#30 A book that came out the year you were born: Walk Two Moons, by Sharon Creech.
Salamanca aka Sal, is on the road with her grandparents. They left Ohio behind and are heading towards Idaho, to visit the final resting place of Sal’s mother. During this trip, Sal shares a story with her grandparents about her best friend back in Ohio, named Phoebe. Interestingly enough, you quickly notice the similarities between the lives of these two girls and can understand why they bonded. This friendship started after Sal and her father moved from Kentucky to Ohio after her mother’s death. Right away, Sal developed a dislike towards a neighbor called Mrs. Cadaver, due to the developing bond she notices between her and her father.
As the road trip progresses, so does the story that Sal shares, revealing important discoveries that could lead to finding Phoebe’s mother as well as learning about the truth behind the death of Sal’s mother. This eventually leads to the trip Sal is currently on with her Grandparents. On the trip itself, complications occur and it adds conflict that Sal must overcome in order to move forward in life.
This book is a massive roller coaster ride of emotions. Loss is a hard theme to capture in a book simply because everyone experiences and reacts to it differently. The author, Sharon Creech, managed to express this theme interestingly; through the eyes of a young adult, still in the hold of her childhood. Innocence is sheltered through the safety net of imagination, and sometimes it causes you to not see the truth that can sit right on your lap.
I first read this book back in elementary school. Reading it as an older me was an interesting experience. There was also a light thrill of remembering the story as you read it, like meeting a childhood friend after 20 years have passed. 3.8 out of 5; simply because going back and forth between the past and present got a little messy for me. However, the storyline itself was beautiful. I hope you enjoy!
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