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Book Review of Walk Two Moons

Walk Two Moons
cathyskye avatar reviewed on + 2261 more book reviews


First Line: Gramps says that I am a country girl at heart, and that is true.

Salamanca Tree Hiddle's grandparents have agreed to take her on a cross-country trip to Idaho to see her mother. About a year ago, Sal's mother left their farm in Kentucky, telling everyone she needed to find herself. For a while, Sal received postcards from her mother, but when they stopped arriving it's as if Sal's life has been put on hold.

She hates her new life in Ohio, and hasn't made many friends in school. She certainly doesn't like her father's new friend, Mrs. Margaret Cadaver! As she and her grandparents set out on the trip to Idaho, the old couple ask Sal to tell them stories. The stories Sal tells are about her classmate, Phoebe Winterbottom, and it's strange, but as Sal talks about Phoebe and her family not only do things become clearer about her friend...they become clearer about herself and her own family.

Sal's voice is so winning in Walk Two Moons that I could sit and listen to her tell an endless number of stories. She tells the truth even when she puts herself in a bad light. By the time Sal and her grandparents reach Idaho, the young girl's going to have some growing up to do, but after reading this book, I know she's going to be just fine.

Walk Two Moons won the Newbery Medal in 1995. In my experience, it's the only book award that hasn't steered me wrong. If you're in the mood for a fast-paced book about love, loss and the complexity of human emotions and relationships, please read Sharon Creech's moving book. Sal's a very special young girl.