The Girl Who Drank the Moon (Winner of the 2017 Newbery Medal)
Kelly Barnhill
This novel features magical elements and a coming-of-age story with themes of family and identity.
The Mermaid's Sister
Cambria County (Pa.)
A warm, folkloric quest about two sisters and a found-family friend who set out to save a girl who is becoming a mermaid, told with fairy-tale simplicity.
What It's About
The Mermaid's Sister is a fantasy built around a small, isolated household high in the hills: two sisters, an older guardian who tells stories at night, and a friend who arrived as a foundling like the others. The opening has a quiet, folkloric feel, with herbs gathered for remedies, bedtime tales of distant lands, and a sense that the world beyond the mountain holds enchantment and danger.
Once the premise tips into a journey, the book becomes a road story. The narrative moves from place to place, and each stop brings a new complication, so the pace is episodic and driven by encounters rather than by a single puzzle. The tone is earnest and warm. Fairy-tale staples such as gypsy wagons, traveling performers, and wicked figures provide the scaffolding for a story about loyalty between siblings and friends.
Reading it feels like listening to a story told aloud by someone who knows the genre well. It is a quick, accessible read rather than a dense one, and its emotional weight comes from the characters' attachment to one another. Readers who want intricate worldbuilding or a plot full of surprises may find it lighter than they expected.
Read this if you…
- enjoy fairy-tale journeys with a warm, found-family core
- want a gentle, quick fantasy that is easy to finish in a sitting
- like stories about siblings and friends protecting each other from outside threats
Skip it if you…
- want dense worldbuilding, deep mythology, or a twisty, unpredictable plot
- prefer mature, morally complicated fantasy with darker stakes and adult themes
Key Ideas
- 1
Storytelling as a way of understanding the world
Auntie's tales do more than entertain. They shape how Clara sees her own origins and the wider world, and the book treats folklore as both comfort and warning. Paying attention to which stories the characters believe, and why, is one of the quieter pleasures of the book.
- 2
Found family and the bonds we choose
The three foundlings have no blood ties to one another, so their identity rests on loyalty and daily care. The book asks what makes a family when nobody is related by birth, and it answers mostly through small acts of protection rather than speeches.
- 3
Love under the pressure of transformation
Maren's changing body turns a personal worry into an urgent, physical problem, and the story keeps returning to what a sister will risk for someone who is slipping away. The stakes feel intimate even when the setting is fantastical.
- 4
The journey as a test of loyalty
The road structure forces the characters to make choices in unfamiliar places, and each danger tests what they owe one another. The episodic design means the book rewards readers who enjoy travel-based adventure more than those who want one tightly linked mystery.
Limitations
I know this book only partially, so my account rests mainly on its premise and I am cautious about specifics. Common complaints about books in this mode are that the episodic structure can feel loosely connected and that characters and villains are often drawn in broad strokes. The book does not explore mermaid lore or the wider setting in depth, and readers looking for historical or cultural detail should look elsewhere. Its folkloric tropes will feel familiar to experienced fantasy readers.
Questions Readers Ask
- Who is The Mermaid's Sister best suited for?
- Based on its premise and tone, it reads like a younger-leaning fantasy, probably suited to middle-grade or young teen readers, though I am not certain of the publisher's intended age range. Adult readers who love fairy-tale quests and close sibling relationships will also find it pleasant. Those who want complex adult themes should look elsewhere.
- What should I read if I like this book?
- Readers who enjoy a folkloric journey built around loyalty often move on to fairy-tale retellings or other middle-grade quests where a small group travels to save someone they love. Look for books that emphasize found family, episodic adventure, and a warm narrative voice.
- Published
- 2015
- ISBN
- 9781484464199
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Category
- Cambria County (Pa.)
Book details and cover from Google Books.
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