Starry River in the Sky is a book written by Grace Lin. This book follows Rendi, a mysterious boy who arrives at an inn, and is given a job as chore boy. Although he plans to leave the inn, he ends up bonding with a few customers and the innkeeper. Throughout his time at the inn however, he notices the moon has gone missing. He and Madame Chang, a visitor to the inn, tell stories of people that are only revealed later. Rendi turns out to be a magistrate's son that escaped as he didn’t feel valued, and Madame Chang ends up to be the moon lady, who fell from the sky due to the mountain disappearing. The group bond together at the inn, and ultimately are able to restore the mountain and the moon.
While it is technically a kids book, the story manages to keep the reader very interested with good folktales and also a few twists. This book delivers a very strong message to anyone who reads it. The message, forgiveness is key, can be applied a person of any age. This book also encompasses the art of storytelling, as throughout the book, different characters tell stories of themselves and of tales passed down from their ancestors. I would give this a five out of five and strongly recommend it. It doesn’t take long to finish the book, but it is definitely worth it as it will make you laugh and smile throughout it.
Author Grace Lin is a Chinese American, who grew up hearing stories of Chinese folktales. Although, she didn’t care much for it as a child as she grew up she started to become more interested, and ended up becoming a writer that centers her pieces around Chinese Mythology.