Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool

Reviewed by Jennifer

Ratings

Content Ratings based on a 0-5 scale where
0 = no objectionable content and
5 = an excessive or disturbing level of content

Guide to Rating System

LANGUAGE

VIOLENCE

SEXUAL CONTENT

ADULT THEMES

2011 Newbery Medal Winner

Ratings Explanation

Violence: An accidental stabbing and an accidental shooting. A man dies in each situation. Some war violence.

Adult Themes: A diviner “speaks” to spirits. Two characters happen upon a Ku Klux Klan meeting where men are dressed in white robes and hoods. They discuss the fact that they do not like foreigners. Later a burning cross is found in front of a German Fraternal Hall. Jinx is on the run from the law. Shady runs a bar during prohibition. He gives liquor to the sheriff so the sheriff won’t close down his establishment. One character is a soldier during World War I.

Synopsis

Abilene Tucker has spent most of her 12 years riding the rails with her father, Gideon, landing in town after town to work a little and then move on again. But for the summer of 1936, Abilene is to stay put in Manifest, Kansas, “A Town With a Rich Past and a Bright Future”, until Gideon comes to get her.

Gideon has told Abilene stories about Manifest all her life, but when she arrives to stay with Pastor Shady Howard, Gideon’s friend who has been the interim Pastor at the First Baptist Church for 14 years, she doesn’t see the vibrant, interesting place that Gideon described, she sees a boarded-up, passed-by kind of town. When Abilene discovers a long forgotten cigar box hidden under the floor boards of her new room which holds a map, a cork, a fishhook, a silver dollar, a fancy key, a tiny wooden baby doll, and, most importantly, a stack of letters from one Ned Gillen to someone named Jinx, her stay in Manifest livens up a bit. Aided by two new friends, the three girls embark on a summer spy hunt that leads them back 18 years to World War I era Manifest. Abilene also meets the town Diviner, Miss Sadie, who has a story to tell and an uncanny ability to know just what Abilene is thinking. As the summer winds down, Abilene and her friends solve the spy mystery and find some answers to Abilene’s questions about her father and the life he lived in Manifest, Kansas.

I have nothing but praise for Moon Over Manifest and am happy to report that, in my opinion, it is very deserving of the 2011 Newbery Medal. I loved the quirky characters of small town Manifest, KS. I loved the clever writing and the way Clare Vanderpool brought 1936 Manifest to life with her vivid descriptions. I just have to share Abilene’s description of Shady’s home.

“We headed back toward the tracks and ended up at a weathered establishment that appeared to be a safe distance from the respectable part of town.”

“A cowbell clanged above the door as we went inside. Pastor Howard lit a kerosene lamp and set it on a long bar top. There was a mirror behind it, a sawhorse in front with some wood clamped in a vise, and an abundance of sawdust all over the floor. To top it off, there were what looked to be pews shoved up agains the wall , and the two windows had honest-to-goodness stained glass.”

“Shady’s place appeared to be one part saloon, one part carpenter’s shop, and – could it be?- one part church.”

“With the light of day shining through those stained-glass windows onto the gleaming bar top, I didn’t know whether to kneel down or belly up.”

Not only is this a wonderful tale full of suspense and intrigue, but it weaves important themes into the story as well. Abilene learns about finding home, what constitutes a family, love, sacrifice, community and service. I laughed, cried and hoped through Moon Over Manifest, and I loved every page of it.