"A house without books is like a room without windows." -Horace Mann

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Walk Two Moons

by Sharon Creech

There's nothing better to read on a road-trip than a road-trip story.  So if you are taking a big trip before fall arrives and school starts, pick up this book and laugh and cry along the way.  Salamanca Tree Hiddle travels from Ohio to Idaho with her eccentric and hysterically funny grandparents.  They are going to visit her mother's grave, which is near where she died in an accident.  Salamanca doesn't tell anyone that the real reason she wants to go is because she believes her mother is not dead and she can bring her back.  And even though much of the book is concentrated around Salamanca and her mother, the real story is about her relationship with her father and the new woman in his life.

I love the layers of this book, the different and complicated relationships of the family, as well as the stories stacked on each other.  As the trio travels, Salamanca tells her grandparents the story of Phoebe Longbottom, a girl who has many interesting adventures, and who also is searching for her lost mother.  Her story is very similar to Salamanca's own, and the way she uses it to explain and sort out her own life gives the book a depth and richness that keeps you intrigued.  But the real stars of the book are Gram and Gramps, who keep you laughing the whole time, but also touch your heart with the love they share. 

Another Newbery Medal Winner that is worthy of the honor.

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