Moon Over Manifest
by Clare Vanderpool
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
About the Book
Abilene Tucker feels abandoned. Her father has put her on a train, sending her off to live with an old friend for the summer while he works a railroad job. Armed only with a few possessions and her list of universals, Abilene jumps off the train in Manifest, Kansas, aiming to learn about the boy her father once was.
Having heard stories about Manifest, Abilene is disappointed to find that it’s just a dried-up, worn-out old town. But her disappointment quickly turns to excitement when she discovers a hidden cigar box full of mementos, including some old letters that mention a spy known as the Rattler. These mysterious letters send Abilene and her new friends, Lettie and Ruthanne, on an honest-to-goodness spy hunt, even though they are warned to “Leave Well Enough Alone.”
Abilene throws all caution aside when she heads down the mysterious Path to Perdition to pay a debt to the reclusive Miss Sadie, a diviner who only tells stories from the past. It seems that Manifest’s history is full of colorful and shadowy characters—and long-held secrets. The more Abilene hears, the more determined she is to learn just what role her father played in that history. And as Manifest’s secrets are laid bare one by one, Abilene begins to weave her own story into the fabric of the town.
Powerful in its simplicity and rich in historical detail, Clare Vanderpool’s debut is a gripping story of loss and redemption.
My Thoughts
I was pulled into the story line right away, but then found myself having a hard time staying with it. Eventually I did get back into it and I found the book to be well done overall, although not at the top of my list.
I thought the author did a nice job of portraying the main time period during the Great Depression, along with the interlinked story based on the time just after the first World War.
As I am starting to read through the Newbery Winners, I am trying to imagine how I would have responded to the book as a sixth or seventh grader, and I believe I would have probably given the book 4 stars at that age.
Note: This is Book #90 of my 2011 Reads (master list here) and also part of my personal Newbery Medal Winners Reading Challenge.
I'm a mom with Asperger's raising an amazing son with autism, which means I'm basically the case manager/advocate/cheerleader/chauffeur. The rest of the time, you can usually find me with my nose in a book!
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Yeah, I felt similarly about this one. Here’s my review: http://www.hopeisthewordblog.com/2011/10/25/october-2011-nightstand/