BIBLIOGRAPHY
Vanderpool, Clare. Moon Over Manifest. New York: Delacorte Press, 2010.
ISBN: 9780385738835
PLOT SUMMARY
Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool was about a 12 year old girl named Abilene Tucker who was sent to live in Manifest, Kansas during the summer of 1936 by her father, Gideon. Wanting to learn more about her father and why he sent her to Manifest to live with a man named Shady, Abilene set out on a journey to learn more about him, but was initially disappointed to not be able to attain much information at her request. As the story unfolded, however, Abilene made new discoveries that involved secrets and mysteries that had been hidden in the town since 1918. These mysteries and secrets helped Abilene and her friends become spy hunters. As a result, Abilene learned a lot about the people and the town of Manifest while weaving her own story which included the town, her father, and her own life.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Moon Over Manifest was a historical fiction novel that represented the genre well. The characters were authentic to the 1918 and 1936 time periods and were also able to be identified with by the reader. Abilene Tucker was a grounded girl who lived in 1936 and was curious about the past and present while wanting to understand the world around her and the life her father had lived as a child.
As for the plot and setting, the reader was able to follow the two different stories that were woven throughout the novel easily, because the author created a clear pattern of events and labeled each specific time period and setting. This was helpful to all readers, young and old, and the author also integrated a clear distinction between the two settings for the readers with 1918 having prohibition and World War I, while 1936 had the Great Depression. Throughout the novel, the author provided many facts, along with a list of suggested readings to support the authenticity of the time period to keep the reader's attention.
Major themes in the novel had to do with loss and redemption, which are universal themes. Many characters lost loved ones through death or separation, but the reader was able to identify the redemptive characters by the end. The whole town of Manifest was restored with the characters moving forward with the times and not hanging onto the past, like it was going to come after them and harm them, which seemed to be the concern at the beginning of the novel.
The style of the novel represented the historical times well and was woven together to create an interesting and informative read. Newspaper clippings were shown throughout the novel, and the readers were constantly reminded of the times, because of the listed dates on each page. Some of the things talked about in the novel: the Ku Klux Klan, prohibition, the Model T Ford, milkmen, use of letter writing, telegraphs, cigar boxes, etc also added to the early 1900s style of writing. Readers were also introduced to the fact that people in Kansas generally don't say “y'all,” but “you all.” All of these things helped add to the authenticity of the story and were well documented with suggested readings and author's notes.
As an end result, this historical fiction novel was a well-written balance of fact and fiction. It demonstrated the times through the life of each character and kept the reader's attention, to the point that they wanted to keep reading until the end.
REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Kathleen Isaacs (Booklist, Oct. 15, 2010 (Vol. 107, No. 4))
Starred Review* After a life of riding the rails with her father, 12-year-old Abilene can’t understand why he has sent her away to stay with Pastor Shady Howard in Manifest, Missouri, a town he left years earlier; but over the summer she pieces together his story. In 1936, Manifest is a town worn down by sadness, drought, and the Depression, but it is more welcoming to newcomers than it was in 1918, when it was a conglomeration of coal-mining immigrants who were kept apart by habit, company practice, and prejudice. Abilene quickly finds friends and uncovers a local mystery. Their summerlong “spy hunt” reveals deep-seated secrets and helps restore residents’ faith in the bright future once promised on the town’s sign. Abilene’s first-person narrative is intertwined with newspaper columns from 1917 to 1918 and stories told by a diviner, Miss Sadie, while letters home from a soldier fighting in WWI add yet another narrative layer. Vanderpool weaves humor and sorrow into a complex tale involving murders, orphans, bootlegging, and a mother in hiding. With believable dialogue, vocabulary and imagery appropriate to time and place, and well-developed characters, this rich and rewarding first novel is “like sucking on a butterscotch. Smooth and sweet.” Grades 5-8
Starred Review* After a life of riding the rails with her father, 12-year-old Abilene can’t understand why he has sent her away to stay with Pastor Shady Howard in Manifest, Missouri, a town he left years earlier; but over the summer she pieces together his story. In 1936, Manifest is a town worn down by sadness, drought, and the Depression, but it is more welcoming to newcomers than it was in 1918, when it was a conglomeration of coal-mining immigrants who were kept apart by habit, company practice, and prejudice. Abilene quickly finds friends and uncovers a local mystery. Their summerlong “spy hunt” reveals deep-seated secrets and helps restore residents’ faith in the bright future once promised on the town’s sign. Abilene’s first-person narrative is intertwined with newspaper columns from 1917 to 1918 and stories told by a diviner, Miss Sadie, while letters home from a soldier fighting in WWI add yet another narrative layer. Vanderpool weaves humor and sorrow into a complex tale involving murders, orphans, bootlegging, and a mother in hiding. With believable dialogue, vocabulary and imagery appropriate to time and place, and well-developed characters, this rich and rewarding first novel is “like sucking on a butterscotch. Smooth and sweet.” Grades 5-8
Heather N. Kolich (Children's Literature)
Like the rocking of the train twelve-year-old Abilene Tucker rides into town, the motion of this story never stops. Uncoupling her from his vagabond life on the road, Abilene's father has sent her to spend the summer of 1936 in Manifest, Kansas, a place she knows only from his descriptions, with a shady character from his past. Through the hot, dry days, Abilene searches for traces of her father in the town's history, some old letters, and a stack of newspapers from 1917. At the same time, she and her two new friends, Lettie and Ruthanne, search for clues to the identity of a spy from World War I days--whenever Abilene is not working off a debt to the mysterious and reclusive town diviner, Miss Sadie. As the days spin out, so do Miss Sadie's stories of the past, bringing Abilene closer to knowing her father, even as her suspicions grow that he does not plan to come fetch her at the end of the summer. Abilene works some magic on the townspeople, bringing them together as they try to embrace her and convince her to stay on. But Abilene desperately wants to be with her father. Can she work a little magic--or pull off enough of a con--to convince him to come to Manifest? The story weaves easily from present to past and back again, gripping the reader in both stories. Alternately set between World War I and The Great Depression, the story is sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, and sometimes poignantly sad, but page after page, it is hard to put down. 2010, Delacorte Press/Random House, $16.99. Ages 10 and up.
Like the rocking of the train twelve-year-old Abilene Tucker rides into town, the motion of this story never stops. Uncoupling her from his vagabond life on the road, Abilene's father has sent her to spend the summer of 1936 in Manifest, Kansas, a place she knows only from his descriptions, with a shady character from his past. Through the hot, dry days, Abilene searches for traces of her father in the town's history, some old letters, and a stack of newspapers from 1917. At the same time, she and her two new friends, Lettie and Ruthanne, search for clues to the identity of a spy from World War I days--whenever Abilene is not working off a debt to the mysterious and reclusive town diviner, Miss Sadie. As the days spin out, so do Miss Sadie's stories of the past, bringing Abilene closer to knowing her father, even as her suspicions grow that he does not plan to come fetch her at the end of the summer. Abilene works some magic on the townspeople, bringing them together as they try to embrace her and convince her to stay on. But Abilene desperately wants to be with her father. Can she work a little magic--or pull off enough of a con--to convince him to come to Manifest? The story weaves easily from present to past and back again, gripping the reader in both stories. Alternately set between World War I and The Great Depression, the story is sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, and sometimes poignantly sad, but page after page, it is hard to put down. 2010, Delacorte Press/Random House, $16.99. Ages 10 and up.
Annette M. Mills (Library Media Connection, June 2011)
Twelve-year-old Abilene is determined to figure out the many mysteries of Manifest, Kansas, the town in which her father, Gideon, grew up. He sends Abilene to spend the summer of 1936 with a friend in this small town. It doesn’t take Abilene long to make friends and discoveries. She does this with the help of the diviner, Miss Sadie, and the “interim pastor,” Shady. All of the characters are well defined, unique, and mysterious. They include the evil owner of the coal mine, Sister Redempta (teacher and midwife), and Hattie Mae, who has been writing a gossip column since 1918. Abilene finds a box of
Twelve-year-old Abilene is determined to figure out the many mysteries of Manifest, Kansas, the town in which her father, Gideon, grew up. He sends Abilene to spend the summer of 1936 with a friend in this small town. It doesn’t take Abilene long to make friends and discoveries. She does this with the help of the diviner, Miss Sadie, and the “interim pastor,” Shady. All of the characters are well defined, unique, and mysterious. They include the evil owner of the coal mine, Sister Redempta (teacher and midwife), and Hattie Mae, who has been writing a gossip column since 1918. Abilene finds a box of
treasures and letters, and through them readers learn about World War I, the influenza epidemic, prohibition, coal mining, and the Ku Klux Klan. The 1918 portion of the story is told by Miss Sadie, who seems to know more than she should about these events. Jinx, our main character from 1918, is a drifter as well as a con artist, who mysteriously ends up in Manifest. Abilene’s and Jinx’s antics are entertaining and amusing. Anyone interested in historical fiction would be mesmerized by this story, even students who enjoy stories about adventurous kids will be satisfied. Recommended. 2010, Delacorte Press (Random House), 368pp., $16.99 hc. Ages 11 to 16.
*Best Children's Books of the Year, 2011; Bank Street College of Education
*Booklist Book Review Stars, Oct. 15, 2010
*Booklist Top 10 Historical Fiction for Youth, 2011; American Library Association
*Kirkus Best Children's Books, 2010
*Kirkus Book Review Stars, September 15, 2010
*Notable Children's Books, 2011; ALSC American Library Association
*Publishers Weekly Book Review Stars, September 27, 2010
*Booklist Book Review Stars, Oct. 15, 2010
*Booklist Top 10 Historical Fiction for Youth, 2011; American Library Association
*Kirkus Best Children's Books, 2010
*Kirkus Book Review Stars, September 15, 2010
*Notable Children's Books, 2011; ALSC American Library Association
*Publishers Weekly Book Review Stars, September 27, 2010
*John Newbery Medal, 2011 Winner United States
CONNECTIONS
*Create storyboards for the two stories that take place in the novel
*Identify and research with students information about World War I
*Discuss the lessons Abilene learned about family and friends with students
*Explore the characteristics of the United States during the early 20th Century
*Other books related to Moon Over Manifest:
MacDonald, Betty. Nancy and Plum. ISBN 9780375859861
Houston, Jeanne Wakatsuki. Farewell to Manzanar: A True Story of Japanese American Experience During and After the World War II Internment.
ISBN 9780553272581
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