The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill

Well-deserving of the 2017 Newbery Medal, The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill (Lexile: 640; Interest Level: Grades 3-7) tells a beautiful story of what is versus what could be and makes the reader think about things from multiple perspectives.

Once a year the people of the Protectorate have a Day of Sacrifice, in which the youngest child among them must be taken and left to die in a circle of sycamores in the wood.  It is said that this is to appease the Witch who has demanded this sacrifice to keep the people safe.

Once a year, a witch comes down from the top of the mountain to find a baby abandoned in a grove of sycamores.  She doesn't know why this happens, but she rescues the child and takes it to the Free Cities and finds a loving family to raise it.

Then comes Luna.  A beautiful baby who is so loved by her mother that she must be torn away from her mother's arms for the Sacrifice.  So enthralled is the Witch that she accidentally feeds the child moonlight, effectively imbuing her with magic.  Xan (the witch) chooses to keep and raise Luna as her granddaughter.

Antain is just a boy when he goes with the Elders to retrieve the child on the Day of Sacrifice, but the heartache of the mother never leaves his mind.  He cannot grow to be an Elder, but he has no idea what the future may have in store for him.

To see how the lives of these characters intertwine, you should definitely read The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill. (388 p.)

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