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Walk Two Moons Review
Young Adult Edition with Reader's Guide "Sometimes you know in your heart you love someone, but you have to go away before your head can figure it out." To trace the path of her missing mother, Sal embarks on a journey from Ohio to Idaho with her grandparents. On the road, Sal tells the strange and exciting story of her friend Phoebe. As the miles pass, Phoebe's tale becomes more and more outrageous, while Sal's own story begins to emerge. In unraveling Phoebe's mystery, Sal comes ever closer to finding out the truth behind her own bittersweet journey. What will she find at the end of the road? User Submitted Walk Two Moons ReviewsNovember 24, 2008 Amazing Being a child I loved her story about Phoebe, Ben, Mrs.Cadaver, and her trip to Lewiston, Idaho. I almost cried at the end of the story when Sal visits her mother's grave and when Gram dies. August 19, 2008 Deep, Funny, Easy-to-Read This book was on my son's summer reading list, and I had to take a look. I was impressed with all that was packed into this book in a way that pre-adolescents can absorb and understand. Although the topics were tough -- a mother who leaves her young daughter as she searches for herself, and a grandparent's death, among others -- Creech treated the subjects with a fair amount of humor. This book reminded me of "Where the Heart Is" by Billie Letts. Very enjoyable, well-written, and funny -- with a lot of meat for discussion. August 1, 2008 Walk Two Moons Never judge a book solely on its cover. Wait until you read it. When the guy in ratty clothes drives by in a junk pile on wheels, don't assume he's poor. He may be the richest man in town. When it takes that socially awkward student in your class extra time to coherently put words together or complete an assignment, don't assume he's "learning disabled." He may have the most creative mind in your room. And when the single, redheaded woman who lives next door and keeps to herself, begins acting friendly and goes out of her way to be kind to you, don't assume she's an ax wielding murderer with something to hide. She may just care about you. This is a lesson that Salamanca Tree Hiddle learns all too well, in Sharon Creech's amazing Newbery Medal Winner, Walk Two Moons. Sugar Hiddle left her home, husband, and daughter in Bybanks, Kentucky and set out by bus to Lewiston, Idaho without any real explanation and never returned. So Sal, Sugar's 13 year-old daughter, embarks on a cross-country trip with her grandparents to track her mother down and bring her home. Along the journey, Sal entertains her grandparents by telling them the story of her friend, Phoebe Winterbottom, whose story begins to weave itself around Sal's own tale. Like Sal, Phoebe has a mother with plenty of questions on her mind and like Sal, there are some hard truths to life that Phoebe will need to learn how to face. The first time I finished this book, I was at a loss for words. I wondered how Sharon Creech managed to tackle such adult themes in such a kid-friendly book, because there are plenty of them scattered throughout these pages. The whole idea of writing a story for children about a woman who packs up her things and leaves her loving husband and caring daughter for no apparent reason, could be a dangerous path to tread along for a children's author. Think of the fear you could instill in your young readers. "What if MY mother left me without explaining why?" Add to this the possibility of infidelity (because I do believe that Creech KNOWS her readers are going to go there) and you have the ingredients for an extremely heavy, thought-provoking, and scary novel. However, Creech pulls this off impeccably by trusting that her children readers are able to handle the assumptions they will make through the course of reading this book. And parents remember, don't judge a book by its cover, or at least until you've read it. That's the point Creech is trying to hammer home. There's more to this story than what first meets the eye. Much more. Creech takes the Native American proverb, "Never judge a man until you've walked two moons in his moccasins" and lets it resonate throughout her novel. To truly understand and appreciate the intricate layers to Walk Two Moons, you need to be aware of this. It's this proverb that I feel, drives every decision Creech made when telling Sal and Phoebe's stories. It's this lesson that carries the plot. Which brings me to something I have to discuss but wish to do so carefully . . . the "surprise" ending. My intention is not to give away too much of the story, (although by discussing it, I hope to entice you enough to pick up a copy for yourself) but to address a very popular critique of this novel and defend Creech's work. Many negative reviews of this novel claim that Creech "tricks" her readers with her ending and in doing so, loses some credibility in the unique "story within a story" method she's chosen to write with. I could not find this to be any farther from the truth. It is absolutely necessary that Creech "trick" the reader the way she does in order to really give her true message it's meaning. Without this ending, the book would fail to live up to it's own title. In my opinion, Walk Two Moons is nearly flawless. It is one of the most engaging books I have ever read, and is a story that can affect so many people on so many different levels. It sounds cliché to say, but there really is something for everyone. There's mystery, (who is leaving the Winterbottom secret notes), there's suspense, (who is the Stranger), there's love, (will Sal and Ben become "more than" friends), and there's drama, (why did Sal's mom really leave Bybanks). Even reluctant readers in my 5th grade classroom poured over its pages, asking questions and searching for answers. It doesn't matter the grade, it doesn't matter your age, Sharon Creech's message will speak to anyone. Open your mind, open your heart, and let Salamanca Tree Hiddle settle inside to tell you the story of her mother, her friend, and her journey. July 6, 2008 One of my favorites This book is one of those pieces of fiction that really had an impact on my life and I'm not even sure why. I've read other stuff by Sharon Creech, and while they are excellent, none of them have touched me quite like this story. Basically, it is about a girl who is on a cross-country road trip with her grandparents. But as the story is told, we find out more about our dear Sal and her life and why she is the way she is. It's funny, insightful, and heartbreaking. Creech's writing is smooth, charming, and utterly fantastic. May 22, 2008 A book you'll never be albe to put down The book Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech is and unforgettable book about a child, Salamance Tree Hiddle, (Sal for short) who is traveling with her grandparents around. She starts to tell a story, but instead of some random story, she unravels her own. The story was about a 13 year old girl named Phoebe who was on a mission to find her missing mother. This book is heart-warming and filled with many different emotions. Don't get mad at the books slow start, because this book turns out to be one of my favorite Sharon Creech books. This book is full of mysteries, suspense, laughter, and sadness. It even shows love, here is a quote from the book, "Don't judge a man until you walk two moons in his moccasins." I thought about this and realize that you can't judge a book by its cover either. I almost didn't read this because of it and look I turned out loving it! This book may make you put yourself in Sal's shoe and realize, life isn't always great. I recommend this book to all those who love books that they can not put down. I hope this helped you decide if you want to read it or not. May 21, 2008 AWESOME! I read this in college and it took a long time to get used to the style of writing. The author organized this book using flashbacks and present story telling which at first it was hard to follow, but quickly became what made the book so good. It was hooked on the storyline of Phoebe and how her storyline would eventually tie Sal's story together. I recommend this book to any age reader and I suggest Absolutely Normal Chaos by the same author, many of the characters are the same. April 22, 2008 Best book I've ever read. This book was incredible. It will keep you captiviated and at the end you will cry. Very touching story that will stick with you beyond your reading of the book. I will most definately recommend this book as a must read to all my girlfriends and my daughter. April 22, 2008 Disappointing I found the narrator on this one a bit annoying, and I'm sure it colored my opinion of the book. While I was listening to her, I kept thinking 'I wouldn't emphasize it that way' and 'that seemed a weird way to read that'. And a few of her character voices were just plain annoying. Especially given the dialogue pattern, which included such charming phrases as 'gooseberry', 'jing-bang', 'thumpin', 'gosh-dang', 'chickabiddy', and 'huzzah-huzzah'. The storyline itself was a bit on the predictable and slow-moving side. I realize it's a kids' book, but still, it lacked a little something. The spark of creativity, uniqueness, fun - something. It simply failed to capture my attention, and combined with the off-putting narration I was a little hard pressed to finish it. There were also parts of the story that left me wondering when it was set. Did I miss a date? It seemed far too old-fashioned in some aspects, but others were very modern, so the tone seemed inconsistent. The shame of Mrs. Winterbottom seemed blown terribly out of proportion, and Phoebe got downright annoying. A lot of it read like an idea that just wasn't thought all the way through. And to top it off, Mrs. Cadaver? Really? I thought that was just too weird. April 12, 2008 Best Read Aloud I have read this aloud to my students every year for the past 11 years. I cannot praise this book enough. Walk Two Moons has everything you would ever want in a book: humor, sorrow, wisdom, suspense, mystery, a surprise ending, unforgettable characters, and just good story-telling. My favorite part about this book is the characters. Sharon Creech has definitely succeeded in creating an amazing read aloud for any teacher or parent who likes to "get into" the roles of the characters. April 9, 2008 Walk Two Moons Walk two Moons By Sharon Creech This is one of Sharon Creech's best books; it tells a story about a thirteen year old girl named Sal. She's lost her her mom but plans to get her back. She travels from Kentucky to Oregon in order to find her missing mom before her birthday. While talking with her grandma and grandpa as the road trip takes place, she starts telling Phoebe Winterbottom's story. The story of Phoebe Winterbottom talks about how Sal and Phoebe have an adventure as they try to figure out the problems that occur. Sal talks about the story of Phoebe Winterbottom, but while this is happening there still lays the story of Sal, as she deals with her own problems and tries to figure out what has happened with her mother. This book will keep you on your feet with all the twists and turns. The ending will catch you by surprise; you'll be mad at the end just because the book is over and the adventures are over. You'll probably even need to read it again to catch all the details. It seems like this book tells two stories at once and still they both are exciting and dramatic. The saying Sharon Creech uses on the front cover fits perfectly with the story, "Don't judge a man until you walk two moons in his moccasins." This is a great realistic fiction book that will catch anybody's interest. I would recommend this book to 3rd grade and up. By Molly Morein For more Walk Two Moons reviews click here.
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