Review: Moo

Book: Moo
Author: Sharon Creech

Basic plot: Reena and Luke move to Maine with their mom and dad. Pretty much on a whim. They instantly go from being city kids to country kids when they begin to help a crotchety old lady named Mrs. Falala with her ornery cow, Zora.

WHAT’S COOL…

1) The relationship between Reena and Luke is nice. I like how their parents insist on the kids’ need to be respectful to their elders. Even crotchety old ladies.

2) The book is told very simply. Yet the characters are well-rounded. Zora the cow is a character in her own right!

3) **SPOILER: Reena shows Zora at the Fair. I liked how Zora takes off just as she first appears before the judges and Reena has to chase her. Obviously, this is a completely mortifying experience. But Reena gets “back up on that horse” once she has calmed Zora down. She ends up showing Zora for the next category of judging. I’m glad Zora doesn’t magically win. (She only gets fourth place. Good job, Zora!) END SPOILER

4) **SPOILER: Of course, Mrs. Falala dies near the end of the book. That wasn’t much of a surprise to me. But the secret of her upstairs room (or for that matter, how she wants and learns to draw)… I didn’t see that coming. Which is good 🙂 END SPOILER