The Girl Who Drank the Moon summary

Lost and Found

In The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill, we are introduced to the Protectorate, a town where the people are ruled by fear. Every year, they leave a baby in the woods as an offering to the witch, believing it will keep her from destroying their town. However, the truth is far from what they believe. The witch, Xan, is kind-hearted and rescues the abandoned babies, taking them to loving families on the other side of the forest.

One year, Xan accidentally feeds moonlight to a baby girl instead of starlight, filling her with magic. Seeing the child's potential, Xan decides to raise her as her own and names her Luna. Xan knows that Luna's magic will be dangerous if left uncontrolled. To keep her safe, Xan suppresses Luna's magic, creating a magical network that she calls 'the star-path.'

The Unlikely Trio

As the story progresses, we meet Glerk, a gentle and wise swamp monster, and Fyrian, a tiny dragon. These two, along with Xan and Luna, form an unlikely but loving family. Glerk is the town's archivist and Fyrian is a dragon who thinks he's a simply a tiny bird. The four of them live in a cozy home near the forest, peacefully away from the chaos of the Protectorate.

Meanwhile, in the Protectorate, the elders continue to make sacrifices to the witch, unaware that the real danger is their own fear. Antain, a young man in the Protectorate, begins to question the town's customs, and his curiosity leads him to discover the truth about the witch and the yearly sacrifices.

Revelations and Redemption

As Luna grows older, her suppressed magic starts to leak out, causing unexpected events in the Protectorate. Antain, now an elder in the town, also comes to realize the atrocities they have been committing in the name of safety. He starts to question the traditions and seeks to make amends for the wrongs done to the town's people and the babies left in the forest.

When Xan falls ill, Luna's magic, now out of control, causes chaos. In a desperate attempt to save everyone, Luna, Fyrian, Glerk, and Antain journey to the heart of the forest to seek the source of Luna's magic. There, they confront the witch who has been manipulating the town's fears for her own gain.

Confronting the Past

During the confrontation, the witch reveals herself to be the real mother of Luna, having been driven mad by the loss of her child. She had been manipulating the town's fear and sacrificing their babies to keep them safe. However, in the end, she realizes that this was a mistake. She had been trying to protect them from the wrong enemy - their own fear.

With the witch's help, Luna and her friends manage to break the town's fear and the magical network Xan had created. The town's people finally see the truth and start to heal. In a bittersweet ending, Xan, who had been the protector of the town all along, passes away, and Luna takes her place.

Learning and Moving On

In the end, The Girl Who Drank the Moon is a story about the power of love, the dangers of fear, and the importance of questioning what we are told. Luna, with her newfound understanding of her own power and the town's history, becomes the new protector of the Protectorate, ensuring a future free from fear and sacrifices.

The book ends with the town's people learning from their past and moving towards a brighter future, free from the witch's influence and their own fears. Luna, now in control of her magic, offers them hope and a new beginning.