fantasy world with all the creatures and magic that belong to it :)
Mariam.Haziq
Nov 27, 2025
10/10 stars
LUNA? MOON? GRANDMA? WITCH? EVERYTHING? PERFECTION
Jeselle
Apr 02, 2025
1/10 star
I wasn’t a big fan that spoke with. I really wanted to it felt more like poetry instead of the book and it was a pretty easy reading. I wanted it to be more into this, but I just couldn’t but overall it’s a solid book.
hillary_scholz
Jan 13, 2025
10/10 stars
This book is amazing!

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