The Girl Who Drank the Moon
#2054.11 in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 2016 Reading commitment Low Kelly Barnhill Last reviewed 2026-08-26
Overview
A standalone middle-grade fantasy in which a witch accidentally fills an abandoned baby with moonlight and raises her as her own granddaughter, while the girl's home town remains convinced the witch demands a yearly child sacrifice. In Kelly Barnhill's 2016 novel The Girl Who Drank the Moon, the witch Xan raises the enmoonened child, Luna, alongside a small dragon and a swamp monster, and must find a way to help her control her growing magical abilities before they become dangerous on her thirteenth birthday, even as the truth behind the town's yearly sacrifice slowly comes to light. The novel won the 2017 Newbery Medal, an honor its author has said surprised her, and drew strongly positive reviews; Common Sense Media gave it a full five stars, and The New York Times praised its ability to impart lasting lessons through an engaging, accessible middle-grade narrative.
Fairy-tale retelling · For Middle grade
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
The Girl Who Drank the Moon (2016) core · 4.11 (119,382 ratings); A standalone middle-grade fantasy: a witch accidentally enchants an abandoned baby with moonlight and raises her as her own, while a nearby town remains convinced the witch demands a yearly child sacrifice.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Girl Who Drank the Moon? The Girl Who Drank the Moon's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is The Girl Who Drank the Moon finished? Complete (2016).
- How much reading does The Girl Who Drank the Moon take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book · ~388 pages).
- How is The Girl Who Drank the Moon ranked? #205 in this site's official ranking, based on 119,382 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #205?
Ranked #205 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.11 across 1 core book.
- Backed by 119k reader ratings.
- 0.01 behind #204, Bridei Chronicles.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
- A single standalone novel: ranked on that one book alone.
Why explore this universe?
Highly rated · 1 book · Complete · 119k ratings · Ranks #205 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment fairy-tale retelling fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- Newbery Medal, 2017: won: The Girl Who Drank the Moon
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.11 across 119,382 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: The Girl Who Drank the Moon admitted as a standalone novel accepted 2026-08-26
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-08-26
Rule: Core Canon is the single standalone novel (2016).