Where the Mountain Meets the Moon Comprehension Questions & Reading Journal
4.5 out of 5, (15 ratings on Open Library)
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon has 20 chapters · 282 pages
The novel received a 2010 Newbery Honor and the 2010 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature.
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Inside the journal: 20 chapter pages, one question each · 3 example answers · a cover for your reader’s name
Chapter by chapter Each question is about its own chapter.
How does the author describe Minli’s home near Fruitless Mountain? How does this setting help you understand Minli’s life?See all 20 questions ↓
About the book
The novel received a 2010 Newbery Honor and the 2010 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature.
Buy the book on Amazon ↗ (affiliate link)
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon questions by chapter
We know this book well. Every question asks about something that happens in its chapter, a moment, a choice or a character, without giving away what comes next. One question per chapter, across all 20 chapters, and every one is editable before you print. The example answers under 3 of the chapters are the ones printed at the front of the booklet.
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Chapter 1
How does the author describe Minli’s home near Fruitless Mountain? How does this setting help you understand Minli’s life?
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Chapter 2
What do Ba’s stories show about hope, even when Minli’s family is poor and tired?
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Chapter 3
Why do you think Minli buys the goldfish? What does this choice show about her character?
Example answer: I think Minli buys the goldfish because she wants to believe her family’s luck can change. Even though the money is very important, she is willing to take a risk for hope. This shows that Minli is curious, brave, and not ready to give up. She wants a better life for her parents, not just for herself.
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Chapter 4
How are Ma’s and Ba’s feelings about stories and hope different? Which parent do you understand more, and why?
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Chapter 5
After Minli hears the goldfish talk, what choice does she make? What might happen next because of this choice?
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Chapter 6
Do you think Minli is brave, foolish, or both when she leaves home to find the Old Man of the Moon? Explain your thinking.
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Chapter 7
When Minli first meets Dragon, how does she treat him? What does this show about the kind of friend she might be?
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Chapter 8
Dragon has been alone for a long time. How does his problem connect to Minli’s problem?
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Chapter 9
The book includes stories inside the main story. What is one lesson from one of these stories, and how might it help Minli?
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Chapter 10
When Minli faces an obstacle on her journey, how does she use cleverness instead of strength to solve the problem?
Example answer: Minli shows that she does not have to be the biggest or strongest person to solve a problem. She thinks carefully and notices what others want or need. I like that she uses her brain instead of trying to fight. This makes her seem wise for her age and helps her move forward on the journey.
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Chapter 11
What does Dragon add to the journey that Minli could not do alone? What does Minli add that Dragon needs?
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Chapter 12
How does meeting the buffalo boy change the feeling of Minli’s adventure? What does he teach or show her?
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Chapter 13
While Minli is gone, what do Ma and Ba begin to learn or understand about their daughter and themselves?
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Chapter 14
Choose one important word from these chapters, such as fortune, contentment, or gratitude. What does the word mean, and how does it connect to the story?
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Chapter 15
In the City of Bright Moonlight, how do rules or traditions affect Minli’s ability to get help?
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Chapter 16
What does the king’s choice to help Minli show about leadership and kindness?
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Chapter 17
The borrowed line becomes important to the quest. What do you predict Minli will need to do with it?
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Chapter 18
How do danger and fear change what Minli and Dragon learn about courage?
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Chapter 19
How do Da-A-Fu and their village show a different kind of richness than gold or jewels?
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Chapter 20
By this point, how has Minli’s idea of fortune begun to change? Use details from her journey.
Example answer: At first, I think Minli believes fortune mostly means having more money and an easier life. As she travels, she starts to see that friends, kindness, and family are also kinds of fortune. Dragon, the buffalo boy, and other helpers show her that people can be rich in different ways. I think she is beginning to understand that changing her family’s fortune may not only mean finding gold.
More ready-made journals
How to use this Where the Mountain Meets the Moon reading journal
At home, as a discussion guide
After each chapter your reader writes a few lines on that chapter’s question. Read the answer together at bedtime: it shows what they understood and gives you something real to talk about, without a quiz.
In class, as a novel study
Print a class set (booklets fold from plain letter paper) and use one question per chapter as the reading-response or literature-circle prompt. The example answers at the front show what a full answer looks like.
Homeschool
One booklet covers the whole book, 20 chapters, so it doubles as the reading log for Where the Mountain Meets the Moon. Reword any question before printing to match your reader.
Printing
The booklet PDF prints on ordinary 8.5 × 11 paper: print double-sided (flip on the short edge) at 100%, fold the stack in half and staple on the fold. There is also a one-page-per-sheet PDF and A5 binder pages.
Where the questions come from
Each question is about its own chapter. We know this book well. Every question asks about something that happens in its chapter, a moment, a choice or a character, without giving away what comes next. The questions were drafted with AI from what is known about the book and checked before publishing; every one is editable before you print.