When the Sea Turned to Silver by Grace Lin

Pinmei is a shy little mouse of a girl who lives with her grandmother, the storyteller. When the evil emperor kidnaps Pinmei's grandmother Pinmei must overcome her shyness and embark on a quest to get her grandmother back.  As she does she slowly begins to realize that the legendary stories her grandmother told her are based on reality and her best friend, Yishan, is more than he seems.

This is the third a series that began with Where the Mountain Meets the Moon.  Like the others this one can stand alone, but readers of the other stories will recognize characters and events that happened in the earlier books that are now legends in this book.  Lin uses a lot of Chinese folktales in her books and it is amazing how she weaves the stories with her plot so the reader discovers they are all interconnected in the end. This is another book that is on our Newbery List.  I wouldn't be disappointed if it wins, but I would be surprised.  It is a little slow moving, and it is very much like the others in the series. Although it is certainly a great book, does not stand out enough to be "the most distinguished" book of the year. (370 p.)