Description: Fifteen-year-old Jasmine lives in a world of reverie with her eccentric mother, but when a family secret unfolds, she must decide whether to stay in her fantasy world or face the truth.
Review Quotes: Praise for Sunlight Playing over a Mountain
A PADIBA Commended Book "Li Bi's hypnotic writing blurs myth and reality, capturing Jasmine's inner turmoil as she grapples with her mother's neglect and the harsh truth of their circumstances . . . A book about the myths we weave to survive, the pain of seeing those myths unravel, and the strength it takes to pick up the broken shards and rebuild our story."--TeenTix "Selina Li Bi has invited readers into her enchanted yet down-to-earth world in this fresh, original coming-of-age story."
--BookTrib "A magical debut!"
--AudioFile Magazine "An extraordinary coming-of-age tale . . . [that] will keep readers turning the pages for answers. Highly recommended, especially for those who grew up in a less-than-magical world."
--School Library Journal, Starred Review "The emotional impact of Jasmine's struggle to act as her mother's caretaker is viscerally conveyed without overly dramatizing or romanticizing the situation . . . With narrative priority placed on Jasmine's emotional journey, this is a realistic depiction of parentification that readers will find to be either validating or eye-opening."
--Booklist "Jasmine contends with racism, the prospect of foster care, first love, and complicated feelings surrounding her mother's condition, circumstances which Li Bi depicts in dreamlike, Chinese mythology-tinged prose."
--Publishers Weekly "Intriguing . . . Bi's young adult debut presents original depictions of mental illness that are suffused with Chinese myth and Filipino folklore. Both Jasmine and her mother walk a fine line between fantasy and reality."
--Kirkus Reviews