Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
by Grace Lin
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin is assigned in US schools at grades 4–7, with a Lexile measure of 810L. It appears across 2 curriculum references and 2 states, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.
This page shows where Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.
- Lexile
- 810L
- Grade range
- Grades 4–7
- Difficulty for grade
- Within the grade 4–5 band (740–1010L)
- Age range
- Ages 8–12
- Pages
- 282
- Reading time
- about 5h 10m (est.)
- First published
- 2009
- Genre
- Middle Grade Fantasy
- ISBN-13
- 9780316038638
Reading difficulty: At 810L, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon falls within the typical 740–1010L text-complexity range for 4th grade (Common Core Appendix A) — a grade-appropriate reading challenge.
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About this book
Minli sets off to find the Old Man of the Moon and change her family's fortune, meeting dragons and folklore figures along the way. Grace Lin's Newbery Honor novel weaves Chinese folktales into an adventure about family, gratitude, and what truly makes a life rich. A common grades 4-7 read.
Why widely assigned
This Middle Grade Fantasy title, reads at middle-grade prose complexity, typically at grades 4–7. Written in the 2000s; pairs with curriculum units on family and folklore; cited across 2 curriculum frameworks.
Where this book is assigned
Garden State Children's Book Award
- recommended·4th grade · New Jerseysource: New Jersey Library Association — Garden State Children's Book Award selections (statewide children's-choice program; students vote, since 1977)
- recommended·5th grade · New Jerseysource: New Jersey Library Association — Garden State Children's Book Award selections (statewide children's-choice program; students vote, since 1977)
- recommended·6th grade · New Jerseysource: New Jersey Library Association — Garden State Children's Book Award selections (statewide children's-choice program; students vote, since 1977)
- recommended·7th grade · New Jerseysource: New Jersey Library Association — Garden State Children's Book Award selections (statewide children's-choice program; students vote, since 1977)
Utah Beehive Book Award (Children's Fiction)
- recommended·4th grade · Utahsource: Children's Literature Association of Utah (CLAU) — Beehive Book Award, Children's Fiction division (student-choice; annual since 1980)
- recommended·5th grade · Utahsource: Children's Literature Association of Utah (CLAU) — Beehive Book Award, Children's Fiction division (student-choice; annual since 1980)
- recommended·6th grade · Utahsource: Children's Literature Association of Utah (CLAU) — Beehive Book Award, Children's Fiction division (student-choice; annual since 1980)
- recommended·7th grade · Utahsource: Children's Literature Association of Utah (CLAU) — Beehive Book Award, Children's Fiction division (student-choice; annual since 1980)
Similar grade-level books
The Diary of a Young GirlAnne Frank · 1080L
The GiverLois Lowry · 760L
The OutsidersS.E. Hinton · 750L
To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee · 870L
See all books like Where the Mountain Meets the Moon→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Common questions
- What grade level is Where the Mountain Meets the Moon?
- Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 4–7, with a Lexile measure of 810L. Specific grade placement varies by curriculum — AP Literature and IB English Literature typically use it in grades 11-12.
- What is the Lexile level of Where the Mountain Meets the Moon?
- Where the Mountain Meets the Moon has a Lexile measure of 810L according to MetaMetrics. Lexile measures text complexity, not content maturity — check the grade range and content notes separately for age-appropriateness.
- How long does it take to read Where the Mountain Meets the Moon?
- It takes about 5h 10m to read Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (282 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 310 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- Is Where the Mountain Meets the Moon hard to read for 4th grade?
- At 810L, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon falls within the typical 740–1010L text-complexity range for 4th grade (Common Core Appendix A) — a grade-appropriate reading challenge. Lexile measures text complexity, not thematic maturity — check the content notes for age-appropriateness separately.
- What curricula assign Where the Mountain Meets the Moon?
- Where the Mountain Meets the Moon appears on reading lists for Garden State Children's Book Award, Utah Beehive Book Award (Children's Fiction). Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Why this book is on this list
Each dimension below is sourced from a public reference. The full framework is documented on the classification standard page.
- Lexile measure
- 810L — sourced from MetaMetrics’ Lexile Hub.
- Grade band
- Grades 4–7 — drawn from state ELA frameworks and AP/IB syllabi citing this book.
- Curriculum alignment
- Cited in 2 curricula on this site (see “Where assigned” above for primary-source links).
- State-level evidence
- Cited in 2 states ELA frameworks or DOE list (see citations above).
- Removal / banning records
- No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
- Seasonal / contextual tags
- Tagged for: book-club.