Walk Two Moons Book Review

Walk Two Moons, the winner of the Newberry Medal is a story that takes you through the life of a young girl from Kentucky named Salamanca. It is a fictional novel written by Sharon Creech for young-adult readers. The story shows the ups and downs of being a young teenager and seeing a problem from different points of view. It is a great book that is full of life lessons that all of us need to learn and use in our lives.

Salamanca, called Sal for short, is a thirteen-year old girl that is on a road trip with her Gram and Gramps to the place where her mother was last seen in Idaho. Sal's mother had left a few years earlier, and her father decided to move up to Ohio to ease the pain of the place where his wife had left. While on their trip, Sal tells the story to her grandparents of her friend named Phoebe Winterbottom where she finds her own story hidden underneath. She explains the whole story of her move from Kentucky to Ohio and the changes she had to face. The main theme that is developed throughout the story is that every story has many sides to it, and there is never just one point of view that is right or wrong.

While listening to Sal's story about growing up it makes the reader think about themselves and if they have ever been too quick to judge a situation without any details. The line that shows up again throughout the book is, "don't judge a man until you've walked two moons in his moccasins."

Each character had a very different personality which added to the effect of seeing things from different points of view. The main character, Sal, is trying to deal with the disappearance of her mother while she is moving into a new town with many different people. She makes a connection with her best friend, Phoebe, when they start to deal with some of the same problems. Sal's father and his new friend named Margaret add to the story with their personalities and make it more exciting. There are many other characters that give their input on the issues discussed in the book that make it more interesting and give the story different angles.

Walk Two Moons somewhat reminded me of Because of Winn-Dixie. The two stories are told from the perspective of young girls that are trying to deal with similar problems, and they are trying to learn about seeing things from different points of view. It is a fun book to read because while you're reading about the story of Sal and Phoebe you are reminded of similar experiences that you have been through. Many of the problems they face are just a part of growing up and learning about the world.

Some things that I liked about the book were the two different stories going on at the same time. There is the story of Sal traveling with her grandparents, but at the same time she is telling the story of what happened back in Ohio with Phoebe. It was fun to switch back and forth between the two stories being told. I also liked how it explains what has really been happening at the end of the book, so it all makes sense.

I would recommend Walk Two Moons because it shares so many important life lessons that most of us fail to remember because they seem so childish. It is a good reminder to always walk in someone else's shoes before judging a situation. It is a fun story to read about growing up and the many different lessons we learn from our mistakes.