The setting of Moon Over Manifest takes place in a small town called Manifest, Kansas in the year 1936. Twelve year old Abilene Tucker is sent by her father to stay in this town that he grew up in while he works the summer for the railroad. Just as the train is nearing the station, she jumps off so that she can get a clear picture of the town that she's about to live in for the next few months. She comes across an iron gate with the words "Road to Perdition" welded to the gate. She's intrigued by this place, but runs into her caretaker, Shady who had set off looking for her when she didn't arrive at the station. He takes her to her new home which is an old saloon turned church. Shady is an ex-drinker turned preacher. The longer Abilene stays in Manifest, the more of the town's deepest secrets come to life as her and her new friends, Lettie and Ruthanne, go on a mission to discover the source of of some hidden letters that they have found. The letters help lead Abilene not only to a rich history of the town, but back to her own father as well.
What I like about this book is that it weaves two stories into one. Through the visions of the town diviner, Miss Sadie, the author flashes back to the story of Ned and Jynx--the writers of the letters that Abilene finds on her first night in town. Ned and Jynx's story is the backbone of the plot. Their story flows between the story of Abilene and her quest to find her Daddy again. As Abilene yearns to find her father's history in this town, she uncovers secret after secret of the town's people. She also obtains a new kind of family in the town she comes to love.
The fact that I, myself, grew up in a small town influenced my reaction to this book. I understand that small towns have many secrets and lots of interesting characters.
The new thing that I learned about children's literature by reading this book is that one character can bring to life so much more than her own story. This book contains so much more than the story of a twelve-year-old child. Moon Over Manifest takes place during the Great Depression. The author depicts the harsh effects that this era had on different types of people. Some of the social issues the author brings to life in the book are: the unfair treatment of early immigrants, the unfair treatment of mine workers, and the practices of the KKK. Characters in the story are affected by murder, war, and plagues. Also, Vanderpool brings to life the trials of a young soldier sent to war.
This is the first novel for Clare Vanderpool so I cannot compare it to any of her other works. However, I am anxious to read her future novels.
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