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Book Review: Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech

Title, Author & Publisher: Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech (Harper Collins, 1994).

Length: 280 pages without illustrations.

Print size:Slightly bigger than 'standard' - so the 280 pages isn't quite as long as it would seem.

Other readability issues: Two stories are being told at the same time in this book, with some flashbacks thrown in. Readers would be helped by keeping track of both 'plots' separately. Have students start two separate 'plot summary' pages, one for the trip out west and another for the story of Phoebe and her family. The characters are worth exploring, too -- Sal's grandparents are not the rocking-chair types. A page for each main character, to make notes (written or drawn) as they unfold through the story, would also be a good idea.

This would be a good book to read as a class, with a fair amount of read-aloud thrown in and checks to make sure students haven't gotten confused or missed important elements. There are many, many situations that are partly explained, and then gradually unfold. This would be a good book to learn about how authors do this. It's also an excellent book for teaching about symbols -- how a concrete thing can mean an abstract idea. There are examples throughout the book.

Summary: Sal is going west with her grandparents to where her mother went; along the way she tells a story of her friend. Lots of sad-but-sweet sections. Kleenex may be required :)

Typical words: Typical multisyllable/irregular words - you may want to see how many of these words your students can identify before expecting them to read independently. There are some invented words and stylized dialogues in the book, as well, which the students should be encouraged to hear 'in their mind's ear.'

There are many comprehension complications in this book as well -- being a Newbery winner, it is available on tape, which may be recommended if there isn't enough time to read it aloud in class.