Moo, Reviewed by Carlye Bryant, 11

“The truth is, she was ornery and stubborn, wouldn’t listen to anybody, and selfish beyond selfish, and filthy, caked with mud and dust, and moody: you’d better watch out or she’d knock you flat.”

That was the first line I read when I opened the book Moo by Sharon Creech. Ever since I opened the book and read that line I wasn’t able to put the book down.

The book Moo is about a small family of four. Lucas, Reena, and their mother and father. But their small family of four had run into a big problem! Their father and mother had lost their jobs. Because of their mother and father’s unemployment, they decided that they were going to move in search of a better job.

A few weeks later they were living the dream in their new house in Maine. Well, at least their parents were. Since it was summer vacation their parents thought it would be a great idea to get a job. So, Reena and Lucas were put to work at Mrs. Falala's farm next door. Mrs. Falala was the meanest old lady on the block.

For weeks on end Reena and Lucas worked their boring days at Mrs. Falala's house. Until they meet Zora...

I do have to admit there were some boring parts in the story but despite that Moo is now one of my top 5 favorite books. If I had to rate this book out of five stars I would give it a five! One reason why I like this book so much is because the books format is different than most. Sharon Creech decided to write the book in poetic form. Every time someone had a different feeling the letters would move in the way of the emotion. Instead of paragraphs there would be stanzas.

I can relate to this story in many ways but one of the most relatable subjects was about Mrs. Falala. When Reena and Lucas were not the biggest fans of Mrs. Falala, they said she was mean. But eventually they warmed up to her.

I can relate to this because once in kindergarten I had the meanest teacher ever (so I thought) but on the last day of school I realized I really missed her.

All in all, I love this realistic-fiction book and if you’re looking for the best book in the world this is the book to read.

Extras: Sharon Creech has written many other books such as Wanderer which got a Newbery Honor and Walk Two Moons which won the Newbery Medal.

Moo by Sharon Creech. Harper Collins, 2017. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process!