Moon Over Manifest

http://www.randomhouse.com/book/196748/moon-over-manifest-by-clare-vanderpool

Vanderpool, Clare. 2010. Moon Over Manifest. NewYork, NY: Random House. ISBN 9780385738835

Summary

Twelve-year-old Abilene Tucker has been sent to stay with Shady, an old friend of her father's, in Manifest, Kansas, a town that is a shadow of its former self. The year is 1936, and Manifest had been her drifter father's home eighteen years earlier. Abilene had a small accident and almost dies of infection while traveling with her father, and he decides it is best to send her away while he takes a job working for the railroad. In Manifest, under a loose floorboard in her room, Abilene uncovers a spy map, some mementos, and old letters that may hold clues to the the town's (and her father's) past. With the help of new found friends, she resolves to uncover the secrets that Manifest holds. The book's dual story lines shifts from Abilene's narrative during the Great Depression to Sadie, the fortune teller, retelling the story of the years of 1917-1918 in Manifest at the tail end of World War I. 

Critical Analysis

The town of Manifest, Kansas, in Moon Over Manifest, is rich with well-developed, believable characters that readers will identify with and enjoy. The main character, Abilene, is strong and scrappy and feels true to her time; from her overalls and one special blue dress that speaks to the poverty of the Great Depression to her pragmatic and straight forward view of the world. She is a tough girl who is used to moving from town to town and always being the outsider, and her experiences have made her closed off from getting to know people. However, Abilene befriends a whole cast of eccentric characters in Manifest; including Lettie and Ruthanne, her spy-hunting school friends; Hattie Mae, the newspaper woman; Miss Sadie, the Hungarian fortune teller who specializes in the past; Sister Redempta, a nun, school teacher, and midwife; and Pastor Shady, a kind hearted preacher and former bootlegger. Also, Abilene comes to know Ned and Jinx through found letters from the past and the stories of Miss Sadie. This tapestry of characters help Abilene to connect and see people as individuals, and she comes to think, "Maybe the world wasn't made up of universals that could be summed up in neat little packages. Maybe there were just people. People who were tired and hurt and lonely and kind in their own way and their own time. (p.144).

Vanderpool accurately presents history in her story's plot and does not gloss over unpleasant topics from the past. Some of these heavy, but realistic of the time period, plot topics include: prejudice and the Ku Klux Klan, orphan trains, the horrors of World War I trenches, and the suffering and heartbreak some immigrants faced at Ellis Island. However, historical events are woven seamlessly within the storyline and presented in terms that children can understand within the context of the story. Rather than overwhelm the reader with details, Vanderpool provides the historical information essential to enriching the story's plot and creating her believable small town immigrant community. Historical events such as Prohibition, the Spanish Influenza, and World War I provide the framework for the plot, but recede into the background of the book's rich story.

The town of Manifest is an integral part of the novel; the story is centered around town events and their effects on the community. Vanderpool transports the reader to the town of Manifest during the Great Depression and as a mining town during World War I through Abilene's narration, Hattie Mae's newspaper articles, Sadie's stories, and Ned's letters. Each chapter, article, or letter begins with a date, which allows the reader to orient themselves to the time period shifts of the story. While vivid details about the small mining town and the description of war in Ned's letters recreate the time and place for the reader. Although the town, Manifest, is a work of  fiction, Vanderpool based Manifest on the town of Frontenac, Kansas. In the southeast area of Kansas, Frontenac was a mining town that in 1918 was comprised of immigrants from twenty-one different countries.

Many different themes run through Moon Over Manifest; themes that are universal, such as belonging and community, friendship, loss and grief, hope and perseverance, and prejudice and bigotry. The themes are entwined in the story and reflect the attitudes of the time periods, but are also relevant to the modern reader. As the reader comes to sympathize with the immigrant residents of Manifest, timeless parallels emerge giving the reader insight into what it means to be part of a community. Vanderpool organically weaves all the characters, stories, and historical events together in a seamless story that will engross and thrill readers. Her author's note describes some characters based on people and their stories from Frontenac, which explains why characters feel like they have stepped onto the pages from the past.

Moon Over Manifest tells a complex story that feels authentic to the dual time periods of the setting. Vanderpool includes a list of sources and suggestions for further reading, as well as, an author's note that elaborates on the balance of fact and fiction within her novel. She avoids stereotyping her characters; characters are revealed to have unexpected stories to be told, creating the rich fabric of the novel. Manifest is a town full of secrets, and as the truth of its past begins to reveal itself to Abilene, the power of Vanderpool's themes will manifest to readers.

Reviews

A starred review in Booklist, October 15, 2010, describes Moon Over Manifest, "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."

Publishers Weekly, September 27, 2010 review, praises Moon Over Manifest,"Witty, bold, and curious, Abilene is as unforgettable as the other residents of Manifest, and the variety of voices allows the town's small mysteries to bloom. Replete with historical details and surprises, Vanderpool's debut delights, while giving insight into family and community."

Awards

Moon Over Manifest won the Newbery Award and the American Library Association Notable Books for Children Award in 2011.

Connections

Moon Over Manifest would make an excellent selection for a parent and child book club. The librarian could use a Web 2.0 tool, such as capzles, to create timelines for the two story lines of 1936 and 1918. Children could find more information about American life during World War 1 and the Great Depression at kids.usa.gov.

Books In Print. Texas Woman's University. Accessed November 09, 2013