Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Moon Over Manifest: (Newbery Medal Winner)

Top positive review

Why. Isn't. This. A. Movie?

Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2019

Like many others, I feel most books are better than their movie versions. And it would likely be the case with “Moon Over Manifest” too. However, considering the drool that Hollywood continues to spit out, why doesn’t someone jump at the chance to put this novel on the big screen? It would make a fantastic movie!

There are plenty of reviews detailing the plot, so I’m not going to ramble about that. Plain and simple, this is one of the best books I’ve ever read. Middle schooler, young adult, older fart like me … give it a shot. It’s unforgettable.

I’ve read lots of books that I’ve thought – as I’m reading them – “this could be one of my all-time favorites.” And then … the ending: either “meh” or flat-out “what was she thinking?” From beginning to end, this one does not disappoint. And while other authors struggle (in my little opinion) with clarity and/or flow as they switch from one time period to another, Vanderpool’s flow and beauty as she melds the historical periods with letters and other trinkets leaves her readers in awe.

Thanks, Clare. You’ve written something quite special. It’s a shame it took me a while to find this, but I’ve now downloaded “Navigating Early” and I will be impatiently looking forward to your next novel!

20 people found this helpful

Top critical review

All critical reviews›

Joel Tunnah

Written to match school curriculum

Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2022

I can tell you exactly how the author conceived of and wrote this novel… she took the 5th, 6th, and 7th grade social studies curriculum, made a checklist with each historical fact and event, and then wrote a scene, plot point, or bit of dialog to cover each item. Instead of saying “and we even stayed in a few Hoovervilles” and then explaining what that is in a glossary at the end of the book, she has the 12-year-old narrator explain to us exactly what a Hooverville is. By page 60 she’s already covered the dust bowl, California migration, prohibition, the Spiritualism movement, Hoovervilles, the Klan, and touches on WWI. As you can imagine this makes for boring narration and unnatural dialog. This is the most cynical attempt I’ve ever seen by an author to get a book on school reading lists. How this won the Newberry medal is beyond me.

Sort by

Filter by

833 total ratings, 387 with reviews

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

From the United States

Aunt Bee

Why. Isn't. This. A. Movie?

Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2019

Verified Purchase

20 people found this helpful

Helpful

Letterer

Engaging both as mystery and as tale of a time - or two- and a place!

Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2017

Verified Purchase

I finished this book over spring break, and thoroughly enjoyed both the story and the writing. Vanderpool uses a narration technique that I enjoy: two different narrators from two different eras telling two different stories about the same place and theme. The book is set in late-Depression-Dust Bowl Kansas and the narrator is a twelve-thirteen year-old girl exploring a town that her father had lived in. The book then moves back to 1917 and the narration is in third person. The tale then jumps back and forth between 1937 and 1917-1918, both plots advancing with clues about possible connections.

The writing is solid, the characters believable, and the story is engaging. Vanderpool develops her characters through dialogue and action and less through direct description. The book is aimed at young adults, but the content matter and writing easily engages adults. All in all, an excellent read!

11 people found this helpful

Helpful

Manifestly charming

Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2013

Verified Purchase

It's often difficult to pinpoint exactly what it is that distinguishes a good book from a great one. It might be a spark of originality even if the book covers the same basic themes that have been covered countless times before. It might be a depth of character that makes fictional people seem like our own very real quirky, aggravating, but basically likable friends, family and neighbors. It might be a firm sense of place that feels real, a place where people actual might put down roots, a place that almost becomes a character itself. Or it might be - as in Clare Vanderpool's MOON OVER MANIFEST - a combination of all of the above plus much more.

The story starts with young Abilene Tucker, a motherless girl sent by her father Gideon to stay in the Town of Manifest, Kansas while he pursues employment in Des Moines, Iowa. In her father's absence, Abilene realizes how little she really knows about Gideon. She hopes to fill that hole (and the matching hole in her heart) by "finding" him in Manifest, because she knows the town holds special connection for Gideon, although what that connection is seems to be awfully elusive.

The first hopeful hint comes in the form of a box Abilene discovers beneath the floorboards in the room she occupies in Pastor Shady Howard's place - a place that is part saloon, part church. The box contains several trinkets and a package of letters from Private Ned Gillen to "Jinx". Abilene is a bit disappointed, as she thought the box might have been Gideon's. Nevertheless, along with newfound friends Lettie and Ruthann, she begins tracking down the various mysteries presented in the letters - starting with the identity of "The Rattler - and piecing together stories of Manifest's past through local residents and through reporter Hattie Mae's "News Auxiliary" articles from the year 1918. But the townspeople are a little - or a lot - closed-lipped. Even Shady is a bit slippery, and there's only so much to be learned from the brief news articles. It's not until Abilene finds herself on the "Path to Perdition" to Miss Sadie's Divining Parlor that she really begins to put the pieces together.

Much to Abilene's dismay, Miss Sadie tells her the story of Jinx, not the story of Gideon. Despite herself, however, Abilene (and her friends) soon becomes hooked on the story of the mysterious, affable yet hapless youth who made his appearance in Manifest in 1918. The book alternates between Abilene narrating events of the present, Miss Sadie narrating events of 1918, clips from Hattie Mae's "News Auxiliary" and letters from Ned to Jinx, each new piece giving us tantalizing new pieces of the puzzle of the relationship between the two boys, the connection to the Town of Manifest, and the relevancy to her own life.

Ms. Vanderpool has created a masterpiece of a narrative. The book is engaging from page one. Manifest is an enticing mystery - one that we want to peel back layer by layer and savor like a butter-soaked artichoke. Before the book opens, there is a list of characters - those from 1918 and those from 1936. From this list we learn that in 1918 Shady Howard was a saloon owner and bootlegger, and by 1936 he is Pastor Shady Howard, "still a little shady". From the beginning he is one of the most intriguing characters and perhaps the key to this town that is more than it appears to be on the outside.

The story itself is a heartwarming tale full of hope, as the town comes together to loosen the stranglehold of greedy mine owner Arthur Devlin. It is also the story of the tragedy that corrupts that newfound solidarity. It is a tale of suspicion of outsiders and provincialism. It's a tale of love and loss. And it's a tale of the rekindling of hope that just one young girl can spark.

While there are plenty of suspicions and accusations, there aren't any real villains to this story (with the possible exception of Arthur Devlin, but even he's just a businessman doing business), and there are no heroes. All the characters have their faults and warts, but deep down, they're just people, mostly decent people, just trying to make it in the world. It's only when they rise above their suspicions and fears that they become more than the sum of their parts. Their faults turn to assets and their decency rises to the fore.

The realism of this book is also helped by the way Ms. Vanderpool weaves in actual historical events, including the "Great War" and the 1918 flu epidemic. All the elements, historical and fictional, weave together to create a truly satisfying tale complete with adventure, schemes, love, loss, tragedy, redemption and people you can love. You might just find yourself wanting to move to Manifest. Highly recommended for kids age 8 to 108.

14 people found this helpful

Helpful

Laura Booksnob

Take a step back through time

Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2012

Verified Purchase

I modeled my book review on the newspaper article in the book. My New's Auxiliary is a review in the style of the News Auxiliary in the book. I hope it captures some of the flavor of the story. This a great book that contains a variety of writing from letters, newspaper articles and stories from the past mixed with the present, it is a delightful read.

Laura's News Auxiliary
April 27, 2012
I hope all of you are enjoying a glorious day today and are celebrating the joys of Spring. The News Auxiliary of the Manifest Herald is taking a break from talking about the news around town to tell you all about Moon Over Manifest, the most recent Newberry Prize winner. I am just tickled pink and knew you would be interested in reading all about it.

Abilene is as sweet as pie and she just arrived here in Manifest, Kansas in 1936. Her daddy decided to send her for the summer and so she is staying over at Shady's place. I heard she found a hidden box in her room containing all sorts of mementos and letters and she is looking for someone called the Rattler. Abilene's favorite thing is a compass that her father gave her, but one night, while out spying with her friends, Lettie and Ruthanne, she lost it. Doesn't that just stink.

Well I want to tell you first off that Abilene found her compass hanging off a porch on the Path to Perdition. She was so scared but she knew she had to get her compass back and so Abilene approached Miss Sadie's Divining Parlor. Well divining is hard work, as you well know, so Abilene was committed to helping out around the house. Lucky for her, Miss Sadie was a great story teller and told Abilene about Manifest during World War I. He stories mainly focused around the two boys Jinx and Ned and their adventures about town in 1917. Ned, like many of the boys in town, signed up and went off to fight in the trenches of the War leaving Jinx brokenhearted and without a friend. Well adventure always finds someone and Jinx got caught up in plenty of fun for the times.

I really enjoyed reading the letters Ned sent home and the News Auxiliary from 1917. I loved the characters and there semi-southern feel. So much has changed since then and it is like stepping into a time capsule and trying to solve the mystery of who is the Rattler and who Abilene's father. Why reading this book is almost like taking a step back through time.

Well there you have it folks. I hope you visit (I mean read) Moon over Manifest real soon.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Janelle Heebner

12 year old loved it.

Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2022

Verified Purchase

My daughter was assinged this book as part of her history cirriculum for 7th grade. She read it and fell in love with it. She's an avid reader and is a big fan of the Harry Potter series and also the Percy Jackson series. As soon as we returned it to the library, we came on and purchsed it.

Helpful

LFK

Review of Moon Over Manifest by 12 year old student, Sarina...

Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2021

Verified Purchase

Moon Over Manifest is an exceptional book for 9-12 year olds. If your child likes mystery, excitement, adventure, and a bit of sadness, I would recommend this book. At first, the book is a little hard to get into, but once you do you will not want to put it down. George R.R. Martin said, ¨A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.¨ That book makes it clear. So join Abilene as she journeys through the past of Manifest and uncovers more about the town then she thought she would.
Date: March 3,2021
Age of reviewer: 12

Helpful

Bookworm Jess

Great historical novel that takes you back in time

Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2012

Verified Purchase

Moon Over Manifest is the recipient of the John Newberry Medal"for it's most distinguished contribution to children's literature. Clare Vanderpool reminded me that America was built by immigrants and they play a large role in the community Abilene comes to call home. The town of Manifest is based on Frontenac, Kansas a "community that was rich in color and history". When doing research for the novel, she discovered that "in 1918 only 12% of the people living in Frontenac had parents born in America". It was a treat to read newspaper columns, advertisements, and letters from 1918 and 1936. I really enjoyed the historical aspect of the novel as well because it made Abilene's story seem believable. While some may think the subject of Prohibition seems taboo for young adult readers, the fact of the matter is bootlegging was a way of life for many families during that era and Vanderpool handles the topic with care. I liked this book because the voice was strong and distinct. Abilene seemed like an old soul to me and I felt connected to her through her loneliness. The main reason I kept reading the book page after page was to see if she would be reunited with Gideon (her father) and have her thirst for home quenched.
"The sad mixed with the sweet and set a warm feeling in my stomach."
One negative of the book is that it seemed to have to many characters which sometimes made following the mini episodes tough. Moon Over Manifest is 342 pages long which might deter some young adult readers, but I think this would be a good book to assign to students in the middle grades. The novel would give them an authentic perspective of what it was like for some Americans eighty plus years ago, they might be surprised to find "universals" they can relate to.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Venna Sanderson

Moon Over Manifest

Reviewed in the United States on March 20, 2012

Verified Purchase

This is a truly remarkable book to be read over and over. I will put it on my shelf by my other favorites that I have read many times since my childhood. Now as a grandmother I still read my favorite childhood books on occasion. Moon Over Manifest is a story of love given and received in many different ways. It is a story about fears and finding adults who can help ease those fears. At the same time the child helps ease fears in some of the adults. It is a book for boys as well as girls even though the main character is a girl because she is following clues left by a boy in the past and following his adventures. Great book purchased at Amazon that I had to have on my shelf.

Helpful

John M. Lewis, DDS

A joyful story that touches one's soul

Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2012

Verified Purchase

I purchased this book after hearing from literary friends that a fellow Wichitan had been recognized with the prestigious Newbery Medal for her work "Moon Over Manifest". I assumed the primary audience for this book would be precocious elementary school students or teenagers. I did not, however, expect to find a written gift for adult readers that would touch the heart and move one's soul.

Claire Vanderpool has crafted a carefully woven, charming, and engrossing story that at once gives voice to the concerns and hopes of a teenage girl, expresses the wistful and wise remembrances of her adult friends and neighbors, within a tableau of American history staged in the first thirty years of the 20th Century in southeastern Kansas.

Ms. Vanderpool shows an artistry of word choice that emulates the work of Mark Helprin, caresses the deep emotions of the heart with sympathy and surprise plots twists reminiscent of Nicholas Sparks, all within a forward-moving story that causes the reader to anticipate the story line but not the deeply sentimental message of encouragement and joy that ultimately speaks to the soul -- much like the stories of Mitch Albom.

During my youth, a beloved third-grade teacher began each school day with a reading from one of Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House" books. Today, even as a fifty-year-old, I remember the stories and am thankful for the time our teacher devoted to sharing them with us. As I read through "Moon Over Manifest", I could easily envision an attentive 8 year old student being swept into the story line and hearing it's message of love, friendship, and discovering a meaning of "home".

The book should be read. It should then be re-read and it's message allowed to touch the heart and soul of it's reader. It is a treasure waiting to be enjoyed.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Callen20

Over the Moon about Moon Over Manifest!

Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2012

Verified Purchase

I was a little skeptical to read this book at first because of the great depression era that it was set in. I typically don't enjoy reading about that time period, but this book didn't really focus on the great depression. It merely set the back drop. I actually really enjoyed this book. I'll admit in the beginning it was a bit slow, but once the storyline picked up I couldn't put this book down. What a heartwarming tale about a small town and all the different people in it. The storyline is great, but the characters really make the book. The author does a wonderful job of developing the characters and intertwining all of their stories and connections, so much so that I felt like I knew the characters on a personal level, especially Abilene Tucker. I constantly found myself trying to get ahead of the book and figure out if Abilene's father was coming back for her and guess who the "rattler" was. If you're looking for a heartwarming tale full of hope, with a hint of humor and just the right amount of mystery and adventure, then this book is perfect for you. An excellent read, highly recommended not just for children, but also for adults. Not to mention it's a Newbery Award winner. Perfect for a 5th grade classroom and on up!

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Need customer service? Click here

‹ See all details for Moon Over Manifest: (Newbery Medal Winner)

5 star		77%
4 star		16%
3 star		5%
2 star		1%
1 star		2%

Moon Over Manifest: (Newbery Medal Winner)

›

Customer reviews

Customer reviews

Moon Over Manifest: (Newbery Medal Winner)

Top positive review

Top critical review

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

From the United States

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

Moon Over Manifest: (Newbery Medal Winner) › Customer reviews

Customer reviews

Moon Over Manifest: (Newbery Medal Winner)

Top positive review

Top critical review

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

From the United States

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

There was a problem loading comments right now. Please try again later.

Moon Over Manifest: (Newbery Medal Winner)

›

Customer reviews