Perhaps the most brilliant thing about this book, in my mind, is how Sharon Creech leads her reader to the conclusion rather than telling the reader the story's ending and how this parallel's Sal's own journey and how she must be lead to her own conclusion in the story rather than just having her father or grandparents tell her what to believe and feel. Also, the theme of many perspectives of the same topic or event is a key theme for discussion and extension in the K-8 (perhaps even 9-12 in certain contexts) classroom. Phoebe, Sal, Phoebe's Mother, Phoebe's Father and Phoebe's sister all have differing journeys, experiences and views regarding the changes that Phoebe's mother experiences regarding her son. Similar situations arise surrounding Mrs. Cadaver regarding two tragic events in her own life.

Sal is young girl who feels that she was abandoned by her mother. She thought she had gone to live another life in Idaho. Sal and her grandparents take a road trip from Ohio to Idaho to visit the resting place of Sal's mother. During the story, Sal tells her grandparents about her best friend, Phoebe. Like Sal, Phoebe also lost her mother Phoebe and Sal's mothers share many other similarities to one another. Sal's gram becomes ill during the course of the trip, and tensions run high. Sal does everything in her power to visit her mother's grave on her birthday, but you'll have to read the book to find out what happens next. Through this book Sal discovers more about her relationships with her parents, and family. It is a journey of self-discovery for Sal. I would use this text in an older classroom, such as grades 5-12. In those younger grades, I would only use this book as a read aloud for the class as I feel that the text would be too complex of reading for the average fifth or sixth grader. As a mentor text, I would use this to help my students write about emotion. Sharon Creech doesn't just explain the emotions that her characters feel, she makes the reader feel as if they are sharing the same emotions. Students would have to write a story, fiction or non-fiction, that describes some sort of emotional trial. The goal of this assignment would be have the reader feel the emotions of the character much as Sharon Creech was able to do in this book.

This is in my top three favorite books of all time. I think it is a story that can be enjoyed by both adults and children. In fact, I know that most 10-13-year-olds won't get the same message out of it that adults will. I tell all my students who read it to try to remember to read it again in 10 years.Thirteen year old Salamanca (Sal) Tree Hiddle is the main character and there are a multitude of stories going on in this novel. First, Sal is on her way to Idaho with her grandparents to see her mom, who has been away for a while. her grandparents are a hoot and their side story is endearing. As Sal and her grandparents travel, she flashes back to the story of her friendship with Phoebe Winterbottom, whose mom has also left her. Phoebe is a strange little bird, worried about things like cholesterol at such a young age. The trip to Idaho becomes a coming of age for Sal. She realizes her relationship with her dad has changed after her mom left. The trip and its ensuing results become a journey of acceptance for Sal. This is a story about family, life, love, loss, friendship, acceptance, coming of age and much more. It is a very relatable story for students.

Summary : Sal is moved from her childhood home and into town where she makes new friends but is still missing a huge part of her life. There are so many things wrapped up in this story but I pulled love from it the most. The love she and her father both left for her mother.The love her grandparents felt for her, the love her grandparents had for each other.Personal Reaction: I read this with a group of my sixth graders and it was such a story of love and loss and questions. We almost couldn't put it down,we were ready to see what was going to happen next.Classroom Extention Ideas: 1. We did a litature circle, where they dicussed this book in detail.2. We talked in depth about grandparents and the special things their grandparents have done for them.

This is a remarkable story about a young girl coping with loss.In the book, Walk Two Moons, Sharon Creech touched upon abandonment, resistance, and relationships. In the beginning the reader is under the impression that the main character, Salamanca Tree Hiddle (Sal), thinks that her mother has left her to live in Idaho and causes Sal to feel abandoned by her mother, so Sal goes on a road trip to see her mother and try to bring her home. As the story goes on and Sal finally gets to Idaho, the reader finds out that Sal’s mother had died in a bus crash and Sal had been told that from the beginning, but Sal could not believe it until she saw where she died. Sal also loses her grandmother who dies of a stroke right before they get to Idaho. Sal has a friend Pheobe that has a parallel story to Sal's, which Sal discusses during her road trip with her grandparents.

SUMMARY: A story about a teenage girl who travels to Idaho with her grandparents to try to find her mother. It's a story about putting yourself in someone else's shoes to understand them. PERSONAL REACTION: It had a very good story line with the self exploration.EXTENSION IDEAS: Have them draw their own souls like they did in the book. Then display them and have them figure out which pictures belong to which person.

This book is about a teenager, Salamonca, who goes on a journey with her grandparents to find out what happened to her own mother, who left over a year ago on a bus from their farm in Kentucky to Lewiston, Idaho in the hopes of finding her own identity. While Sal, who is of Native American descent, is traveling with her grandparents, she tells a story about her new friend in Ohio, Phoebe and the story behind Phoebe's mother's disappearance. Within Phoebe's story, the reader connects to Sal's story of her own mother. Throughout the trip, Sal begins to discover her own identity and is able to come to terms with her mother's sudden abandonment of the family and understand, even though she may not agree, why her mother left and how important it had been for her mother to find out this information. Sal realizes that it wasn't her fault, which makes it easier for her to understand the situation. This book ties in so many emotions and captivates the reader from the very beginning until the end. While there is the obvious mystery of what happened to her mother and why did she leave the family, Sal herself becomes a character that shows just as much mystery as she travels with her grandparents and narrates the journey. Phoebe's story adds insight to how situations in families can be different and similar at the same time. One really cannot judge a person until they have walked in their shoes. I feel that is the lesson Sal learned about her own mother's disappearance. This would make a great book for a mentor teacher because it focuses on learning about perspectives, understanding hidden context that may not be visibly written by the author, and engages the reader through the emotions and honesty of the narrator, Sal.

This novel is a realistic fiction book. Salamanca goes on a journey accompanied by her grandparents to find out why her mother has left her. The reader sympathizes with Sal as she struggles to accept her mother's death and understand why she left her in the first place. The reader also follows the side story of Phoebe, whose situation helps Sal cope with the loss of her mother, and eventually, her grandmother at the end of the story. Salamanca's anger and confusion turns into a feeling of peace at the end of the book. This book includes great characterization by the author. Although Salamanca's mother is dead, she is described by Sal as a lovely, whimsical and carefree woman. The reader begins to miss Sal's mother along with her, and also wonders why a woman who sounds so lovely would choose to leave her child. This book is a novel and has no specific media.This book is good realistic fiction because it deals with events that are very relevant to children today. It deals with loss, friendship, coping, etc. It is also relevant because of the changing family dynamics of today, and all events and stories in the book were realistic. The book also takes place in real places. This book could be used in exploring authors' craft and literary elements.This book could be used in addressing social and family issues such as loss of a loved one.

I absolutely loved this book. What an amazing tale about a 13 year old girl named Sal. I loved how her story ends up being woven with her new found friends story....and in the end her own grandparents story. I loved this book so much that I simply did not want to stop reading it.