Moon Over Manifest

This book, Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool, is the Newberry Award winner of 2011. I always know a Newberry Award winner is going to be good but will it appeal? Do judges look for things that readers may not? I picked this one up, I read, I could not put down and I loved.

Once again this is a story that entwines so many things so beautifully. Abilene is a spunky 12 year old girl who has come to live in the dusty small town of Manifest in the year 1936 when her father Gideon is supposedly off to work where she can cannot go. After a life of running the rails and not having a home Abilene is determined to find out about her father's past in this town that he has sent her to and told her about through his stories.

Abilene is staying with Shady, a preacher/bartender in his church/bar, she meets Miss Sadie, a diviner, who seems to be able to read Abilene's thoughts and wishes and who tells her stories about a time years before that are connected to a box of mementos that Abliene finds under the floorboards of her room; things like a fishing lure, a cork and a skeleton key.

And she meets a whole host of townsfolk, both in real life and through these stories that ulitimately show her what she is looking for.

I think you will love Abilene and this book.