Creech, Sharon (1994). Walk Two Moons. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.1995 Newbery Medal Book
We meet Salamanca Tree Hiddle (Sal), a 13-year-old country girl from Bybanks, Kentucky, while she's explaining how she is now living in Euclid, Ohio and has been picked up by her grandparents for a very long road trip. Gramps and Gram are on their way to see Sal's mother for the first time since she abandoned Sal and her father about a year ago to go to Lewiston, Idaho. Its important that the traveling trio arrives in Lewiston just in time for her mother's birthday. Because it takes such a long time to get to Idaho from Ohio, and because it just seems to be the right thing to do, Sal begins to tell Gram and Gramps her story about her interesting friend Pheobe Winterbottom.
Both of her grandparents become immediately hooked on the story, and thus begins the double plot in this book. Just like Sal's mother, Pheobe's mother leaves her family to "figure things out", but unlike Sal's mother who never returned, Mrs. Winterbottom returns a few days later with some very unexpected news. Pheobe's story takes us through a maze of mysterious incidents and persons (even a lunatic!) One of the mysteries is the frequent appearances of envelopes in front of Pheobe's house with interesting verses written on blue paper. One of them is, "Never judge a person until you have walked two moons in his moccasins."
The Pheobe's adveturous story is occassionally interrupted when Sal and her grandparents visit different points of interest during their long journey. Interestingly enough Grams is bitten by a water moccasin during a visit to the Missouri River, she recuperates somewhat in a hospital and they continue their trip. But Grams is not quite the same. She seems to get better with the excitement of seeing "Old Faithful" at Yellowstone National Park. After her emotional visit to see "Old Faithful", Grams just does'nt get any better and in fact is admitted into the hospital again.
Sal ends her story about Pheobe and finds many things about herself, her mother, and her grandparents while the story finally unfolds and the trip had come to an end. The ending is quite a surprise in both stories and povokes interesting ponderings. You are left quite speechless.
Sharon Creech has weaved such a wonderful story, I mean stories. They both are intriguing and filled with just the right touch of reality woven with a bit of fantasy. The dialog definitely reveals a lot of what is underneath each and every character in the book!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book; it's become one of my favorites!
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