The Girl Who Drank the Moon
#1864.11 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 2016 Reading commitment Low by 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.
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? #186 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 119,382 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #186?
Ranked #186 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 4.11 across 1 core book.
- Backed by 119k reader ratings.
- Less than 0.01 behind #185, The Dark Tower (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- 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 #186 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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Suggestions computed from what The Girl Who Drank the Moon and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- At the Back of the North Wind Fairy-tale retelling / Mythic fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.01
- Howl's Moving Castle Fairy-tale retelling / Comic fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.21
- Ella Enchanted Fairy-tale retelling · Complete · Low commitment · 4.02
- Hamster Princess Fairy-tale retelling / Comic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.23
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).