Moo: A Novel

Moo (2016) is a coming-of-age novel by Sharon Creech. Moo, which uses a mixture of prose and poetry, follows 12-year-old Reena—the protagonist and narrator—and her family as they move to coastal Maine from New York City. Over the course of a few months, Reena and her family adjust to life in their new environment. They meet an eccentric older woman, Mrs. Falala, and her menagerie of animals. Reena takes responsibility for Mrs. Falala’s cow, Zora, and shows Zora at a local fair. In adjusting to a new environment, learning how to deal with the eccentric Mrs. Falala, and forming a relationship with the stubborn Zora, Reena develops into a more confident person.

Sharon Creech incorporates details from her life into her writing. Creech grew up in the suburbs outside of Cleveland, Ohio, and fondly remembers family trips to more rural environments—especially working on her cousins’ farm in Quincy, Kentucky. Her love of this farm influences the settings of many of her works, including Moo. As a child, Creech wished that she could draw, and she had dreams of being a reporter. In Moo, Luke, Reena’s brother, is an artist, and Reena’s parents were reporters. Creech also lives in Maine, the primary setting of Moo. Creech is a prolific writing with many celebrated works, and she received the prestigious Newbery Award for Walk Two Moons, as well as the Carnegie Medal for Ruby Holler.

This study guide refers to the 2016 first paperback edition, published by HarperCollins Children’s Books.

Plot Summary

Reena is a 12-year-old born-and-raised New Yorker. When her parents decide that the family—Reena, her seven-year-old brother, Luke, and their mom and dad—will move from New York to Maine, Reena is excited and worried. Reena sees both good and bad qualities in the city. She is ready to live somewhere more peaceful and pictures herself enjoying the beautiful Maine coast, but she worries that she will not fit in.

Maine is welcoming, and the family settles into a rented house in a small harbor town. The children see their first farm complete with cows, and Reena is overwhelmed by their size and loud noises. Reena’s mother meets an elderly woman, Mrs. Falala, who lives alone. She sends her husband and children to Mrs. Falala’s house to drop off some books, but the woman jerks Luke inside her house and refuses the books, sending the family home. Because their father has told them to be respectful to the elderly woman, Luke does not protest, but Reena knows how upset her younger brother is during this encounter.

Reena and Luke continue to explore their new town. They meet a boy and a girl, about Reena’s age, working with the Belted Galloway cattle at Birchmere Farm. The girl is called “Beat,” and the boy is called “Zep.” Reena is intrigued by their work clothes and skill with the cows. When Luke and Reena are sent back to Mrs. Falala’s with more books, Reena speaks rudely to Mrs. Falala when defending her brother. Reena’s parents smooth the incident over by volunteering Reena and Luke to help Mrs. Falala keep her barn clean and care for her cow, Zora. Both Luke and Reena are disgusted by the barnyard smells and frightened of the huge cow, but Reena is determined to prove she can handle both Mrs. Falala and Zora, who are both stubborn and sometimes mean.

Both Reena and Luke enjoy the natural beauty and pace of life in their town. Reena is dismayed that Mrs. Falala expects her to learn how to show Zora in competitions at local fairs. Determined to rise to the occasion, she enlists the help of Beat and Zep, who agree to teach her. Mrs. Falala gives Luke and Reena work clothes, which makes them feel like they fit in. Luke begins to teach Mrs. Falala how to draw. Reena realizes that part of what makes Zora so ornery is that she is lonely. Although Reena is embarrassed, she explains this realization to Zep, Beat, and the owners of Birchmere Farm. They decide to bring one of Zep’s cows to Mrs. Falala’s as a companion for Zora. Mrs. Falala initially resists, but she finally agrees.

Zep brings his cow, Yolanda, to Mrs. Falala’s, and he visits for an hour a day himself, training Reena. Reena has a crush on Zep. One day, Zep arrives saddened by the unexpected death of one of the cows at Birchmere Farm. Luke and Reena learn that most of the cattle are destined to be slaughtered for meat. It is the first time they have confronted where meat actually comes from. They propose that their family becomes vegetarian, and Mrs. Falala promises that none of her animals will ever be killed for meat.

Zep, Reena, and Reena’s family head to the fairgrounds. Reena is embarrassed when, during her first entry into the ring with Zora, Zora bolts and runs loose through the fairgrounds. This causes her to miss the showmanship category for her division, but the breed judging goes much better. She places fourth, and her family is proud. Reena is unsure whether Mrs. Falala would be proud of her and decides not to risk spoiling the day by stopping to tell Mrs. Falala about the fair.

The next day, Reena’s parents get a call from Mrs. Falala’s attorney, Mr. Colley, who asks them to come to Mrs. Falala’s house. Luke and Reena wait at home, worried that something bad has happened to either Mrs. Falala or Zora. Their parents return home to pick them up: Mrs. Falala is missing, and the children need to tend her animals and help with the search. Reena thinks to look in the attic, where they find Mrs. Falala, deceased. The family learns that Mrs. Falala left them her animals in her will. At first, it seems they will not be able to take care of them, because they do not have anywhere to keep them. They cannot afford to buy Mrs. Falala’s home. Reena figures out the solution: Mr. Colley buys Mrs. Falala’s place, and Reena’s family moves in so that her father can work as the caretaker, and she and Luke can tend to the animals.