Two Moons

Ok... So right now I'm running on three hours of sleep plus what I was able to manage on the airplane so I'm going to post this instead of the second chapter of my story. Feel free to comment...hint hint. Thanks!



Walk Two Moons


“How about a story? Spin us a yarn.”

“Instantly, Phoebe Winterbottom came to mind. “I could tell you an extensively strange story,” I warned. And that is how I happened to tell them about Phoebe, her disappearing mother, and the lunatic.

Written by Newberry Medal winning-author Sharon Creech, Walk Two Moons is a fictionous tale of just that, the story of Phoebe, but more importantly a story in which through the telling of Salamanca Hiddle finds herself and the truth of her mother’s sudden departure. This book, though it may be simple, was definitely a worth-while and enjoyable read that made me really look at some points of my life differently. It was definitely worthy of a Newberry Medal. Yet, more importantly this book tales a tale for readers of all ages about the inner workings of man, and how you should never judge a man until you have walked two moons in his moccasins.

Traveling with her grandparents to find closure Salamanca Hiddle is just an average girl. But she holds a secret, a secret deeper to her heart then any blackberry stained bush, dark brown hair, or sweet raspberries. Forced to leave her one hope to proving the secret wrong she moves Lewiston, Idaho where she meets Phoebe Winterbottom, her new and yet slightly eccentric best friends. Suddenly Salamanca finds herself facing her worst fears as she watches Phoebe enter into the same predicament she once was in, but would there be as many tragic results this time? The same pain and denial? Or maybe this time she may just find a little redemption waiting for her instead at the end of the road.

The tantalizing part of this book to me was the continuous mystery that was lurking and dripping behind each work, twist and turn. But to me my favorite part was how everything could be connected to human emotions and feelings. From the famous “Don’t judge a man until you walk two moons in his moccasins,” to “ Everyone has his own agenda” My personal favorite is not a secret message "My father started chipping away at a plaster wall in the living room of our house in Bybanks shortly after my mother left us one April morning. Our house was an old farmhouse that my parents had been restoring, room by room. Each night as he waited to hear from my mother, he chipped away at that wall. On the night that we got the bad news- that she was not returning- he pounded and pounded on that wall with a chisel and a hammer. At two o'clock in the morning, he came up to my room. I was not asleep. He led me downstairs and showed me what he had found. Hidden behind the wall was a brick fireplace." I like this passage because the wall to me symbolizes ourselves. During harder times things pound on us and pound at us. Sometimes with a chisel, that slowly sinks into us, and other times with a hammer that almost seems to knock us over. When the layers are finally taken off most commonly we find something we didn't know we had, something that is far more beautiful than what is on the outside. But unfortunately, people can ignore that side and shape it into what they want to think of you. They cover you up with something they want to see and they place another plaster wall in front of you that you will eventually have to chip down and wait for it to be torn down once again.

The characters in this book I thought were perfect. The grandparents were just goofy and I felt helped to make any slow parts of the book to gain momentum. I thought it was interesting how all the adults seemed flawed. Phoebe’s father cried, Salamanca’s father took her away, the mothers left, etc. I really think that it helped the book to be told from how a girl Salamanca’s age would have really seen it.

While I can’t say my mother has ever left, one thing I can relate to is Salamanca blaming herself for her mother leaving. I do this, but it made me realize that I can’t take the blame for people making the decisions that they do, and while they may hurt me, I should move on. I also loved the quotes that were continuously left at Phoebe’s house. One of my favorites, as I already mentioned, was probably “everyone has their own agenda”. It to me ties back to the fact that we can’t hold ourselves accountable for other people’s actions.

Salamanca’s story is one of redemption and resolution, sorrow and hope. In that way it is real, the book will never seem truly fiction as it can pertain to each one of our lives individually. It is just that, our stories told through the eyes of young girl, with dark brown eyes, who loves to kiss trees, and be with those she loves the most.