Coming Of Age

Walk Two Moons
By: Sharon Creech

Creech, Sharon. Walk Two Moons. New York: Harper Collins, 1994. Print.

Annotation:
In this coming of age novel, author Sharon Creech weaves two stories about two different girls, who both experience the loss of their mothers, and their journeys toward discovery and acceptance.

Statement for Nomination:
Walk Two Moons delves into the life of 13-year-old Salamanca Tree Hiddle, to whom all young adults can relate to in one way or another.  The central character of Sal is a brave and centered young woman, who takes a road trip from Ohio to Idaho with her grandparents in search of her mother, who left home nearly a year ago with no explanation.  Sal is making the trip in search of both answers and her mother, hoping both will be found at the end of her journey.  Although this book is centered on tragedy, young adults reading Walk Two Moons do not have to have experienced tragedy to understand and relate to Sal.    Walk Two Moons is ultimately about growing up.  It is about leaving the innocence of childhood and beginning to understand things about the world that are difficult to accept. Sal is being forced out of the safety and blind contentment of childhood.  Walk Two Moons is a very real story and doesn't paint the world as always being perfect and easy.  Creech has created interesting and wonderfully flawed characters who have made mistakes and experienced hard times, but are still good people.  I think that Sal is a good role model for young adults; she is an inspiring, intelligent and amazing young woman.  I nomianate Walk Two Moons because of the realness of the story and characters, and the journey that Sal makes from innocence of childhood to the real world of young adulthood.

Genre Category:
Coming of age/ Newbery Medal