When the Sea Turned to Silver

Written by Grace Lin

Narrated by Kim Mai Guest

This breathtaking, full-color illustrated fantasy is inspired by Chinese folklore, and is a companion to the Newbery Honor winner Where the Mountain Meets the Moon.

Pinmei's gentle, loving grandmother always has the most thrilling tales for her granddaughter and the other villagers. However, the peace is shattered one night when soldiers of the Emperor arrive and kidnap the storyteller.

Everyone knows that the Emperor wants something called the Luminous Stone That Lights the Night. Determined to have her grandmother returned, Pinmei embarks on a journey to find the Luminous Stone alongside her friend Yishan, a mysterious boy who seems to have his own secrets to hide. Together, the two must face obstacles usually found only in legends to find the Luminous Stone and save Pinmei's grandmother--before it's too late.

A fast-paced adventure that is extraordinarily written and beautifully illustrated, When the Sea Turned to Silver is a masterpiece companion novel to Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and Starry River of the Sky.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hachette Audio
• Release date: Oct 4, 2016
• ISBN: 9781478912545

Grace Lin

Grace Lin is a New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of picture books, early readers and middle grade novels. Lin's novels Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and Dumpling Days both received Newbery Honors, and her early reader Ling and Ting received the Theodor Geisel Honor. The cover illustration for her novel When the Sea Turned Silver (a National Book Award Finalist) was displayed at the White House, where Lin was recognized as a Champion of Change for Asian American and Pacific Islander Art and Storytelling. Many of Lin's books are about the Asian-American experience because she believes, "Books erase bias, they make the uncommon everyday, and the mundane exotic. A book makes all cultures universal."

[livingtech_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A wonderful conclusion to the series.

[shelbycassie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read this book as soon as it came out. So worth the wait.

[dknight0918 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway. I really enjoyed this book. I liked the journey it took me on and all of the stories within the book. I will definitely read Lin's other books.

[rjrubylou · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Summary: Pinmei's peaceful life is shattered when the Emperor kidnaps Amah, Pinmei's grandmother. Amah is the "storyteller" and Pinmei goes out with Yishan, an interesting boy from her village, to rescue her grandmother. Pinmei faces many obstacles and begins to tell the stories that she learned from her grandmother along the way. She grows in her abilities and survives and lives through the multiple obstacles through the stories she tells along the way. She will do all that she can to rescue her grandmother from the tyrannical tiger Emperor.
Personal Response: I picked up this book because I absolutely loved Grace Lin's "Where the Mountain meets the Moon." I found myself confused in the telling of the tale, however, in this book. It was difficult to follow, and I kept feeling like I needed to go back and reread sections, because I thought I was missing something. I read late at night, and so I attributed that to feeling tired, but that feeling never went away. I don't feel that I can adequately summarize this book because of that. I appreciated the multiple points of view written from the perspective of different characters in many of the chapters, and I liked the post-modern feel of this book mixed with the ancient Chinese tales woven throughout.
Curriculum Connection: I used this book as an example of writing a book review to publish online with my fifth grade students this week. We talked about what needed to be included in a book review to "hook" your reader. When we write reviews we either want to convince our audience to read the book, or steer them clear of a book that they should not waste their time on. But what do we do with those books (such as this one) where we appreciate its literary qualities, yet struggle with the overall story? It was a very successful example, and the kids were able to write well-written reviews of their own chosen books.

[brangwinn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I’ve read all three of Lin’s wonderful fantasy Chinese fairy tales—or are they more fables because they all have a moral. She writes an engaging story that even keeps an adult up reading to find out what happens to the characters in the books. In fact, Lin’s trilogy is sort of like reading Harry Potter. Although they are stand-alone books, once you reach the end, it’s worth reading over, now that you know what’s going to happen, you can think more about the stories told by the storyteller in When the Sea Turned to Silver and how they impact the story. The afterword by the author telling how she created them and the importance in certain Chinese numbers only adds to the appeal of the books.

[mcintorino-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I had a hard time sticking to this book. I think I should not have put it down, but read it all in one sitting. I was not entranced by the storyline. I did however enjoy reading the Chinese folk tales. I also admired the message of the story. That is, stories can bring immortality to the writer and the teller.

This title would be good in a multicultural folktale unit. It would be well suited to a fantasy unit as well. I would recommend this to readers interested in tales of dragons and other fantastic creatures. I would also recommend this to readers who like fantasy and adventure stories.

[electrascaife · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An evil emperor with a secret past, a grandmother/storyteller who also has secrets, a granddaughter with more within her than she guesses, a friend who can't always remember his past, horses that are really dragons, gods walking among mortals, and beautiful stories within beautiful stories. Highly recommended.

[st5croixsue · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This would make a really nice read-aloud for middle grade kids.

[salsabrarian · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Narrated by Kim Mai Guest. It's a little confusing in audio to track all the stories that Pinmei and her storyteller grandmother tell and how they weave into the whole (not to mention the connections to Lin's previous two titles). For me this may be easier to digest in print. However, Guest performs with a storyteller's mien, hypnotic and engaging during the folktale segments. She distinctly voices the range of characters, from shy Pinmei to the pompous Emperor. It's not necessary to have read "Where the Mountain Meets the Moon" or "Starry River of the Sky," but they likely enrich reading this title.