The Girl Who Drank The Moon

By

Kelly Barnhill

A Novel Study
by Nat Reed

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 The Girl Who Drank the Moon
By Kelly Barnhill

Table of Contents

Suggestions and Expectations 3

List of Skills 4

Synopsis / Author Biography 5

Student Checklist 6

Reproducible Student Booklet 7

Answer Key 83

About the author: Nat Reed was a member of the teaching profession for more than 35
years. He was a full-time instructor at Trent University in the Teacher Education Program
for nine years. For more information on his work and literature, visit novelstudies.org.

Copyright © 2018 Nat Reed

Revisions Completed in 2021
All rights reserved by author.
Permission to copy for single classroom use only.
Electronic distribution limited to single classroom use only.
Not for public display.

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 The Girl Who Drank the Moon
By Kelly Barnhill

Suggestions and Expectations

This curriculum unit can be used in a variety of ways. Each chapter of the novel study
focuses on four chapters of The Girl Who Drank the Moon and is comprised of the following
different activities:

1. Before You Read

2. Vocabulary Building
3. Comprehension Questions
4. Language and Extension Activities

A portfolio cover (p.7) as well as a Checklist (p.6) are included so that students may track of
their completed work.

Every activity need not be completed by all students.

Links with the Common Core Standards (U.S.)

Many of the activities included in this curriculum unit are supported by the Common Core
Standards. For instance the Reading Standards for Literature, Grade 5, makes reference to

a) determining the meaning of words and phrases. . . including figurative language;

b) explaining how a series of chapters fits together to provide the overall structure;
c) compare and contrast two characters;
d) determine how characters … respond to challenges;
e) drawing inferences from the text;
f) determining a theme of a story . . . and many others.

Themes which may be taught in conjunction with the novel include witches, dragons and
magic, courage and persistence, memories, sorrow, loyalty and friendship.

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 The Girl Who Drank the Moon
By Kelly Barnhill
List of Skills

Vocabulary Development

1. Locating descriptive words/phrases 6. Identify anagrams

2. Listing synonyms/homophones 7. Listing compound words
3. Identifying / creating alliteration 8. Identifying parts of speech
4. Use of capitals and punctuation 9. Identify personification.
5. Identifying syllables 10. Identification of root words

Setting Activities

1. Summarize the details of a setting

Plot Activities

1. Complete a time line of events 4. Complete a Plot Outline

2. Identify conflict in the story 5. Identify the climax of the novel.
3. Complete Five W's Chart

Character Activities

1. Determine character traits 3. Relating personal experiences

2. Identify the protagonist/antagonist 4. Compare characters

Creative and Critical Thinking

1. Research 6. Write about personal feelings

2. Write a newspaper story 7. Write a book review
3. Participate in a talk show 8. Complete an Observation Chart
4. Conduct an interview 9. Complete a KWS Chart
5. Create a poem 10. Create a friendly letter.

Art Activities

1. A Storyboard 3. Design a cover for the novel

2. Create a collage 4. Create a comic strip

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 The Girl Who Drank the Moon
By Kelly Barnhill

Synopsis

Every year, the people of the Protectorate leave a baby as an offering to the witch
who lives in the forest. They hope this sacrifice will keep her from terrorizing their town. But
the witch in the forest, Xan, is kind and gentle. She shares her home with a wise Swamp
Monster named Glerk and a Perfectly Tiny Dragon, Fyrian. Xan rescues the abandoned
children and delivers them to welcoming families on the other side of the forest, nourishing
the babies with starlight on the journey.
One year, Xan accidentally feeds a baby moonlight instead of starlight, filling the
ordinary child with extraordinary magic. Xan decides she must raise this enmagicked girl,
whom she calls Luna, as her own. To keep young Luna safe from her own unwieldy power,
Xan locks her magic deep inside her. When Luna approaches her thirteenth birthday, her
magic begins to emerge on schedule–but Xan is far away. Meanwhile, a young man from the
Protectorate is determined to free his people by killing the witch. Soon, it is up to Luna to
protect those who have protected her–even if it means the end of the loving, safe world
she’s always known. [Courtesy of Algonquin Young Readers]

Author Biography
Kelly Barnhill

Kelly Barnhill lives in Minnesota with her husband

and three children. She is the author of four novels,
most recently, The Girl Who Drank the Moon, winner of
the Newbery Medal. The Witch’s Boy received four
starred reviews and was a finalist for the Minnesota
Book Awards. Kelly Barnhill has been awarded writing
fellowships from the Jerome Foundation, the Minnesota
State Arts Board, and the McKnight Foundation.

Visit her online at https://kellybarnhill.wordpress.com

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 The Girl Who Drank the Moon
By Kelly Barnhill

Student Checklist

Student Name

Assignment Grade / Level Comments

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 The Girl Who Drank The Moon

By Kelly Barnhill

Name:

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 The Girl Who Drank the Moon
By Kelly Barnhill
Chapters 1-4

Before you read the chapter:

The protagonist in most novels features the main character or “good guy”. The main
character of The Girl Who Drank the Moon is Luna, who begins the story as an enmagicked
baby whose custodian is an ancient witch. It is very important for the main character of a
story to be appealing in some way, and be able to hold the reader's interest. What is one
book (or movie) that you have read or seen which features an unforgettable protagonist?
What was it about this character that made him/her so memorable?

Vocabulary:
Choose a word from the list to complete each sentence.

somber inexplicable bereavement precedent

implacable decrepit perpetrated bulbous

1. The old woman's _________________ lasted seven years following her husband's death.

2. Who do you think it was who first __________________ that ugly rumor?

3. Everyone was in a most _________________ mood after learning of the mining disaster.

4. Allowing Martie to go to the party will set a dangerous _________________.

5. Despite spilling the coffee all over himself, Roger remained completely _____________.

6. Old Mister Cooper was the most _______________ person the children had ever seen.

7. You will recognize the mayor by his red, _________________ nose.

8. How he escaped the fire unscathed is quite _________________.

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 Questions

1. What is the setting of the story at the beginning of Chapter Two?

2. Between what two geographical features was the City of Sorrows sandwiched? From
which of these two did most of the community's inhabitants derive their income?

3. The Grand Elder's nephew was named _____________, who was ______ years old. His
official position was _________________________.

4. What traumatic event occurred on the Day of Sacrifice? How was this year different
than past Days of Sacrifice?

5. Where was the baby's mother removed to? Who would be in charge of the woman's
care from then on?

6. What facts are revealed in Chapter Two which prove that the Elders are quite evil?

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 7. Match the character on the left with the correct description.

a. Glerk 1. Decrepit
b. Xan 2. Enmagicked.
c. Gherland 3. Perfectly Tiny Dragon.
d. Raspin 4. Trainee.
e. Antain 5. Monster.
f. Fyrian 6. Grand.
g. Luna 7. Witch.

8. Describe your impression of Xan (both appearance and personality). Do you think you
would enjoy having her for a neighbor? Why or why not?

9. Record three adjectives or short phrases to describe the personalities of Glerk and
Fyrian.

Glerk
Fyrian

10. Why did Xan take the babies which were left in the forest? Where did she take
them?

11. Describe how the child had become enmagicked. Why might it have been possible
tha Xan allowed this to happen on purpose?

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 Language Activities

A. Personification is giving human qualities to something that is not human. The following
is an example from Chapter Three: … the facts of the matter were as clear as the moon sitting
brightly on the tops of the trees.

Describe how the moon is personified in this sentence.

Create your own example of personification.

As you continue to read through the novel be on the lookout for other examples of this
literary device. If you should find one, come back to this question and enter it below.

B. Many authors enjoy using alliteration – a literary device where the

author repeats the same sound at the beginning of several words. Here is
such an example from Chapter One: … slid the baby back into the sling...

Using your imagination, create your own examples of alliteration from the
following topics. Each example must contain a minimum of three words.

The light of a
full moon.

A witch.

Your choice.

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C. Anagrams
An anagram is a word that is formed by changing the order of the letters
of another word. For example, the letters in the word WAS can also form
the word SAW. Follow these directions to form the anagrams:

a) read the clue in the right-hand column.

b) Using the word in the left-hand column move the letters around in any order, but you
must use all the letters. All of the words in the left-hand column can be found in the first
chapter of The Girl Who Drank the Moon.

Word Anagram Clue

earth One who despises.
unable A cloud of dust and gas in outer space.
forest Not as rigid.
castle Part of the sole of an athlete's shoe.
dream ___ and dangerous.
slower Moves in a downward direction.
smile Fruit.

D. Cliffhanger
Chapter Two contains an important literary device called a cliffhanger. A
cliffhanger usually occurs at the end of a chapter when the author leaves
the reader in suspense. How is this true in Chapter Two? Why do you think
the author ended the chapter this way?

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E. Sequence Chart
Choose what you consider to be the six most important events in these chapters. In each of
the six boxes below list the six events that you have chosen, describing what happened and
telling why you consider this to be an essential part of the story.

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F. 5 Ws and an H.
Choose an event from this section that you thought was really important and/or exciting.
Using facts that you gleaned from reading about this event, fill in the balloons below,
summarizing what you learned.

WHO? WHAT?

WHERE?
WHEN?

HOW?
WHY?

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 Extension Activity

A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words

Use the three boxes to describe and illustrate the beginning, middle and end
of the 2nd chapter.

Beginning Picture: Beginning:

Middle Picture: Middle:

Concluding Picture: Concluding:

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