Creech, Sharon. Walk Two Moons. New York: Harper Trophy, 1996. Print.
Age Range: Ages 9 and up
Source: Newbery Medal, 1995
Assessment of the book’s quality: The book unique in that it has two plots combines: it is a story inside a story
Assessment of the book’s potential use: The book can be used for independent, leisure reading. It can also be used in a classroom for book report, character and plot analysis projects.
Assessment of the book’s child appeal: This book will appeal children with interests in realistic novels.
Summary:
The plot of Walk Two Moons is very interesting based on real life problems and experiences, with a wonderful balance of humor and sadness and is a poignant and compelling story about danger, mystery, death, teenage love, and teachers with sometimes thoughtless assignments (when assigning students to write journals and reading out loud from those journals in front of the whole class). The story is about a thirteen-year-old ordinary girl named Salamanca Tree Hiddle, who gets on a journey from Ohio to Kentucky in search of her mother, whose absence has turned the girl’s life upside down. The story begins with Sal’s emotionally painful move from their farm and house in Bybanks, Kentucky to a new house in Euclid, Ohio, which is a “little white house with a miniature patch of green grass in front of it” with a “tiny living room” and a “miniature kitchen”, “pint-sized and pocket sized bedrooms”, and a “tall wooden fence around the yard” (p.10). It is here that she meets and befriends Phoebe Winterbottom, whose story helps her discover and understand her own. Her grandparents decide to take her on a six day, two thousand mile trip from Euclid, Ohio to Lewiston, Idaho to visit her mother, “who was resting peacefully” there, and during this time Sal tells them the story of her friend Phoebe whose mother has left unexpectedly and suddenly (p.5). This interweaving story of two girls with missing mothers runs parallel throughout the book, with mysteries to be only discovered at the end of the story. In this story the reader not only sees painfully realistic reactions of these children to their parent’s leave and absence but they also are given the opportunity to see families that are rock solid in their love and devotion, such as Sal's grandparents that are taking the trip to Idaho with her and Sal’s friend Mary Lou’s family, which is cheerful, noisy, disorderly with lots of children and non-matching plates, but always affectionate and welcoming.
Reaction and Impressions:
The book is a pleasure to read because its author has a unique and balanced style of incorporating humor into her writing which makes the reading fun and engaged for young readers. In addition, has short chapters, simple and not sophisticated vocabulary and simple sentence structure. The short chapters are especially convenient and contagious inviting to continue reading. There is also the incorporation of strong folkloric elements and idioms used in the book characteristic to that part of the country. Another unique characteristic of the book is that it is written in the first person narrative in Sal’s voice and has the use of story within the story, which is meant to reveal different layers of understanding.
The novel also has several important themes that run through the story, one of which is the error of prejudging, and another is the maturation process as a journey. This theme is overtly expressed by the repetitive quote in the story “Don't judge a man until you've walked two moons in his moccasins." This is without a doubt an unforgettable theme and a life-long lesson.
"[This] engaging story of love and loss, told with humor and suspense...[is] a richly layered novel about real and metaphorical journeys."_ School Library Journal.
"The struggle of thirteen year old Salamance (Sal) to understand and deal with her mother's disappearance unfolds while on a cross-country trip with her eccentric grandparents. Sal tells them the story of her friend Phoebe whose mother has also left home, but in reality it is her own story. A funny, mysterious, and touching novel. Newbery Award winner."_Children's Literature
"The book is packed with humor and affection and is an odyssey of unexpected twists and surprising conclusions."_1995 Newbery Award Selection Committee.
Age Range: Ages 9 and up
Source: Newbery Medal, 1995
Assessment of the book’s quality: The book unique in that it has two plots combines: it is a story inside a story
Assessment of the book’s potential use: The book can be used for independent, leisure reading. It can also be used in a classroom for book report, character and plot analysis projects.
Assessment of the book’s child appeal: This book will appeal children with interests in realistic novels.
Summary:
The plot of Walk Two Moons is very interesting based on real life problems and experiences, with a wonderful balance of humor and sadness and is a poignant and compelling story about danger, mystery, death, teenage love, and teachers with sometimes thoughtless assignments (when assigning students to write journals and reading out loud from those journals in front of the whole class). The story is about a thirteen-year-old ordinary girl named Salamanca Tree Hiddle, who gets on a journey from Ohio to Kentucky in search of her mother, whose absence has turned the girl’s life upside down. The story begins with Sal’s emotionally painful move from their farm and house in Bybanks, Kentucky to a new house in Euclid, Ohio, which is a “little white house with a miniature patch of green grass in front of it” with a “tiny living room” and a “miniature kitchen”, “pint-sized and pocket sized bedrooms”, and a “tall wooden fence around the yard” (p.10). It is here that she meets and befriends Phoebe Winterbottom, whose story helps her discover and understand her own. Her grandparents decide to take her on a six day, two thousand mile trip from Euclid, Ohio to Lewiston, Idaho to visit her mother, “who was resting peacefully” there, and during this time Sal tells them the story of her friend Phoebe whose mother has left unexpectedly and suddenly (p.5). This interweaving story of two girls with missing mothers runs parallel throughout the book, with mysteries to be only discovered at the end of the story. In this story the reader not only sees painfully realistic reactions of these children to their parent’s leave and absence but they also are given the opportunity to see families that are rock solid in their love and devotion, such as Sal's grandparents that are taking the trip to Idaho with her and Sal’s friend Mary Lou’s family, which is cheerful, noisy, disorderly with lots of children and non-matching plates, but always affectionate and welcoming.
Reaction and Impressions:
The book is a pleasure to read because its author has a unique and balanced style of incorporating humor into her writing which makes the reading fun and engaged for young readers. In addition, has short chapters, simple and not sophisticated vocabulary and simple sentence structure. The short chapters are especially convenient and contagious inviting to continue reading. There is also the incorporation of strong folkloric elements and idioms used in the book characteristic to that part of the country. Another unique characteristic of the book is that it is written in the first person narrative in Sal’s voice and has the use of story within the story, which is meant to reveal different layers of understanding.
The novel also has several important themes that run through the story, one of which is the error of prejudging, and another is the maturation process as a journey. This theme is overtly expressed by the repetitive quote in the story “Don't judge a man until you've walked two moons in his moccasins." This is without a doubt an unforgettable theme and a life-long lesson.
"[This] engaging story of love and loss, told with humor and suspense...[is] a richly layered novel about real and metaphorical journeys."_ School Library Journal.
"The struggle of thirteen year old Salamance (Sal) to understand and deal with her mother's disappearance unfolds while on a cross-country trip with her eccentric grandparents. Sal tells them the story of her friend Phoebe whose mother has also left home, but in reality it is her own story. A funny, mysterious, and touching novel. Newbery Award winner."_Children's Literature
"The book is packed with humor and affection and is an odyssey of unexpected twists and surprising conclusions."_1995 Newbery Award Selection Committee.
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