Moon Over Manifest

Initially I briefly felt that the book was perhaps a little trite, but I withheld judgment because I found the main character interesting. Abilene, whose name is also the name of President Eisenhower's Kansas hometown, is a likeable young girl without direction or place in the world who is resignedly looking for answers. As I read on, I began to realize that "Moon Over Manifest" is a very skillfully crafted tale of two periods of Kansas, U.S., and world history with exceptionally authentic language and experiences, carefully researched and melded together--I speak as a native Kansan myself. The tale is a realistic adventure, but it pushes the envelope enough to be hilarious and frightening at times. Of course, you might have had to use a Kansas outhouse at night before, as I have had to, to know for certain, but any Kansas kid who has been to Quivera Scout Ranch in southeast Kansas will know that the poison ivy trick is a painfully real possibility. The book is an excellent historical resource because of its historiography. There are no completely implausible events--with the possible exceptions of the escape from the Ku Klux Klan meeting or the explosive water tower incident--nor are there historical inaccuracies, but rather a montage of potentially actual events crafted into one interesting and insightful tale of budding self-awareness, not only for the narrator, but for a town that has held its pain in too long and is in danger of death unless something is done. Even the soothsayer has a very "Kansas" feel to me, since we had fortunetellers in the College Hill neighborhood of Wichita, Kansas, growing up, to whom some of us went to hear "body readings" and other feats of arcane knowledge. Abilene is the agent of the town's salvation, just as another young person, Jinx, had been eighteen years earlier, and in the process, she achieves both her and her father's redemption.

The first time through the book was a comfortably paced mystery and adventure tale, replete with its own antique newspaper-ad-commercials that tie into Hattie-Mae's "news scoops." The tale, laced with suspense and a touching nostalgia that can move a sensitive reader to tears, is all told through the eyes of a 12-year-old girl: the author's playful, little girl side. At the same time I often found myself reflecting on the various, more mature, metaphors and deeper meanings that present themselves on various levels: the compass that has lost its magnetism, the gate to "Perdition" (overtly the medium's house, subtly the punishment of visiting the medium), the interim Baptist church in the bar/workshop, the moon and train motifs, the themes of: alienation, acceptance, bigotry, separation, friendship, parenthood, patience, trust and grief. I was surprised and satisfied at the unsuspected ending, even with its expected parts, which probably hid some of the less expected parts: I defy anyone to call it obvious.

The book, however, really shows its greatness the second time around. After reading it once though, I was determined to read it to my children, and we partially accomplished that on our own trip to southeastern Kansas, the setting of the main action of the novel. Frontenac, the city the author named Madison after, is now a quaint suburb of Pittsburg, Kansas. The region, like Clare's book, pays tribute to the melting pot of cultures that formed it, with a yearly Balkans Festival among its varied offerings. My children were entranced by the book (my 8 year old daughter brought it to me to continue reading). Serendipitously, I uncovered, on the second reading, all these delightfully sensitive adult emotions portrayed in its pages: the author's grown-up woman and mother side. I would tell you more, but I don't want to spoil the book. Here's a hint though: after you have read the book once just reread the scene where Miss Sadie first sees Abilene's letter from Ned to Jinx after you know the story and you can appreciate what is really happening and the tenderness of the rendering of Sadie's emotions that are masked in the first reading. The first time through I was focused on the feelings of the little girl who carefully observed the feelings and emotions of the adults around her, but the second time I understood the actions and emotions of the adults in the story and I cried all over, time and again, but at different parts than in the first reading. It was then that I became convinced that Ms. Vanderpool's book was exceptionally good. Most other books at this level lack this multilayered depth.

Interestingly, when my 11 year old son (7th grade classes) got home from our trip to Pittsburg, he laid his Odyssey, Plato, Hardy Boys, Wimpy Kid, Smash Magazine, Boy's Life, and i-pod sports section reading aside and was totally absorbed in finishing "Moon Over Manifest." He finished in a couple days--he did do his homework--about a week before Christmas break. When he started back to school, his composition teacher was putting together a "Fireside and Beachside Book List" and Christopher said, "You've got to put 'Moon Over Manifest' on that list." She replied, "I don't believe I've ever heard of that book." And Christopher quipped, "You've got to read it!" When, at his insistence, I took our copy of the book to school Monday morning to lend and recommend it to the teacher, I had just heard the news of what Christopher and I took as a validation of our opinion of the book, and so I was particularly pleased tell his teacher "You will really want to read this book now, not merely because Christopher and I love it, but because it has won the 2011 Newberry Award!" We look forward to many people falling in love with this tender tale, full of fun and welcome life lessons, and, I hope, with many more books from this wonderful author.

I like to read some of the books before my 10 year old reads them. This is at a 5th grade accelerated reader level however I don't really think this would be something he could keep focusing on. I think the book could have been shorter, a little less descriptive, and there were so many characters bouncing back and forth in the times. Just a little too drawn out for me. I did enjoy the book though. It was an interesting story and I do enjoy reading how the "times" were in the south. But in the end, I'm not sure I will recommend this to kids his age.

Moon Over Manifest is absolutely outstanding. I loved every word in this book. I work at a school library and it came in as part of our new book order for 5th and 6th graders. I read it in two days. I liked the way the author tells the story in several ways by using newspaper clippings and two time periods. I am stunned that this is her first book. It reminded me a bit of To Kill A Mockingbird in that the main character is a young girl who learns about her father by sneaking around. The characters are great, the ending is heart wrenching and the bits of history snuck in are fun. I loved this book.

From the time Abilene Tucker jumps off a train to land in her father's hometown in Kansas, Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool tells an entertaining and informative tale for both kids and grown-ups alike. Readers are taken to a town named Manifest, where two different stories are told--one from the perspective of a girl named Abilene in 1936 and the other is told as she investigates into the town's history . Abilene's father sends her to Manifest for the summer, and she is excited for the chance to learn about the place where he grew up. However, no matter who she asks, no one ever mentions her father, so she and her new friends embark on some hilarious investigations to gather any information they can find. They learn a lot about two boys named Ned and Jinx from 1918 and about life in Manifest before the Depression. The mysteries that Abilene and her friends uncover will keep readers intrigued and guessing `til the very end! I could definitely see how this book would be useful in a 5-6th grade classroom, and I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone looking for a great story!

I loved this story! I can definitely see why this won the Newbery Award. There were so many great characters with intriguing life stories. I found the interwoven stories of the two time periods really interesting and loved the way everything came together in the end. It was really neat to see all the pieces of the story fall in to place and discover everything along with the main character. I think this story would appeal to all ages, not just kids. I loved it.

There's a lot of secrets just waiting to come out. Abilene is alone in a new town and is looking for some answers. When her father sends her to Manifest during the summer while he works on the railroad, she finds herself discovering some old items and uncovering part of her fathers history. She is opened up to a whole new and exciting world where she just can't get enough.
I liked "Moon Over Manifest". In some ways, I was able to identify with Abilene; the way she felt abandoned by her father and was left to find out who he was in his past. With my dad having been in the Army, we were always handed off to somebody else when he had to travel for his job and sometimes had to ask questions about what he did based off of his things and pictures in his parents home. I found the book relatable in this way. I also like the way that Vanderpool had flashbacks included in the story to tie things together from present and past. I am not much of a history fan, but this book kept me involved and learning more than I thought I would.

A worthy recipient of the 2011 Newbery Medal! Vanderpool draws upon her childhood memories and period research to present the personal tale of young Abilene Tucker. It's 1936 and twelve-year-old Abilene has been sent by her father to live in the tiny town of Manifest, Kansas. Safe from the dangerous lifestyle of hopping railroad cars and moving from place to place, she stumbles upon a mystery rooted in the dark history of the town, a mystery that when solved might bring her father back to her.

Two stories around Abiline and Jinx twenty years apart were magically intertwined by the author's brilliant writing with caring heart. I love the fully developed and nice characters. I also am very impressed by the way the author had these two stories told in parallel in the different historical backgrounds (and all others) yet beautifully overlapped in discovering the two people's identities.

My book club chose this book by a local writer. It's won the Newberry and Ms. Vanderpool lives here in our town were the reasons. So they chose it. I was meh about the initial selection. However, once I rode the rails into Manifest, Kansas with the main character, Abilene Tucker, I was hooked.

This is a work of historical fiction and the perspective shifts from Abilene to the tale of two boys who befriend one another and as my friend from book club would say, "shenanigans" ensue. I loved the stories of Abilene and Jinx and Ned and how wonderfully their stories intertwined from 1918 to 1936. I would recommend this book to anyone, young or young at heart, who enjoy a well-written story, interesting plots and fascinating characters. There is a reason this book won a Newberry, it is incredible!

Moon over Manifest is a wonderful read for an eager child. It is a novel with a sense of historical fiction. Abilene Tucker embarks on an adventurous journey in Manifest, Kansas, in the summer of 1936. Abilene encounters a cigar box full of mementos that prove to be very significant as the story unveils it's mysteries. Author, Clare Vanderpool has created a certain setting and dialogue certain to captivate a young reader's mind. In addition, Vanderpool has created characters very familiar to young children. Vanderpool's style thoroughly incorporates the culture of the book's setting in the 1930s. Furthermore, Moon Over Manifest is an exciting novel that is sure to reel the imagination of the reader.

Moon Over Manifest really drew me in, in the beginning. I was very intrigued at the mystery aspect of this book. I do not consider myself a history buff and I rarely find a history movie, show or piece of literature that I enjoy, but with this book I felt as though I wasn't reading a piece of history. The great fiction kept my mind off of the historical information that was being used and was just enough to where I was learning things about the time period but still enjoyed what I was reading. I wasn't in love with the book but I didn't dislike it at the same time. There were a few parts I felt as though did not fit into the story and seemed like they were just thrown, in last minute. The ending didn't fulfill my personal needs or interests but it didn't ruin the book completely for me. I could appreciate the way Clare Vanderpool weaved the history in with the fiction but overall this book isn't one of my favorites.

The book "Moon Over Manifest" was a captavating read. It kept me interested with the way that the book switched back and forth from the past to the present(1918 and 1936). A twelve year old girl, Abilene gets sent to the city of Manifest not knowing too much about her father. What kept me reading was wanting to know who her father was and if he was going to come back for her. Her adventures with her two friends get her the answers she wanted to know, she finds out who her father really was. I would recommend this book to older kids. A lot of kids can relate to not knowing thier father figure. All in all it was a very good read.

I loved this book!!! I like reading Newberry winner and honor books. However, many of these books I find disappointing. This was not the case with Moon Over Manifest. I couldn't put this book down. I had to find out what happened with all the characters. I loved it from beginning to end.

I would recommend this to girls and boys ages 10 and older. This would be a great book to read aloud in a classroom or at home to your own children.

"Moon Over Mainafest" take place in the fictional town in southern Kansas which Ms. Vanderpool paints so vividly that I felt like I lived there. The character, Ned goes over seas to serve in World War One, and through letters home readers feel Ned's longing to come back to his dad, best friend, girl friend, nieghbors, and a place to come were he is belongs. Anyone will identify with the charactors and thier desires to have a home.

"Moon Over Mainafest" takes place in a fictional town in southern Kansas which Ms. Vanderpool paints so vividly that I felt like I lived there. The character, Ned goes overseas to serve in World War One, and through letters home, readers feel Ned's longing to come back to his dad, best friend, girlfriend, neighbors, and a place to come were he belongs. Anyone will identify with the charactors and their desires to have a home.

Seems superfluous to rate a Newberry book, but here goes... I love this genre (YA) and I was shocked to discover this was C. Vanderpool's first book. Master storytelling, and I was thrilled to see she has been teaching kids to write. So the gift will be exponential. Thank you for sharing, on all fronts!

This book was first read by my son when he was 8 years old and he loved it. When recently going on a 7 hour drive, I got this book on CD for us to listen to in the car (unabridged). My son (now 9) was thrilled to hear it again, my 7 year old daughter thought it was great and my husband and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Certainly the experience of listening to it, rather than reading it yourself is different, but it was wonderful. And, my daughter, who would have this read out loud to her anyway, thought the story was great and asked for me to put the CD on over and over... I don't think you'll be disappointed with this book. For those adult readers whose criticisms were that this was a "children's book" and therefore not for them - well, I just don't agree. I thought it was great and I think I count as an adult! ;-)

I'm 35 and enjoyed reading Moon Over Manifest over the summer. It is nice reading a story that isn't clouded with "adult" filth. It's just a fun story with some historical facts snuck in. I'm off to read another Newberry Award Winner with high expectations after reading this one!

A delightful read for children or adults. It was the sort of novel I would have enjoyed when I was ten or twelve or fourteen... but still enjoy today. It provided a charming break from my daily reality, and I finished it in just a few sittings. I found it to have a strong narrative, well-developed characters, with several entertaining twists. A fun story from a new author!

Moon over Manifest is a well-written book with strong characters placed in a locale that is interesting, unique, and mysterious. This book is an excellent example of "good literature" for young adult readers and deserves the Newbery Award. The Newbery Award Winners are often not interesting to students, but this book will catch the interest of the young adult reader. It has all of the elements of humor, suspense, and challenge, not knowing the ending too quickly. Enjoyable read.

Abilene has spent most of her twelve years traveling with her father. They ride the rails from town to town, and Abilene has been the "new kid" in school so many times that she has developed a set of what she calls "universals"- things that stay the same, no matter which town she is in.
In the summer of 1936, her father gets a railroad job, and sends Abilene to live with an old friend in his hometown of Manifest, Kansas. Upon arriving in Manifest, Abilene discovers that a mystery is waiting for her in an old box of letters, and it may have something to do with her father.
Moon Over Manifest has just won the Newbery Medal, and it is easy to see why. Abilene is a wonderful narrator, giving lots of insight into the town of Manifest and the people who live there. I did feel emotionally distant from the character of Abilene throughout the book, however, and that keeps me from giving it five stars. The secondary characters in the book are very well fleshed-out, which makes up for the puzzling, borderline-flatness of Abilene. The book shifts back and forth between 1936 and 1918 as the mystery of the letters and Abilene's father is unraveled. This complex multiple plot is well done and will not confuse young readers, who will keep turning the pages to find out if the two plots will eventually merge.
Moon Over Manifest is a very strong novel that will make an excellent movie someday- the well-defined plot and likeable characters make it an inevitability. I look forward to watching it after enjoying the book so much.

Author does not read like a first-time writer. Spell-binding, quick read--hard to put down, good mystery, great plot with attention to historical facts in a chunk of our history not anything like what people think they are in now. Still, good lessons here on how any "town" can hold together the history and life they share--together.

You can't get a better recommendation for juvenile literature than the Newbery Award. Moon Over Manifest definitely lived up to the label of best book of the year. I enjoyed every minute of it, and am eager to read any other books by this author.

I found Moon Over Manifest to be a delightful middle grade read. I loved the voice of Abilene, as well as all the characters. I thought the little flashback inserts of the advertisements in the old newspapers entertaining and funny. The ending was very satisfying. I love historical fiction, and Clare Vanderpool did a good job of portraying life during the era.

This was an amazing story... the author grabbed my attention from the beginning and had me hooked. I had to read this for a college class, otherwise I would have never picked it up; I'm thrilled I did. Not many books can evoke emotions out of a reader and this one had me misty eyed by the end. Worthwhile read, 5 stars!

If there was one thing that I noticed about this book is its amount of foreshadowing for example Lettie's plane old spooky story to the end of a story from 1918. So if you do decide to read this story PAY ATTENTION to every detail. Most of the time when you read stories that switch from the past to present it gets confusing, but not in Moon Over Manifest. The way that the author introduces to each tail of 1918 is clear as day. Moon Over Manifes has no loose ends and everything is solved in the end with 3 special surprises 1 of which there is slight foreshawdowing if you pay attention, one of which characers strongly suspect in the beginning and 1 that comes out of the blue. In the end though this book is worth buying. It is full of smiles and laughs as well as sniffles and tears.

I loved this book, small town flavor from a little girl's view of them and her looking for things that related to her father. Its a story that weaves things together and makes full sense near the end of the story. I enjoyed how this was written and meeting the people as it goes along, nice little twist at the end.

I love to listen to books on my iPod when I do housework and this book helped get my house cleaner than it has been in years! I really don't have anything else to add that other people haven't already covered, but consider the audio book, too. The readers were excellent and I didn't want to stop listening. I loved the way the author went back in time to tell the story. Highly recommended!!

I bought a copy of this book thinking my kids would enjoy it, and ended up reading it myself first. So much of the storytelling in this book reminds me of the small town I grew up in. The overlapping of past and present in the lives of the townspeople is rich and detailed and means more to me than it would have had I read the book as a twelve-year-old, though I would have loved it years ago just as much, but for other reasons. As a sixth grader, I would have read it as a mystery. As an adult, the book works more as a time capsule. The plot held my attention, and I appreciated the complexity of the stories overlapping over two different eras. Can't wait for this author to write more!

The author was able to twist two eras of the same town and its people together in a masterful way. She made you feel a part of the action and the answers to the MYSTERIES came to me as very logical. Any curios reader would enjoy this story and its conclusion.

A lovely book about discovering family history through letters, small treasures, friends, and stories. The way the past was disclosed, intersected with the events of the book's present, worked very well. The characters were all interesting and people this reader enjoyed spending time with. Recommended to those who liked TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD.

This book shows how a young girl named Abilene Tucker had to be away from her father for awhile as he did a railroad job, but when she is away she makes some friends and they take off on a mystery adventure they meet some nice and weird people along the way. I liked the characters in the book how each one had a story and so many characteristics.Moon Over Manifest

A great piece of historical fiction for grades 3-8 and adults for that matter. Twelve year old Abilene had been riding the rails with her father. Then in the summer of 1936 her father sent her to stay with Pastor Shady Howard, her father's boyhood friend, in Manifest, Kansas. Curious about the town and its past Abilene started piecing her father's town's history together through her research of old newspaper clippings and old letters. In Abilene's quest she starts to uncover family secrets. It's a feel-good book with heart-breaking, yet hopeful moments and even some funny moments. Highly recommended!

Heartwarming coming of age story set in post depression rural life. Great read for middle schoolers and adults alike. Perfect for parents to read along with their children for engaging discussion about the story.

What an excellent novel for readers young and old. I also just finished reading Navigating Early. It has as one of the main characters a boy who is a high functioning Asberger's autistic child. Also a great book by Clare Vanderpool

I will be recommending this book to practically everyone I know, young and old. I loved this book to pieces-the characters were so real I felt as if I knew them, the story had me hooked from the very first pages-I even got so caught up at more than one part I'd start crying, which doesn't happen very often. Read it, you won't regret it.

A delightful read. I was immediately engaged in the story and interested in the characters. The twists and turns were enjoyable. I will agree with the other reviewers who pointed out that the book takes a while to "get going" but I think the ending was worth the wait.

I am a teacher with 28 fifth and sixth graders. I'm reading this book aloud to the class, and the kids love it! It is so beautifully written, and the characters are so well-defined that the class talks about these characters as though they are real people. When I asked my students to name the genre of Moon Over Manifest, one of them replied, "This is a Life Mystery". Perfect!

The book is wonderful, however I was very disappointed that after being told by 2 different the store representatives that the book was the edition pictured on the site the book I received was not. This will cost me about 300.00 now to order the correct edition and printing.

I have to admit I almost gave up on this book. After 30 pages, I was like Are you serious? This is a newberry? But, it started getting interesting around page 33, and then the character starts meeting new people and interesting things start to happen. I'm glad I didn't give up on the book. It is deserving of the Newberry. I would give it 5 stars, but I really can't stand the beginning so 4 stars on this one.

This is not a bad book, but I have attempted to read it many times and never seem to get past the first half. I honestly can barely even recall the protagonist's name now, much less the plot, and I have read this book's first 50% many times. It's nothing special so far - it just never really "hooked" me. I am giving it the benefit of the doubt and giving it an extra star, in hopes of a decent ending. But honestly, if the story continues to be this dull, I don't think I'd bother with star number three. Overall, not recommended.

I have to admit I almost gave up on this book. After 30 pages, I was like Are you serious? This is a newberry? But, it started getting interesting around page 33, and then the character starts meeting new people and interesting things start to happen. I'm glad I didn't give up on the book. It is deserving of the Newberry. I would give it 5 stars, but I really can't stand the beginning so 4 stars on this one.

This is not a bad book, but I have attempted to read it many times and never seem to get past the first half. I honestly can barely even recall the protagonist's name now, much less the plot, and I have read this book's first 50% many times. It's nothing special so far - it just never really "hooked" me. I am giving it the benefit of the doubt and giving it an extra star, in hopes of a decent ending. But honestly, if the story continues to be this dull, I don't think I'd bother with star number three. Overall, not recommended.

This book is one reason I often prefer to read young adult literature. Abigail reminded me a bit of Scout Finch, an innocent with a tough exterior. This book is beautifully written and sweet without becoming cloying.

This book was about a girl who tries to find connections between her dad's life and the people that live in this town. As she explore's the towns history, she peers into the lives of each person in the town. This book was very good, but it was pretty long. As I read this book, I could visualize the town and just like I became familiar with the people of Manifest like Abiline did.

MOON OVER MANIFEST - Clare Vanderpool

Abilene Tucker is used to living on the road with her father, Gideon Tucker. Then one summer he realizes that Abilene should have a chance at a real home and a life to lead. Abilene lives with a former friend of Gideon's. Abilene finds a box of mementos that have belonged to her father. To uncover the box secrets she visit a woman, Sadie the Diviner. During the reading Abilene suddenly breaks Sadie's expensive pot and has agreed to pay restitution. Upon each visit that Abilene makes to Sadie's home she learns about the story of two friends and how they have helped the town of Manifest in its need. What secrets does she learn of her father? What truths can she uncover by digging into the past to unfold its secret?

This story begins slowly and there is some depressing parts, but as the story continues on into the middle, it becomes filled with action and you stay on your toes the whole time. Great book! Anyone who likes "The Hunger Games" trilogy, i will reccomend this book to you...

-Emily¡!¡!¡!¡!¡!

I thought this was a great book. I'm generally not a fan of Newbery Award books, but this one was amazing. I loved how it flipped back and forth from 1918 and 1936. The ending was a (partly) surprise. Highly recommend this book for anyone!

I saw this at my local library and thought I'd give it a try. I am so glad I did! While the first bit didn't grab me, the rest of the book was excellent . I will definitely recommend this book to friends.

This book is wonderful. I picked it up on vacation when I was out of books to read-- what good luck!
There is the perfect balance of funnyness, mystery, sadness, and hope.
I cannot articulate how much I loved this book, how I laughed and cried, nor can I recommend it enough.

I loved this book from the very beginning. We were in Wichita over the weekend and I found the book at the local Dillons store. What a treasure and what a find for me.

I hope Clare writes more and soon would not be soon enough. I was totally hooked from Page 1.

Sunny332
Maywood, Missouri

Abilene Tucker doesn't really know who she is or where she's going. Her father, Gideon Tucker, has decided that jumping trains is no place for a young lady and sent her to life with Shady Howard, the pastor of a small town Gideon lived in as a teen.

Once she's in Manifest, Abilene meets many strange people with interesting characteristics. At first she thinks that she's going to be fine in this new place because every town is made of "universals"-- types of people who you'll always meet in a large group.

But the town of Manifest and it's townspeople aren't one bit universal. There's some strange things in this town. There's Hattie Mae--the newspaper lady--and her weekly "whos, whats, whys, whens, and wheres." There's Sister Redempta, the nun who teaches the town's school and acts as the town midwife. There's Lettie and Ruthanne, two girls who are friendly to Abilene and accompany her on her adventures to discover who "the Rattler" is and whether he still wants revenge. There's Ivan DeVore, the postmaster, Mr. Cooper, the barber, Velma T, the chemistry teacher, and Mr. Underhill, the undertaker. But that's just the beginning...

There's also Miss Sadie, the Hungarian Woman, whom everyone calls a diviner, and her intriguing stories about Jinx and Ned and times past. Her stories begin to pull the present together into a clearer picture, and over time, just might answer some of Abilene's questions concerning her origins.

Released on October 12, 2010 by Delacorte Press (a division of Random House), Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool is the 2011 winner of the well-known Newberry Award. The book is excellently written, with alternating chapters between the Manifest of 1918 and the Manifest of 1936. Interspersed between the chapters are excerpts from Hattie Mae's newspaper column which add a bit of authenticity to the story.

The biggest literary flaw with this book is its pace. As an adult, I enjoyed the pace of the book, but the first couple of chapters might be hard for a child to get into. Other than that, I found its literary quality to be worth the Newberry title. Vanderpool includes some great expressions that made me laugh and think all at once.

Pros about Moon Over Manifest:
--The author does an excellent job of switching between narratives throughout the book, never making the reader feel that the transition is "out of place."
--There are several pieces of the conclusion that come as a surprise to the reader, but none of the surprises stray from the plot.
--The author included a post-script about what was historical and what was fiction. She based the story loosely on her family's history.
--The author's tale can appeal to many teen and adult readers as well.
--The storyline contains several layers of suspense and challenges readers to look beyond the words on the page into the character's personalities, struggles, hopes, and fears just like readers have to look beyond a person's outer appearance to appreciate them.
--The characters have depth.

Despite all of these wonderful literary elements that make this book scholastic, there are several elements that have a tendency to make it not "safe" or family friendly. While all parents may not agree with my conclusion, I still wish to provide those who do with my reasons. If Moon Over Manifest was made into a movie, it would have to be rated PG-13 because of spiritual, alcohol, and violence content.

Cons about Moon Over Manifest:
--Miss Sadie is a diviner. In the beginning of the books, she "talks to the spirits" and says that she is going to "build a bridge between the living and the dead." However, by the end of the book, readers learn that Miss Sadie is only a diviner because no one would talk to a poor Hungarian woman that they perceived to be a diviner. They came to her as if she was such, and she went along with it to have her place in society; she "puts on a show and dresses the part." Abilene realizes that the "divining" that she gives them is "really the truth she observes and knows about them... And mostly she watches, she waits, and she loves... She bears the story of Manifest." However, as the divining has no explanation for the majority of the text, parents may wish to remove this from their child's reading list or discuss what divining is and how that fits in with their own religious beliefs.
--Shady Howard, the fill-in pastor in the town, is just that--a bit shady. He owns a bar. The church meets in the bar, but no alcohol is served on Sundays. Abilene lives in the room above the bar--no place for a child. Shady is also involved in making Moonshine during Prohibition--sometimes this is presented as wrong since it's against the law and sometimes it is presented as okay because it helps the town's economy. The town's sheriff requires that Shady give him two bottles of moonshine a week if Shady wants him to not tell the government about his illegal activity.
--There is a murder in the 1918 section of the book, for which one of the main characters (who is a child) is supposedly responsible. Truth does come out, and the real murderer is punished, but younger children may find this distressing.

Despite the fact that I could give Moon Over Manifest a five out of five stars for literary quality, I'm giving Moon Over Manifest a three out of five stars because of some of the questionable content for the age group. This is not a book that I plan on handing over to the children in my life because of the PG13 content. However, whether you as a parent choose to have your children read Moon Over Manifest as summer reading, discuss it as a family read-aloud, or be aware of it's contents when your child reads it for school sometime, I hope that this review helps you and your children make wise choices that are safe but scholastic.

(I originally published this review on The Twenty-Six Letter Imagination: A Children's Book Blog: [...]

Just wanted to say I loved the story. I was caught up in it and taken to another time and place. congratulations on an endearing story that connected my life to universal struggles and the Newberry Award!

I would give the story a higher rating, but had to read the inside cover to
connect the dots, understand the plot. In other words, I had trouble following the story. Also, the author wrote the book in first person, which I have been told is hard to do. In this case I would agree. Yet, the author did iintroduce some difficult topics that many middle school teachers might shy away from, such as the KKK. In addition, you will be licking your lips for some lemon drops at Dawkiin and Dine.

I had high hopes for this book once I heard that it won the Newbery and I was a bit disappointed. Though Abilene is an interesting character, and the story is well written and engaging for the most part, the arc of the story falls flat. I tried to finish it but couldn't. I had to skim the end of it. The story seemed to stall at some point and never really recovered...I agree with the other reviewer who gave it three stars. The interplay between the two periods in the book wasn't that successful and Abilene didn't really grow as a character. And her father's behavior seems a bit forced...ie the reason that he left her in Manifest. Doesn't ring true.

It started out really good but about halfway in I lost my interest. THe story went back and forth alot so I think that is why I lost interest. Story is for younger set but adults would enjoy the story as well.

As a Junior in college, I was assigned to read this book for my reading methods class. We had to dissect this book as a teacher would when teaching it to students. I found this book to be overwhelmingly boring. At times, it was predictable to the point of annoyance. In my opinion, if I were to have students read this book, it would lower their love for reading. It doesn't seem like a book that would interest any child or even adult. It has some historical references in it, which is good, but not enough to change my opinion on the book. I would not suggest this book for anyone.

Moon over Manifest was a so-so reading experience. Abilene was a fun character that always sought adventure whether with others or herself. I really enjoyed the stories she uncovered from her fathers past, including the story of the run in with the Klu Klux Klan. The ending was so heart wrenching to when you first think that her dad doesn't show up on the train but when he does, it's just a magical moment that people will cherish.

I would given the story a higher rating, but had to read the inside cover to
connect the dots, understand the plot. In other words, I had trouble following the story. Also, the author wrote the book in first person, which I have been told is hard to do. In this case I would agree. Yet, the author did iintroduce some difficult topics that many middle school teachers might sky away from, such as the KKK. In addition, you will be licking your lips for some lemon drops at Dawkiin and Dine.

Moon Over Manifest is a work of historical fiction that possesses a clear and finely tuned sense of time and place. I found it to be less than compelling in it's plot structure, prose style, and puzzling lack of depth in it's lead character, the 12 year old Abilene, who finds herself single handedly helping a town regain it's sense of pride and purpose.

The author does a great job of painting the citizens of Manifest. They were all vivid creations, especially Miss Sadie the diviner, who leads Abilene on her journey to discover her father and the events that led to him leaving the town. Surprisingly, I never felt a connection with Abilene. She is obviously a young girl of intelligence and spunk, but that was about all we get to learn. I never truly felt her loneliness at being apart from her father or any trepidation at being plopped down in a combination church/saloon run by a man with the suspicious name of Shady.

The plot shifts between Abilene's tale of 1936, and her father's story which takes place in 1918. It's her father's story that's the compelling portion of the book and I found the frequent shifts back and forth to be distracting. I just didn't seem to care much about what was going on with Abilene, and didn't feel that the author was all that successful in tying the two stories together.

This book was hard to stick with, and I almost gave up on it a couple of times. I will say that the ending was satisfying if maybe a bit heavy handed. I can't imagine young teens having the urge to stick with this tale until about two thirds in when things really start happening. I will point out that I am not this book's target audience, so maybe a young girl of 12 -15 years of age might find more to identify with here than I did.

From a historical perspective this was an interesting read that will give teens a good look into all things 1918. There are many alcohol references as Shady and the townspeople concoct their scheme to save the town of Manifest from the evil mine owner. This book tries to give a look at a lot of things; World War I, The Depression, prohibition, the Klan. It's a tall order and some were more successfully handled than others. This is just OK for me. It will be a hard sell for teens who are expecting a bit more action with their history. Not a recommend.

i did not like this book. it was very confusing and was sooooo boring. i usually always finish a book once i start it but with this book i didn't even bother finishing it. i know i sound pretty harsh but this book was torture. i wanted to jump out the window to put me out of my misery. i think Clare Vanderpool could have done a WAY better job. the one thing i did like about this is the klu klux klan stuff in it that was pretty cool. the setting was really interesting but i wish it had a better story line. when i told my friend about this book she said maybe i didn't like it because i didn't like the genre(historical fiction) but i absolutely LOVE historical fiction!! but like i have said many many times is this book totally SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The photograph on the cover is truly horrific - a young girl balancing herself while walking along the top of a railroad track rail.

That stunt is dangerous - railroad companies forbid employees from walking on top of rails.

The photo on your book cover certainly sends a bad message to youngsters.

By copying my local library (Plainview - Old Bethpage Public Library) on this email, I'm urging them to place a sticker on your book (if they carry it) completely blocking out the photograph.

It might be a very nice book, but more thought should have been given to the cover design.