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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
WOW. Wow, what a book. More of an experience than a book. This one had everything - coming-of-age for both a boy and a girl across generations, World War I, the American immigrant experience, summer mysteries, ghost stories, and a punch in the gut five chapters from the end that stays with you.
This book went so far into my heart it got stuck there.
Wow.
This book went so far into my heart it got stuck there.
Wow.
This book gives readers a look into the past, as they get to see the transition of a small town from lively and bustling to one that is feeling the effects of the depression. The story follows a young girl, Abilene Tucker, as she seeks more information about her father's past in a town that was so special to him. It provides a unique writing style, as well as context about several historical events. This would be useful in a classroom because it allows for an intriguing take on many important history concepts, such as temperance, the Ku Klux Klan, and the Great Depression.
Although I didn't love it as much as the last two winners, Moon Over Manifest is definitely a worthy recipient of this year's Newbery. Abilene is a likeable protaganist, eliciting sympathy as she wonders what her father is doing and what his part in the overall history of the town is. I loved her friendship with Lettie and Ruthanne as they supported each other in their search for the notorious spy, the Rattler. It's an emotional book with layers upon layers as you get further along. There are themes of identity and belonging in addition to change and loss. Vanderpool tackles these subjects with finesse and gentle humor as she weaves a complex web of stories that are inherent to the town of Manifest.
Really this is a 3.75 star. I liked it. It felt like I should be reading it on a rocking chair on a wrap around porch. A sweet, quick story about a little girl learning about her father and the town he grew up in.
A very engaging story - both the "present day" story (1930's) and the mystery uncovered in 1918 flashbacks kept my interest.
This is a beautiful story about love and loss. Well two stories about love and loss. I guess that would be one of the major themes in literature, love and loss. Here is a young woman trying to find out who she is and where she belongs. Here is a town trying to make sense of their past. As the story on folds you are caught up in both stories. Will Abilene be able to live with the truth? Will she see her father again? Will Jinx keep one step ahead of his past and find a place of peace? I know it was a page turner for me.
I have to admit that I have not been a big fan of the Newbery Award in past years. It often seems that the Newbery books are selected by adults for adults rather than for their intended young readers. So, it was with great trepidation that I set out to read Moon over Manifest. Add to that the fact that the setting is local and the author is from Kansas and you have the formula for a theoretically "good for you" but boring novel that you feel obligated to read out of some sort of Kansas solidarity. I heard Clare Vanderpool speak and she was a fresh, lively, and engaging speaker with all kinds of modesty who couldn't believe her own good fortune. My interest was piqued but still the novel resided at the bottom-most level of my pile of "to read" books. However, it managed to briefly surface last week and I was hooked from the opening chapter. And although the book has its roots in Kansas it is also a story of the dust bowl/depression era and is every bit a coming of age story akin to The Secret Life of Bees. Hugely character driven, Moon over Manifest is the tale of a young girl who has lived her life on the rails with her drifter father, never settling for too long in any one place. She is smart and spunky. When an injury Abilene gets from riding the trains becomes gravely infected, her father, fearing that a life on the road is no place to raise a young woman, sends Abilene to live "for the summer" in the small town of Manifest, Kansas, the place he calls home. Abilene is uncertain about the move but her trepidation quickly gives way as she settles into life in Manifest trying to shake off the shadows, unmask "the rattler," and discover more about her father as a young man. Lots of colorful, quirky characters, a story within a story, and a tiny bit of historical information. This is a story with great heart. This would make an excellent read aloud.
A sweet historical fiction middle grade novel that takes place during the Depression. There is also a story being woven throughout leading up to and during WWI. It wasn't a gripping novel, but since I just got out of a long one that I had trouble putting down this was a good controlled respite. It's about a girl's desire to understand her father better.