Starry River of the Sky

A fantasy novel steeped in Chinese folklore, Starry River of the Sky is written by Grace Lin and follows a boy’s emotional journey through hatred, anger, fear, and forgiveness. The novel was a 2013 ALA Notable book, and it has also appeared on several acclaimed booklists, including Publisher’s Weekly Best Books (2012) and CCBC Choices (2013). Starry River of the Sky is a companion book to Lin’s 2009 novel, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon.

Grace Lin is the author of over 10 books for middle grade and early-reader age groups, and she has also penned many picture books for children. Most of her stories draw inspiration from her family and her Chinese heritage. She attended the Rhode Island School of Design, which helped to drive her desire to publish children’s books and led to her debut story, Ugly Vegetables, in 1999. Since then, Lin has penned award-winning stories and has become a well-known diversity advocate through such channels as PBS and New England Public Radio. In 2022, Grace was awarded the Children’s Literature Legacy Award by the American Library Association; this honor is bestowed upon authors who make a lasting contribution to children’s literature.

This guide follows the 2014 Little Brown Books for Young Readers first e-book edition of Starry River of the Sky.

Plot Summary

Starry River of the Sky tells the story of Rendi, a boy from a rich family who runs away after realizing his father cares more about his possessions than his family. After many weeks of travel, Rendi is discovered in the back of a merchant’s wagon and left at an inn in a run-down village, where he takes up the former duties of the innkeeper’s son, who also ran away. At first, Rendi is bitter and angry, treating the innkeeper and his daughter Peiyi poorly and waiting for an opportunity to leave. Things change with the arrival of Madam Chang, an ethereal woman who brings a sense of peace, as well as an endless supply of stories.

As Rendi spends more time at the inn and listens to Madam Chang’s stories, he begins to consider his past and his father and starts to question what he is truly searching for. In addition, the moon has not appeared in the sky for many nights, and Rendi seems to be the only one who has noticed its absence. He also notices strange moans coming from the moonless sky. The others at the inn notice that Rendi never smiles, so Madam Chang proposes a deal—if she can make Rendi laugh with one of her stories, he must tell a tale for each of hers. Rendi agrees, knowing that he won’t smile, but he does end up laughing. Although he was planning to run away from the inn, he now feels obligated to stay, because after laughing at Madam Chang’s story, he has a deal to fulfill.

Rendi tells stories about his home, painting his father as a cruel man, his sister as a wonderful sibling, and his mother as duty-bound to her husband. Though the others are unaware of it, Madam Chang is really the Moon Lady; she fell from the sky after the nearby mountain spirit that props her up in the heavens moved his mountain, leaving only a great range of flat stone. Madam Chang’s tales of old myths are actually her own history, and she weaves clues throughout the retellings to help Rendi understand the moans he hears from the moonless sky and to help him learn what he must do return the sky to normal.

After nearly being kidnapped by traders who want to ransom Rendi to his wealthy father, Rendi realizes how selfish he has been while the villagers have been nothing but kind. Heeding Madam Chang’s advice to help the sky, he ventures into the night toward the moaning sound and finds a giant glowing toad in a cave on a mystical-looking island. Rendi offers the toad some wine, and the animal burps up the moon before turning back into the innkeeper’s missing son.

The moon is left near the island in the care of an eccentric older gentleman who frequents the inn. Reunited with his family, the innkeeper’s son decides that the king will know how to fix the moon and resolves to journey to the city. Peiyi is upset that her brother plans to leave again, but Madam Chang assures her that he will not leave, and that all will be well by the following night. The next day, Madam Chang is gone, and when Rendi returns to check on the moon, both it and its guardian have vanished as well. He suddenly realizes who Madam Chang is and rushes to make sure that the villagers are not on the flat slab of stone. Soon, the mountain returns to prop the moon up in the sky again. Knowing that Madam Chang is finally home, Rendi leaves the inn, determined to make things right with his father.