Walk Two Moons
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| Walk Two Moons | |
 First edition cover with "Newbery Medal" shield |
|
| Author | Sharon Creech |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | stay close |
| Genre(s) | Children's novel |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Publication date | June 30, 1994 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover, Paperback) |
| Pages | 288 pp (first edition, hardback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-06-023334-6 (first edition, hardback) |
Walk Two Moons is a novel written by Sharon Creech and published in 1994 which won the 1995 Newbery Medal.
Salamanca Tree Hiddle (called Sal throughout most of the book) packs and moves with her father from Bybanks, Kentucky to Euclid, Ohio where the woman she thinks her father wants to marry, Margaret Cadaver, lives. Sal's mother, Chanhassen Hiddle left earlier to Lewiston, Idaho, and is said not to be returning.
Sal doesn't like Margaret very much, and when her grandparents plan to take a road trip to visit her mother's (and their daughter-in-law) last known location in Lewiston, Idaho, she goes with them.
As the trip progresses, Sal passes the time by telling her grandparents the tale of her friend in Euclid, Phoebe Winterbottom, who has a strong belief that Mrs. Cadaver killed her husband (this is later proved untrue by Mr. Birkway, Sal & Phoebe's enthusiastic teacher, who is also Mrs Cadaver's brother. Mr. Cadaver died in a car accident). One day, a young man who Phoebe believed to be a "lunatic" came to the house, asking for her mother. When Mrs. Winterbottom hears about the young man, she becomes upset. Shortly after, she disappears, leaving a note saying that she's left on a trip as well as frozen dinners for the family. Phoebe becomes upset over her mother's suspicious disappearance and firmly believes that the "lunatic" kidnapped her. After some searching, Sal and Phoebe find out where the "lunatic" lives and see him sitting with Phoebe's mother, and she's kissing him. According to Phoebe, they are embracing. Later, Mrs. Winterbottom returns with the "lunatic" and explains that he's her son from a previous love who she had given up for adoption. The 'lunatic' becomes Phoebe's brother afterwards. Phoebe, Prudence "Prue", and their Father all welcome him into their family. Meanwhile, Sal has become attracted to Mary Lou Finney's cousin, Ben, and the story ends with her kissing him on the lips.
The novel ends when Sal's grandmother has to go to the hospital from a stroke. Sal's grandfather gives Sal the keys and she drives to Lewiston where she gets stopped by the police. It is then revealed to the reader that Sal's mother died in an accident when the bus she was on tumbled over a cliff. Everyone was killed, except Margaret, which is why Sal's father is spending so much time with her. Later the policeman takes Sal to her mother's grave. Now Sal can finally come to terms with her mother's death. Back at the hospital, Salamanca's grandmother also dies. At the end of the story, Sal's grandma gets a burial, and Sal, Gramps, and Sal's dad move back to Bybanks, Kentucky.
The story is not just about Phoebe and her lunatic family but also about Sal trying to make peace with her mother leaving and her father moving on. Most importantly she fully learns what her grandfather means when he says to truly know someone you must try to know what it is like to be that person; the title derives from the saying "Don't judge a man until you've walked two moons in his moccasins."
| Preceded by The Giver |
Newbery Medal recipient 1995 |
Succeeded by The Midwife's Apprentice |
