Walk Two Moons, by Sharon Creech

Walk Two Moons is an endearing tale of thirteen year old American Indian, Salamanca Tree Hiddle as she navigates the emotions and reality of her mother’s death. She travels across the country with her eccentric grandparents and they visit the sites that her mother had on her same journey which ultimately ended with Salamanca’s mother’s death, in a bus down the side of a ravine.

As Salamanca’s journey begins she shares the story of a friend called Phoebe and the many escapades of Phoebe’s family. Interestingly, the stories shared evoke the exact emotions which Sal is experiencing. Along the way Sal gives herself over to the anxious journey and weaves a saga with Phoebe as main character, as she is wrapped in the quirky love from her grandparents. The Greek and Native American myths wrapped into the story also provide wisdom and strength. In a twist with that will surely evoke tears from the reader, Sal experiences yet another major loss along the journey.

Walk Two Moons is a great book for any youngster facing and internalizing the realities of losing a loved one. In the end she faces the truth of her mother’s demise but realizes that her mother will always live on in the streams, trees, grasses, and the smells of that summer she trekked to find her mother and ultimately find herself.

Creech, S. (1994). Walk Two Moons. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 978-0064405171