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Walk Two Moons
Walk Two Moons
Walk Two Moons
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Walk Two Moons

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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In her own singularly beautiful style, Newbery Medal winner Sharon Creech intricately weaves together two tales, one funny, one bittersweet, to create a heartwarming, compelling, and utterly moving story of love, loss, and the complexity of human emotion.

Thirteen-year-old Salamanca Tree Hiddle, proud of her country roots and the "Indian-ness in her blood," travels from Ohio to Idaho with her eccentric grandparents. Along the way, she tells them of the story of Phoebe Winterbottom, who received mysterious messages, who met a "potential lunatic," and whose mother disappeared.

As Sal entertains her grandparents with Phoebe's outrageous story, her own story begins to unfold—the story of a thirteen-year-old girl whose only wish is to be reunited with her missing mother.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarperCollins
Release dateOct 6, 2009
ISBN9780061972515
Author

Sharon Creech

Sharon Creech has written twenty-one books for young people and is published in over twenty languages. Her books have received awards in both the U.S. and abroad, including the Newbery Medal for Walk Two Moons, the Newbery Honor for The Wanderer, and Great Britain’s Carnegie Medal for Ruby Holler. Before beginning her writing career, Sharon Creech taught English for fifteen years in England and Switzerland. She and her husband now live in Maine, “lured there by our grandchildren,” Creech says. www.sharoncreech.com

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Rating: 4.144148718085106 out of 5 stars
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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I wish I had found Walk Two Moons when it first came out. In fact, I wish it had been on my reading list in school because I know I would have eaten it up. I know this because, despite my current age, I still fell deeply in love with this book. It's ageless, and it's wonderful.

    Salamanca Tree Hiddle (Sal)is a thirteen year old narrator who will steal your heart. We embark on a car trip with Sal and her eccentric grandparents, all the while learning bits about their lives, her life, and the life of her best friend Phoebe. Let me please tell you how much I loved each and every character in this book. Sal is sweet, kind and witty far beyond what her age dictates. Her grandparents are the picture of what true love really is. Even Phoebe, the girl who worries about everything, fits perfectly in the story. There is everything to love in Creech's characters and they make the story come to life.

    Sharon Creech weaves the stories of Sal and Phoebe into a story that took my breath away. A story that is funny, honest, and at times so heartbreaking that you'll find yourself teary eyed. During the car trip Sal's thoughts take the reader on a journey through her innermost self. I adored watching her grow, make observations, and just become even more amazing. I'm not even certain I'm making sense at this point. That's how much Walk Two Moons threw me off. It's beautiful.

    This is a must read for people of all ages, but I definitely suggest you put it in the hands of your middle grade reader as soon as possible. Young readers will learn from, and walk with Sal. Older readers will get the chance to revisit some of those hidden feelings we hide. The raw ones that we push down as we grow up. It's a wonderful, and terrifying, feeling all at the same time. In my opinion, Walk Two Moons is a book that will make a reader out of a non-reader. I sincerely hope you love it as much as I did.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Good children’s book
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is the story of a twelve-year-old girl coming to terms with the absence of her mom. It’s told in two parallel narratives. One is in present-time, on a road trip with her grandparents. The other is the story she tells to her grandparents that involve her mom and what happened with her and her dad after she left.The classic trifecta ensues: 1) they move somewhere she doesn’t like 2) Dad starts seeing another woman 3) No one in school likes her. In the process, she befriends another girl, and HER mother leaves. This is the interesting part, as our main character gets a taste of what a pill she was, having to console someone in the same situation.It’s a good story, especially if you know what a broken home is like. And the style, full of odd quaint country expressions and quirky humor. It’s not a cheesy Hallmark story. It reminds me of “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie or “Holes” by Louis Sachar or “I Am the Cheese” by Robert Cormier. All of these have an unreliable narrator and implication of something sinister going on below the surface.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Pandora’s Box provides a nice analogy for present-day life in Sharon Creech’s Walk Two Moons. Why would Pandora open the box? Why would hope be left inside? And what would be found at the bottom of a box of good things?Sal’s mother is absent. Her father moves her away from their home, making her go to a new school, where her new best friend is suddenly missing her mother too. All this is in the story Sal tells her grandparents as they take her on a road trip, as the three strands of Walk Two Moons weave beautifully together. Simple language illuminates complex topics, offering a convincingly childish point of view, with very natural avoidance of the true, and pleasing persistence of imagination. Maybe a lunatic stole the mother. Maybe the neighbor killed her husband and buried him in the yard. Maybe…Or maybe life falls inevitably into the realm of Pandora’s box. With hope at the bottom, lifting both reader and characters to safety. Walk Two Moons invites adult readers to walk in the shoes of children, while simultaneously inviting children to walk in the shoes of their parents. Truth is hidden between the imaginations, and truth hurts. But hope will save.Written for children, best for mature readers (5th grade up?), and for readers who choose to think, Walk Two Moons is the sort of novel that just might invite a child to see through different eyes and find their own hope waiting. Coming of age, coming to wisdom, and coming in hope… Highly recommended.Disclosure: It came highly recommended and it was a birthday present.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    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.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    In my opinion, this is a great book. First, the characters were very well developed and each of them had distinctive personalities. Sal is a young girl who is struggling with the absence of her mother, she is stubborn, vulnerable, and slightly pessimistic. For example, Sal says, “Even when everything seems fine and good, I worry that something will go wrong and change everything.” Sal has gone through a lot in her short years of living and you can feel her struggle within herself throughout the novel. I also really enjoyed the plot of the story. Although some parts of the novel were slow, the suspense and plot twists throughout kept me engaged as a reader. The entire story you are living within the main character's embellished story. Rereading this story ten years or so after I originally read it was an eye-opening experience. It forced me to appreciate the overall message of, "never judge a man, until you walk two moons in his moccasins." As a young reader, I would not have made all of these connections the book had to offer, but now I realize that everyone has a different viewpoint and should never be judged until you've been in his or her position.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A beautiful book about a teenage girl coping with the dissolution of her family. Issues of death and grief -- family breakup -- being in a new place. Well written and tender book. Some romance -- nothing racy. Fine for fifth grade up.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I really liked this book. I though that is was a very easy read and very enjoyable. This book is a very quick read.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is one of my all time favorite children's books; no matter how many times I read it, I always cry!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Walk Two Moons is a multi-layered story about a young girl, Salamanca Hiddle who is unsettled since her mother left a year and a half ago. She travels with her Gram and Gramps from Ohio to Idaho in hopes of bringing her home...even though she knows deep down her mother will never come back. Along the way, Sal tells her grandparents the story of her friend, Phoebe, whose mother also left the family. The story is complicated and involves a lunatic, perfection, and a long lost love. Underlying Phoebe's story is Sal's story...maybe the story she wishes would be her own.In Idaho, after traveling along her mother's very own route, Sal finally finds her mom. She is among the things she loves... the trees, the birds, nature itself. And, Sal finally comes to terms with her mother's death and finds peace. This is a story of profound love, unresolved regret, and sorrow so intense it hurts.Used for Mother-Daughter Book Club-January, 2011 at BPL.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I loved how surprising this book was! When I began reading it, I had not idea that her mother died and her grandmother would also die. This book deals with the sad reality of death of close family members and would be a good way to relate to students going through similar life events. Salamanca learns how to deal with the pain of loss and is able to move forward. I also liked that the book had a story within the story. Phoebe’s story is very similar to Salamanca’s in that their mother’s left them for some reason. I thought it was interesting to have a comparison within the story to see how different characters react to abandonment. Overall, I thought this was a wonderful book with a powerful ending.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I can't say enough good things about this book. It is written from the perspective of 13 year old Salamanca Tree Hiddle who faces the challenge of a new school, new friends and the perceived abandonment of her mother.It is an incredible story of love, friendship, redemption and difficult lessons learned.I highly recommend this Newberry Award Winning book. While I found this in the young adult section of the library, truly it is a book for all ages.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Summary:This is a story about Salamanca, called Sal, and her journey with her grandparents to find her mother. Sal's parents had divorced, her mother had disappeared, and everything in Sal's life had changed dramatically. In her new school she met another young girl named Phoebe who she bonded with, who was also without her mother. While traveling with her grandparents to find her mother's resting place, she talks to her grandparents about Phoebe, about her own father, and her mother. On their journey they had quite an adventure experiencing many things they did not expect. Sal's grandparents teach her to "never judge a man until you have walked two moons in his moccasins." Even with the loss of her mother to death, her father to mental illness, Sal is able to find comfort in the relationship she has and strengthens with her grandparents on her trip. Personal Reaction:The subject of death is something we will all encounter at one point or another in our life, but there is something about the death of our mother that connects us to other people - and in this case other characters. This book affected me on a deeply personal level, and I appreciate that the author wrote about Sal's experience including her grandparents on her journey both literally and figuratively.Classroom Extensions:1 - Students will be prompted to write a response to the prompt, What does "never judge a man until you've walked two moons in his shoes" mean to you?2 - Students will compose a letter to their grandparents, (snail mail - not an email or text), that communicates what they are doing in school, future plans, favorite memory and ask their grandparents how they are and what they are doing to model a conversation that encourages questions and responses from both parties.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Thirteen year old Salmanca Hiddle is on a quest to bring her mother home before her birthday occurs. So Sal's grandparents take her across country from Ohio to Idaho on a series of adventures during which time Sal relates her own series of adventures with Phoebe (Peeby) and the "lunatic". In the process of telling Peeby's tale, Sal discovers some truths of her own.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is an especially well written and worded book by Sharon Creech. In this book three main events happen, Salamanca Tree Hiddle moves from Kansas to Ohio, she meets a girl named Phoebe at her middle school, and she goes on a trip with her grandparents to find her mother's grave before her mother's birthday. This is a story that I would recommend to anyone from 5th grade and up. Out of 5 I would rate this book a 4.8. This is a well written complex story that deserves recognition and awards. In the future I hope that all the books I read are this choc-full of excellent storyline. I would also recommend this book to any adult.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    As Salamanca Tree Hiddle travels from Ohio to Idaho on a road trip with her grandparents, she tells the story of her friend Phoebe Winterbottom's missing mother. Layered under that is the story of Sal's own missing mother, who went away to figure a few things out, and never returned.This book is masterfully written and fully deserving of the honors it has received. The author makes excellent use of foreshadowing and other literary techniques to hint at the conclusion of the story, without blatantly giving too much away. I thought I had solved some of the book's mysteries early on (and for the record, I was correct!), but I could never be sure until the end. And some of the things that happened in the story really did throw me for a loop! This book brought both laughter and tears, and I highly recommend it.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Walk Two moons follows the story of a teenage girl who takes a cross country road trip to follow the path of her mother who left her and her father. Throughout the trip the girl, Sal, uses the story of others to describe her own personal story in an underlying way. While this story covers the ideas of friendship, family, loss, and acceptance the main message of this story comes from the title. The story frequently uses the quote “Don't judge a man until you've walked two moons in his moccasins” or until you truly know someone before you form opinions about them. The author demonstrates this by following the misconceptions of many different characters onto other characters. Some of these include Sal’s view of her mother, Sal’s view of Mrs. Cadaver, the classes view of other classmates, the classes view on Phoebe’s mother leaving, Phoebe’s view of “the lunatic” along with many others. The author follows each character and allows the reader to get an insight into their feelings, thoughts, judgments, misconceptions, and how they change these misconceptions about other people. I very much enjoyed this book; I was glued to it the second I picked it up. The plot twist at the end and how the whole story came together in the end made this such an incredible book. However, I also enjoyed this book because it contained stories inside of stories inside of stories. As a reader, this kept me engaged and interested on every page.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    WALK TWO MOONS by Sharon Creech is a wonderful book for children. I used it to teach my literature class. We finished it today and the kids liked it a lot. It was their favorite book so far. The protagonist is Sal who tells the story in the first person. Sal is on a journey to find her Mom who left after a stillbirth to recover in Lewiston, Idaho. What Sal doesn't know is that her Mom died in a bus accident. We have read so many books this year that involve absent mothers. It wasn't by design. It just happened. At the end of the journey, like a life's journey, Sal learns her Mom is dead and that Gram is dead as well. My kids think all stories have happy endings and this is the first one we have read that has a sad ending. They were fine with that. Now that they are ten, they can deal with an unhappy ending. Next week we will begin THE ADVENTURES OF HUCK FINN. I am not sure yet how I will deal with the "nigger" question but I will find a way. I talked about it today and they seemed pretty relaxed. One boy said my Mom let me watch a movie and every other word was the "F" word. He was nonchalant about that. I must say he is a well read mature kid.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I checked this out as part of my Newbery Medal reads ... then it was due and I turned it back in. When I went to visit my fiance's family for Christmas, I was telling my fiance's mom about my Newbery Medal reading and she asked if I'd read this one. I admitted that I'd checked it out, but hadn't yet. She recommended it highly. So I started reading it while I was visiting, as she had it. Then I didn't finish before we left. So when I got home, I checked it out of the library and re-started, and finally got through it. Not that it was bad. I liked it. It does the back and forth different stories thing. And good god there is a sad ending. I haven't read a Newbery Medal winner that is this recent. I would recommend it ... but maybe for only fifth graders and above.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A young thirteen year old girl named Sal copes with her mother suddenly leaving her and her father. She assures Sal that she will return but never does. Sal and her father leave their home in Kentucky and begin a new life in Ohio. There Sal meets and becomes friends with Phoebe whose mother also had left her. When Sal decides to take a trip with her grandparents in hopes to retrace her mother’s steps, Sal tells them all about Phoebe. This book is unique because the author creates a story within a story-the story of Sal, but also the story of Phoebe. The book is entertaining, emotional, and suspenseful, and is a must read for middle school or beginning high school students. It is a perfect book to read together as a class or to have in your library collection.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
     This book shocked me, but in the best way possible. I had no idea that the mother was already dead when Sal went to see her. I was even optimistic when I found out that the bus had flipped and there was only one survivor. The characters were very believable. I can imagine any grandparents wanted to hear interesting stories about their grandchildren. Also, acting like there is all the time in the world for them to explore many great things seems like a set of grandparents that have had a fulfilling life. Phoebe actually was my favorite character. Even though she could be considered “bratty,” her story line and her life with her family created such an intriguing view, that I always wanted to know what happened. At first, I thought that Phoebe’s mother was having an affair with the “lunatic” but was completely shocked when he ended up being Phoebe’s brother. The plot was very easy to follow. You knew when the story was changing from Sal in the car with her grandparents, to Sal’s life with Phoebe and her father. Sal’s grandmother always wanted to hear more about Phoebe’s story so it was an easy transition into the story. The big message in this story was that there will always be surprises. From death, to family, to friendship, anything can happen.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I read Walk Two Moons as part of the "literature circle" for my 6th grade son's class. I went into the read cold, knowing only what was written on the back of the book and the fact that it was a Newberry winner.The basic idea of the story is a teenage girl (Sal) is traveling cross country with her grandparents to try and find her mother. Along the trip they have a few mini-adventures and Sal spends most of the drive-time telling about recent events of her own life as related to a "crazy" friend she had named Phoebe. The title of the book comes from a supposed Indian saying "never judge a man until you've walked two moons in his moccasins." Once that phrase is put out there, it becomes more apparent what the author is doing in this book.The story is very multi-layered. There's the historical story that Sal is telling about her recent past and her interactions with her friends and neighbors, but particularly with her father and the fact that her mom left them to go out west. That narrative thread in itself has multiple layers…the story of Phoebe and her crazy life and the story of Sal and her family and loss. Sal narrates each of these stories and seems unaware of just how parallel her story is to Phoebe's story. Meanwhile, Sal is traveling across the country with her grandparents and many of their interactions along the road area also very insightful into Sal's life story.By having multiple story threads running concurrently, the story arc was able to twist and turn over itself in ways that were obvious while also being thoughtful and not feeling blatant or silly. Still, some of the plot points felt a little heavy handed at times, but generally ok.I found myself going back and forth in terms of my level of enjoyment of this book. There were numerous scenes that pulled at either sad or happy emotions but a lot of the story was a confused sense of exploration. Sal was a fun and funny narrator and made the storytelling compelling but I had a hard time really liking her as a character. I think that was somewhat intentional as she is emotionally a little hardened and withdrawn as a result of recent events. This makes it hard to approach and relate to her, especially since I don't have directly relatable experience. At the same time, I could appreciate and sympathize with her plight and her desire to come to grips with her life.I really liked the way this book played with self exploration through storytelling and narrative. Sal spent the entire book telling stories but what I enjoyed was the fact that she seemed to be learning about herself and uncovering bits of her subconscious without even realizing what she was doing. It wasn't until nearly the end of the book that she seems to come to a sense of awakening to her own emotions and the catharsis that comes in coming face to face with one's self. This is a good, well written read and I definitely feel it deserved the Newberry (granted, I haven't read its competition). The narrative is smooth and flowing and really felt like a good portrayal of a 13 year old girl going through emotional upheaval. In spite of the various predictable elements, there are a number of surprises that can catch you off guard. Add to that the funny anecdotes and witty narrative and you have a good solid book.****3.5 out of 5 stars
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    There are several reasons why I feel this is a good book. For one, I feel the point of view from which the story is told, is imperative to the story’s profound impact. The girl in the story, Sal, has lost her mother in a tragic accident. Like most adolescents, she feels that if she wishes hard enough, her mother will come back to life. Since the story is told from Sal’s point of view, readers are able to emotionally connect with her, when she expresses her grievances about the loss of her mother. In addition to the first person point of view, I also liked how the story pushes readers to think about family tragedy. Often, the life of family members are taken for granite, though in reading this story, readers will take away the thought of how it feels to lose someone loved. The main idea within the story is acceptance. Sal had great difficulty accepting the loss of her mother, as well as the presence of Mrs. Cadaver. The story takes readers through a journey of how one overcomes hurdles, and learns to accept difficult aspects of life.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Can a family still be a family if one of them leaves and never returns? Sal must learn for herself that even through tragedy, love makes a family. This emotionally impacting story will have you crying by the end.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Creech, S. (1996). Walk two moons. New York: HarperCollins Children's Books.This Newbery Medal book tells the story of thirteen-year-old Salamanca Tree Hiddle as she travels across the country with her grandparents. Salamanca is proud of her Indiana heritage and wishes to learn more about it on their trip. The main reason Salamanca is going on this trip is to find her mother who had left years ago and promised to return. She never did return and now Salamanca is on a journey to find the mother she had lost. While on her journey, she shares the story of her best friend Phoebe with her grandparents. Through her cross country adventure and the stories told, Salamanca learns more about herself and her family than she could have ever imagined.This coming of age story is an excellent addition to any young adult library. Teenage girls would find this story most interesting. This could also be a great book for a book club depending on the number of boys and girls involved in the club.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This chapter book was an absolute breeze to read, because the story was like nothing I had ever read before. It had every necessary aspect to draw a reader in, love, hate, sadness, happiness and mystery. Creech used interwoven story, past and present interaction and well developed characters in order to convey her main message. She chose to incorporate a number of stories within this one book, these stories included Sal’s story of her mother, Phoebe’s family story and a number of Greek and Native American myths. This adds depth to Sal’s story and makes her journey to see her mother all the more interesting for readers. Creech also allows the past to interact with the present. Throughout Sal’s story, it is interrupted by smaller stories that happened in her past. This creates depth within Sal’s character. Each of the stories tells more of her past, her everyday experiences, people she has met, everything that makes Sal who she is. This allows readers to feel connected to Sal since they know so much about her. These three choices alone are enough to show readers Creech’s message that our stories are what makes us who we are. Everything we experience is what creates the person we become.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This novel explores family relationships and death and grief in such real ways, but without becoming overwhelming. Ms. Creech introduces characters that are funny but also real. Also, the story reveals its truth little by little, in much the same way that one learns to see things from someone else's perspective. It is sometimes hard to do, but as we keep looking at things, suddenly they begin to make sense.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I really enjoyed this chapter book written by Sharon Creech. One of my favorite aspects of the book was how the author engages all five senses within her writing. The main character, Sal, uses all five senses when she is observing things. For example, when Sal is talking about the things she has of her mother’s she describes the “red, fringed shawl; a blue sweater; and a yellow-flowered cotton dress that was always [her] favorite. These things had her smell on them.” Not only does Sal describe what she sees but also the smell of the items. The reader can see and smell them as well this enhances the understanding of her mother. Another aspect of the novel I liked was the point of view/narration of the story. Sal narrates the story for the reader. She is a wonderful narrator become she notices everything and is constantly observing the world around her. For instance, Sal could immediately tell that Mrs. Winterbottom was unhappy even when others couldn’t. Finally I really enjoyed the tone within the chapter book. The book has empathetic, mournful, and optimistic tones. My favorite part is when Sal describes how that even though there are murders and kidnappers in the world, most people are a lot like her. This gives a sense of hope in the story. The big idea/message of this story is written within the story. Don’t judge a man until you’ve walked two moons in his moccasins.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was a very lovely book. The characters are realistic (I particularly liked Sal's grandparents), and Sal's journey (literal and figurative) towards understanding why her mother left her is poignant. Some reviews I've read talk about how you can learn about Native American culture from this book, and while that may be true, I liked it simply for the characters and the story.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I really enjoyed this moving story of love and loss. What caught my attention right away about the story was that Salamanca, the main character, was apart of the Indian culture but the story was not based around that part of her life. The author made good use of the story to include it in the background of her life in the beginning for the reader and include small details here and there but not let it tell the deeper story behind Salamanca. For example, the author included how her long dark hair makes her different but she then becomes friends with Phoebe, which changes her life. I also liked the how the story is told from Salamanca to entertain her grandparents on their road trip. Salamanca’s story leads up to where he grandparents are going which is her mother’s grave. For example, throughout the story Salamanca is frustrated how her and her father moved and she wishes her mother would come back and in the end of the story she finally meets back up with her mother.The big idea of this book is about the powerful use of love. The author shows love through Salamanca’s grandparent’s funny, crazy relationship. The author also uses Salamanca’s love she has towards her mother and father and compares her relationships to her friend phoebe’s relationships.

Book preview

Walk Two Moons - Sharon Creech

Chapter 1

A Face at the Window

Gramps says that I am a country girl at heart, and that is true. I have lived most of my thirteen years in Bybanks, Kentucky, which is not much more than a caboodle of houses roosting in a green spot alongside the Ohio River. Just over a year ago, my father plucked me up like a weed and took me and all our belongings (no, that is not true—he did not bring the chestnut tree, the willow, the maple, the hayloft, or the swimming hole, which all belonged to me) and we drove three hundred miles straight north and stopped in front of a house in Euclid, Ohio.

No trees? I said. This is where we’re going to live?

No, my father said. This is Margaret’s house.

The front door of the house opened and a lady with wild red hair stood there. I looked up and down the street. The houses were all jammed together like a row of birdhouses. In front of each house was a tiny square of grass, and in front of that was a thin gray sidewalk running alongside a gray road.

Where’s the barn? I asked. The river? The swimming hole?

Oh, Sal, my father said. Come on. There’s Margaret. He waved to the lady at the door.

We have to go back. I forgot something.

The lady with the wild red hair opened the door and came out onto the porch.

In the back of my closet, I said, under the floorboards. I put something there, and I’ve got to have it.

Don’t be a goose. Come and see Margaret.

I did not want to see Margaret. I stood there, looking around, and that’s when I saw the face pressed up against an upstairs window next door. It was a round girl’s face, and it looked afraid. I didn’t know it then, but that face belonged to Phoebe Winterbottom, a girl who had a powerful imagination, who would become my friend, and who would have many peculiar things happen to her.

Not long ago, when I was locked in a car with my grandparents for six days, I told them the story of Phoebe, and when I finished telling them—or maybe even as I was telling them—I realized that the story of Phoebe was like the plaster wall in our old house in Bybanks, Kentucky.

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.

The reason that Phoebe’s story reminds me of that plaster wall and the hidden fireplace is that beneath Phoebe’s story was another one. Mine.

Chapter 2

The Chickabiddy Starts a Story

It was after all the adventures of Phoebe that my grandparents came up with a plan to drive from Kentucky to Ohio, where they would pick me up, and then the three of us would drive two thousand miles west to Lewiston, Idaho. This is how I came to be locked in a car with them for nearly a week. It was not a trip that I was eager to take, but it was one I had to take.

Gramps had said, We’ll see the whole ding-dong country!

Gram squeezed my cheeks and said, This trip will give me a chance to be with my favorite chickabiddy again. I am, by the way, their only chickabiddy.

My father said that Gram couldn’t read maps worth a hill of beans, and that he was grateful that I had agreed to go along and help them find their way. I was only thirteen, and although I did have a way with maps, it was not really because of that skill that I was going, nor was it to see the whole ding-dong country that Gram and Gramps were going. The real reasons were buried beneath piles and piles of unsaid things.

Some of the real reasons were:

1. Gram and Gramps wanted to see Momma, who was resting peacefully in Lewiston, Idaho.

2. Gram and Gramps knew that I wanted to see Momma, but that I was afraid to.

3. Dad wanted to be alone with the red-headed Margaret Cadaver. He had already seen Momma, and he had not taken me.

Also—although this wasn’t as important—Dad did not trust Gram and Gramps to behave themselves along the way unless they had me with them. Dad said that if they tried to go on their own, he would save everyone a lot of time and embarrassment by calling the police and having them arrested before they even left the driveway. It might sound a bit extreme for a man to call the police on his own tottery old parents, but when my grandparents got in a car, trouble just naturally followed them like a filly trailing behind a mare.

My grandparents Hiddle were my father’s parents, full up to the tops of their heads with goodness and sweetness, and mixed in with all that goodness and sweetness was a large dash of peculiarity. This combination made them interesting to know, but you could never predict what they would do or say.

Once it was settled that the three of us would go, the journey took on an alarming, expanding need to hurry that was like a walloping great thundercloud assembling around me. During the week before we left, the sound of the wind was hurry, hurry, hurry, and at night even the silent darkness whispered rush, rush, rush. I did not think we would ever leave, and yet I did not want to leave. I did not really expect to survive the trip.

But I had decided to go and I would go, and I had to be there by my mother’s birthday. This was extremely important. I believed that if there was any chance to bring my mother back home it would happen on her birthday. If I had said this aloud to my father or to my grandparents, they would have said that I might as well try to catch a fish in the air, so I did not say it aloud. But I believed it. Sometimes I am as ornery and stubborn as an old donkey. My father says I lean on broken reeds and will get a face full of swamp mud one day.

When at last Gram and Gramps Hiddle and I set out that first day of the trip, I prayed for the first thirty minutes solid. I prayed that we would not be in an accident (I was terrified of cars and buses) and that we would get there by my mother’s birthday—seven days away—and that we would bring her home. Over and over, I prayed the same thing. I prayed to trees. This was easier than praying directly to God. There was nearly always a tree nearby.

As we pulled onto the Ohio Turnpike, which is the flattest, straightest piece of road in God’s whole creation, Gram interrupted my prayers. Salamanca—

I should explain right off that my real name is Salamanca Tree Hiddle. Salamanca, my parents thought, was the name of the Indian tribe to which my great-great-grandmother belonged. My parents were mistaken. The name of the tribe was Seneca, but since my parents did not discover their error until after I was born and they were, by then, used to my name, it remained Salamanca.

My middle name, Tree, comes from your basic tree, a thing of such beauty to my mother that she made it part of my name. She wanted to be more specific and use Sugar Maple Tree, her very favorite, but Salamanca Sugar Maple Tree Hiddle was a bit much even for her.

My mother used to call me Salamanca, but after she left, only my grandparents Hiddle called me Salamanca (when they were not calling me chickabiddy). To most other people, I was Sal, and to a few boys who thought they were especially amusing, I was Salamander.

In the car, as we started our long journey to Lewiston, Idaho, my grandmother Hiddle said, Salamanca, why don’t you entertain us?

What sort of thing did you have in mind?

Gramps said, How about a story? Spin us a yarn.

I certainly do know heaps of stories, but I learned most of them from Gramps. Gram suggested I tell one about my mother. That I could not do. I had just reached the point where I could stop thinking about her every minute of every day.

Gramps said, Well then, what about your friends? You got any tales to tell about them?

Instantly, Phoebe Winterbottom came to mind. There was certainly a hog’s belly full of things to tell about her. I could tell you an extensively strange story, I warned.

Oh, good! Gram said. Delicious!

And that is how I happened to suspend my tree prayers and tell them about Phoebe Winterbottom, her disappearing mother, and the lunatic.

Chapter 3

Bravery

Because I first saw Phoebe on the day my father and I moved to Euclid, I began my story of Phoebe with the visit to the red-headed Margaret Cadaver’s, where I also met Mrs. Partridge, her elderly mother. Margaret nearly fell over herself being nice to me. What lovely hair, she said, and Aren’t you sweet! I was not sweet that day. I was being particularly ornery. I wouldn’t sit down and I wouldn’t look at Margaret.

As we were leaving, Margaret whispered to my father, John, have you told her yet—how we met?

My father looked uncomfortable. No, he said. I tried—but she doesn’t want to know.

Now that was the truth, absolutely. Who cares? I thought. Who cares how he met Margaret Cadaver?

When at last we left Mrs. Cadaver and Mrs. Partridge, we drove for approximately three minutes. Two blocks from Margaret Cadaver’s was the place where my father and I were now going to live.

Tiny, squirt trees. Little birdhouses in a row—and one of those birdhouses was ours. No swimming hole, no barn, no cows, no chickens, no pigs. Instead, a little white house with a miniature patch of green grass in front of it. It wasn’t enough grass to keep a cow alive for five minutes.

Let’s take a tour, my father said, rather too heartily.

We walked through the tiny living room into the miniature kitchen and upstairs into my father’s pint-sized bedroom and on into my pocket-sized bedroom and into the wee bathroom. I looked out the upstairs window down into the backyard. Half of the tiny yard was a cement patio and the other half was another patch of grass that our imaginary cow would devour in two bites. There was a tall wooden fence all around the yard, and to the left and right of our yard were other, identical fenced plots.

After the moving van arrived and two men crammed our Bybanks furniture into our birdhouse, my father and I inched into the living room, crawling over sofas and chairs and tables and boxes, boxes, boxes. Mm, my father said. It looks as if we tried to squeeze all the animals into the chicken coop.

Three days later, I started school and saw Phoebe again. She was in my class. Most of the kids in my new school spoke in quick, sharp bursts and dressed in stiff, new clothes and wore braces on their teeth. Most girls wore their hair in exactly the same way: in a shoulder-length bob (that’s what they called it) with long bangs that they repeatedly shook out of their eyes. We once had a horse who did that.

Everybody kept touching my hair. Don’t you ever cut it? they said. Can you sit on it? How do you wash it? Is it naturally black like that? Do you use conditioner? I couldn’t tell if they liked my hair or if they thought I looked like a whang-doodle.

One girl, Mary Lou Finney, said the most peculiar things, like out of the blue she would say, Omnipotent! or Beef brain! I couldn’t make any sense of it. There were Megan and Christy, who jumped up and down like parched peas, moody Beth Ann, and pink-cheeked Alex. There was Ben, who drew cartoons all day long, and a peculiar English teacher named Mr. Birkway.

And then there was Phoebe Winterbottom. Ben called her Free Bee Ice Bottom and drew a picture of a bumblebee with an ice cube on its bottom. Phoebe tore it up.

Phoebe was a quiet girl who stayed mostly by herself. She had a pleasant round face and huge, enormous sky-blue eyes. Around this pleasant round face, her hair—as yellow as a crow’s foot—curled in short ringlets.

During that first week, when my father and I were at Margaret’s (we ate dinner there three times that week), I saw Phoebe’s face twice more at her window. Once I waved at her, but she didn’t seem to notice, and at school she never mentioned that she had seen me.

Then one day at lunch, she slid into the seat next to me and said, Sal, you’re so courageous. You’re ever so brave.

To tell you the truth, I was surprised. You could have knocked me over with a chicken feather. Me? I’m not brave, I said.

You are. You are brave.

I was not. I, Salamanca Tree Hiddle, was afraid of lots and lots of things. For example, I was terrified of car accidents, death, cancer, brain tumors, nuclear war, pregnant women, loud noises, strict teachers, elevators, and scads of other things. But I was not afraid of spiders, snakes, and wasps. Phoebe, and nearly everyone else in my new class, did not have much fondness for these creatures.

But on that day, when a dignified black spider was investigating my desk, I cupped my hands around it, carried it to the open window, and set it outside on the ledge. Mary Lou Finney said, Alpha and Omega, will you look at that! Beth Ann was as white as milk. All around the room, people were acting as if I had singlehandedly taken on a fire-breathing dragon.

What I have since realized is that if people expect you to be brave, sometimes you pretend that you are, even when you are frightened down to your very bones. But this was later, during the whole thing with Phoebe’s lunatic, that I realized this.

At this point in my story, Gram interrupted me to say, Why, Salamanca, of course you’re brave. All the Hiddles are brave. It’s a family trait. Look at your daddy—your momma—

Momma’s not a real Hiddle, I said.

She practically is, Gram said. "You can’t be married to a Hiddle that long and not become a Hiddle."

That is not what my mother used to say. She would tell my father, You Hiddles are a mystery to me. I’ll never be a true Hiddle. She did not say this proudly. She said it as if she were sorry about it, as if it were some sort of failing in her.

My mother’s parents—my other set of grandparents—are Pickfords, and they are as unlike my grandparents Hiddle as a donkey is unlike a pickle. Grandmother and Grandfather Pickford stand straight up, as if sturdy, steel poles ran down their backs. They wear starched, ironed clothing, and when they are shocked or surprised (which is often), they say, Really? Is that so? and their eyes open wide and their mouths turn down at the corners.

Once I asked my mother why Grandmother and Grandfather Pickford never laughed. My mother said, They’re just so busy being respectable. It takes a lot of concentration to be that respectable. And then my mother laughed and laughed, in a gentle way, and you could tell her own spine was not made of steel because she bent in half, laughing and laughing.

My mother said that Grandmother Pickford’s one act of defiance in her whole life as a Pickford was in naming her. Grandmother Pickford, whose own name is Gayfeather, named my mother Chanhassen. It’s an Indian name, meaning tree sweet juice, or—in other words—maple sugar. Only Grandmother Pickford ever called my mother by her Indian name, though. Everyone else called my mother Sugar.

Most of the time, my mother seemed nothing like her parents at all, and it was hard for me to imagine that she had come

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