Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech Chapters 1-18

After reading the first 18 chapters of Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech, I was intrigued by the beautiful writing style and descriptive word choice. So far in the book, Salamanca (the main character in the book) and her grandparents go on a road trip from Bybanks, Kentucky to Lewiston, Idaho to see Sal's deceased mother's grave. Her father agrees to this trip because he has already seen the grave and wants to be alone with Margaret Cadaver, his now girlfriend.

Some time ago, Sal's mother went on a trip in a bus, taking the same route as the one Sal and her grandparents are taking on their road trip now. Then, through some horrific accident, Sal's mom passes away. This has deeply affected Sal and her father. Sal's father is obviously very sad about losing his wife and I believe he is trying to find happiness with another woman, namely, Margaret Cadaver. It has also affected Sal. Sal now can feel by herself now. When her mother was alive, Sal always felt what her mom felt. Now, she can be happy when she wants to. Also, understandably, whenever Sal is reminded of her deceased mother , she remembers a single event that has something to do with the object. Like how eating blackberry pie reminds Sal of her mother's love of blackberries. All these memories make her sad.

Back to the road trip. To pass the time, Sal's grandparents ask her to tell them a story. Therefore, Sal begins to spin a yarn about her time in Euclid, Ohio, where Margaret has found her father a new job. There Sal makes friends with her next-door neighbors, the Winterbottoms. The youngest of the Winterbottoms, Phoebe, is her best friend in Euclid. Phoebe is very paranoid and sees danger everywhere. One time, when a young man came to her door, seeking Mrs. Winterbottom, mostly because of her paranoia , possibly because he was a stranger seeking her mom, and how she thought he might have a knife hidden in his tight jeans. She also thought he looked the right type/age to be a crazy,"escaped lunatic" who would jump into her house and slaughter them all. So far, I have found Walk Two Moons to be an enjoyable book that I am eager to complete and find out what happens next.