Narrated by Kim Mai Guest
Pinmei is the granddaughter of the storyteller on the mountain, who always has a tale to tell to suit every circumstance. While she knows all the stories very well, Pinmei is quiet, a little mouse, and afraid to be seen, much less speak up.
Until the cruel emperor comes to their mountain and conscripts all the men to build his great wall, and carries off her beloved grandmother. Desperate to save her, Pinmei has to find the Luminous Stone that Lights the Night to trade for her release -- and the stories her grandmother has told all her life might be the clue. Accompanied by her friend, Yishon, she leaves her mountain and learns to speak up and stand up and help others. Magic is right under her nose, within reach of her fingertips, but it takes a young girl made brave by her love for her grandmother to set it free and put it into motion.
I think I just found a new addiction. Grace Lin has other stories, set in Ancient China, and if they're all so deliciously interwoven with Chinese legends and myths, I want more! I have a book of Chinese mythology sitting in my research bookshelf, that I haven't read yet. Guess what I'm going to be opening up and studying soon!
Lovely story. Adventure and peril, and a look into another culture, another history and mythology. Yes, please -- more!
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