Moon Over Manifest - Book Review

** I am currently taking a Young Adult literature course and I will be reading and reviewing several materials using a new format. This review follows a template given to me by my professor.**

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Publication Information

Name: Christopher Jimenez	Media Format: Book (eBook)
Title: Moon Over Manifest	Genre: Realistic fiction, Historical fiction, Mystery
Author: Clare Vanderpool	Selection Source: 2011 Newbery Medal
Publisher: Yearling	Recommended Audience Age: 8-12
	Reading Recommendation: 3 out of 5
	Curriculum Connections: Literature, Leisure, History, Politics

Review

Abilene Tucker was sent to the town of Manifest, KS by her father, Gideon Tucker. She jumps off the train and into a town with a rich past and a bright future. At first, she s cold to the town and its residents, but after a while her story becomes entwined with the likes of Sister Redemptia, Miss Sadie, Jinx and Ned and the Rattler--a mysterious entity who floats in and out of the narrative.

Clare Vanderpool weaves Prohibition, World War I and a town of immigrants into a historical fiction about a town that rediscovers its roots by retelling the stories of their neighbors.

Evaluation

While Abilene Tucker is not necessarily an orphan, she is abandoned by her father for the length of the story. He leaves her in the town of manifest and does not engage her in the story. She is left to wonder about the whys, whens, whats, and wheres of the town and his relationship with it.

This story is replete with literary devices like symbolism and foreshadow. The elements that are introduced in the first few chapters are shelved and reintroduced later on to complete the circle. This title would make an excellent companion to a literature class that is currently teaching these devices.