BIBLIOGRAPHY
Vanderpool, Clare. 2010. MOON OVER MANIFEST. New York: Delecorte Press. ISBN 0385738838
PLOT SUMMARY
PLOT SUMMARY
Set during the Great Depression, this story revolves around the life of twelve-year-old Abilene Tucker who has recently arrived in Manifest, Kansas. Times are tough across America and her father, Gideon, has sent her to live with an old family friend for the summer while he starts a new railroad job. Determined to make the most of an unpleasant situation, Abilene sets out to discover all she can about her father's past and why this dusty, worn-out town seems so important to him.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
EXCERPTS/AWARDS
Because they have flaws, the major characters in this story seem very realistic. Abilene feels deserted by her father, but she decides to make good use of her time. She fills the hours with adventures like sneaking into the high school with Lettie and Ruthanne and listening to Miss Sadie’s stories about Ned and Jinx. When she’s had enough of Gideon’s absence, she fakes a life-threatening illness to get him to return. Then there’s Miss Sadie, the Gypsy fortune-teller, who when no one else can, draws residents together to break the hold that the mining company has over the town. She reminds them that they came to America “to live a dream of freedom and prosperity.” But Miss Sadie guards a painful secret that no one else knows - she is Ned's mother. Jinx, the boy with the mysterious past, fearlessly crosses the line between right and wrong. He is full of schemes like the one involving the "artic glacial water" and "borrowing" a Manchurian Fire Thrower from the carnival so that he can make his own and sell them.
Early in the novel, Vanderpool establishes two storylines, one past and one present, that run parallel throughout the book. In Chapter One when the train nears Manifest, Abilene recalls her father telling her about a sign “just outside town with big blue letters: MANIFEST: A Town with a Rich Past and a Bright Future.” She is anxious to learn why this particular place holds such fond memories for him. Jumping off the train, Abilene soon spots the old weathered sign, but is only able to read "MANIFEST: A Town with a Past.” This sets the stage for flashbacks in which Miss Sadie describes life in Manifest during the World War I era (1917-1918). Her stories focus on the escapades of the two teenaged boys, Ned and Jinx. In alternating chapters, Abilene narrates her experiences in Manifest during the summer of 1936. Toward the end of the book, the two plots merge into one as Abilene discovers that the young boy named Jinx grew up to be her father. In searching for his roots, she has found her own.
The story takes place in Manifest, Kansas during two distinct historical eras - World War I and the Great Depression. In 1917-1918, Manifest is a “melting pot” community brimming with immigrants who have come to America in search of a better life. Gideon has told Abilene that there were “People bustling in and out of colorful storefronts with bright awnings over windows. Unusual-sounding names painted on doors. Matenopoulos Meat, Santoni’s Bakery. Akkerson Feed and Seed.” But this is not what Abilene sees when she walks through town with Shady on the day of her arrival. She tries to “conjure up something smooth and sweet from those stories, but looking around, all I could see was dry and stale. Up and down Main Street, the stores were dingy. Gray. Every third one was boarded up. There wasn’t an ounce of bustling to be had. Just a few tired souls holding up a doorway here and there.” It seems that the town with a bright future has given up under the weight of the Great Depression.
The predominant theme in Moon Over Manifest is finding a home - a place where one belongs. Readers first learn about Abilene's lack of roots when on her first day of school she says, "You'd thought I'd be used to this by now. Being the new kid and all. I'd been through this umpteen times before but it never gets any easier." Although she feels deserted, Abilene is determined to find out about the boy her father once was from the people that she assumes knew him best. As she chases down The Rattler and tries to uncover more information about Ned and Jinx, Abilene begins to forge bonds with many of the locals. By summer's end, she has the beginnings of a home - two best friends with Lettie and Ruthanne, a surrogate grandmother in Miss Sadie, and a trusted guardian in Shady. Although she tricks Gideon into returning to Manifest, she knows it was the right thing to do when "He held his face next to mine, and when he looked straight into my eyes with tears in his, I knew. And he knew. We were home."
There are several distinctive aspects about Vanderpool’s writing style that make Moon Over Manifest such a delightful and entertaining novel. First, she sprinkles the entire novel with historically rich details including bits about the Ku Klux Klan, bootlegging, and the Spanish Influenza outbreak. To this she adds extras such as Hattie Mae’s News Auxiliary, articles from the local newspaper the Manifest Herald, and warfront letters from Ned. Second, the narratives are chock-full of figurative language and memorable lines such as this scene when Abilene arrives at Shady’s house. “He tried to gather up some papers and scraps of wood, as if there were traces of his mismatched life that he hadn’t wanted me to see.” Another wonderful example is when feeling lonesome for her father, Abilene lays in bed listing all the things she knows about him. She decides that “Memories were like sunshine. They warmed you up and left a pleasant glow, but you couldn’t hold them.” These are the kinds of lines that make readers stop, pause, and re-read them because they are so wonderfully original.
EXCERPTS/AWARDS
2011 Newbery Medal
ALA Notable Children's Book 2011
Starred Review from Booklist: (Grades 5-8) "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.”
From Kirkus Reviews: (Ages 10-14) "...readers will cherish every word up to the heartbreaking yet hopeful and deeply gratifying ending."
From School Library Journal: (Grades 5-8) "This thoroughly enjoyable, unique page-turner is a definite winner."
CONNECTIONS
To help students gain a better understanding of World War 1 and Ned's experiences as a soldier, this multimedia website is loaded historical information that also includes vintage photographs (over 3,900 which are organized by topic); audio recordings (songs, skits, and speeches); and vintage video clips of major figures. http://www.firstworldwar.com/
This video from the National Archives Southeast Region gives a wonderful overview of the Great Depression through survivor's stories and powerful pictures from this era.
For additional activities, links, and related resources for Moon Over Manifest:
Reader's guide discussion questions can be found at Clare Vanderpool's website at:
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