April Book: Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool

Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool is a Newberry Award winning book. It was chosen by my middle school for their One Book activities. I had planned on reading it in January when the school was reading the book, but like everything else, it got put off. I figured I would save it for a time when I needed to read a book quickly. That was April. Like the rest of the activities for the month, this one came down to the wire. I read the book in 2 days. I finished it on Tuesday, April 30 about 10:45 p.m.

The story takes place in 1936 in Manifest, Kansas. Abilene Tucker is sent to Manifest by her father while he goes to work for the railroad. She stays with a local "minister," Shady Howard. While at his house, she discovers a cigar box full of "treasures" and letters. After breaking the vase of a local "diviner", Miss Sadie, Abilene agrees to work off her debt for the older woman. She tells Miss Sadie about the box, and Miss Sadie proceeds to tell her stories of Manifest in 1917-18. In addition, Abilene, along with two friends, tries to solve the mystery of the "Rattler". The "Rattler" was supposedly a spy in town during World War I. Most of all, Abilene hopes that the box and Miss Sadie will be able to shed light on her father, Gideon Tucker.

I enjoyed the book, a coming of age story with a historical background. I was able to predict the majority of the book. I expected that as an adult reader of an adolescent book, but it did not lessen my enjoyment of the book.

More about the book.