Initial Impressions (re-read) 5/17/14: OMG legit ugly cried at the end. That was so special to re-read. I can't remember at what age I originally read this but it was sooo amazing to read something I read as an eleven year old or twelve year old and still have it resonate so much at 27. Although maybe even more so BECAUSE I had a childhood connection to it. But so amazing. For sure still one of my all time favorites. 
 Full review originally posted on The Book Addict's Guide: Re-reads don't always go well, especially when I'm hand-selecting books that gave me the feels even back when I was a pre-teen, so when I chose to re-read WALK TWO MOONS after 10+ years, of course I was a little nervous. This was one book I read as a kid and immediately fell in love with. It's something that I kept recommending even as an adult, but obviously tastes change over the years and I wondered if this book still held its weight and significance in my life even as an adult so when the mood struck me one day to finally start my re-read, I knew it was time. 
 Thankfully, I had nothing to fear. I've actually only read one other book from Sharon Creech since my initial read of WALK TWO MOONS back in the day and it was beautiful but not phenomenal so I was a bit scared to re-read, wondering if the book would have lost its magic. The minute I started reading, I was reliving a piece of my childhood. The book brought me right back to where I had hoped it would. 
 Once again, I fell in love with Sal's story. I think I connected with it in a whole different way, better understanding why her mother left and how the things in her life really affected her mental state. It's even more heartbreaking reading it all over again -- not only because I already knew the outcome, but because I just was better able to comprehend exactly how complicated Sal's mother's life was and how you don't really understand things like that to their fullest extent when you're only twelve. Sal knew that something was going on with her mother, but it was hard for her to see exactly how deep that ran, especially when her parents were trying to protect her and hide it from her. 
 The writing and story telling still felt as magical as when I first read it. I have to admit, I was a bit like Sal with my tendencies to hurry and rush because I was so excited to complete the re-read. I had actually forgotten the big plot points that are revealed in the end so it was exciting that the book was still new to me in that way as well. I cried ugly tears at the very end of this book. I knew how it ended and I had to prepare myself for it but it was a whole other ballgame when I came upon an incident I had forgotten about and I was SO shocked by it. I literally had to go upstairs and pull myself together. I wonder if it just brought so many feelings back from my childhood as well, and that's why I felt everything in this book so strongly! 
 Re-read or not, I know that I can recommend this book to anyone now and feel confident that my feelings are still as they once were. I'm still in love with this book and it was so wonderful to reconnect with that point in my childhood again! It really was like coming home.