Book review time!
Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool
I must say, I knew nothing about this book prior to my mother handing it over to be read. When I discovered it was written by a Kansas author and its setting was based on a Kansas town, I was very eager to read it with my students.
When Abilene Tucker steps off the train and into Manifest, Kansas, she has no idea what the summer has in store for her. She unearths the history of this small town while in search of her father's history. What she discovers, however, is an identity she didn't realize she was looking for.
This book really had some great one-liners that are revisited throughout the book:
"It is not down in any map; true places never are."
"The line between truth and myth is sometimes difficult to see."
"Things are not always what they seem."
78% of my students said they liked the book and would definitely recommend it to a friend.
"It's characters had real life people personality."
"It keeps you on your toes and you never know what's going to happen."
17% of my students said they didn't like it and would never recommend it EVER.
This book essentially has two story lines. One follows Abilene on her journey of discovery. The second follows Ned Gillen and Jinx as they form a deep bond of friendship. In the end, questions are answered and connections are made as the truth about the characters unfolds."It is confusing."
From a teacher's perspective, the book is great for making connections, studying historical events during the two time periods in the book, making predictions, and making inferences. It might be a good idea to keep a plot chart going for each storyline to help keep up with the developments from day-to-day.
