
“Memories were like sunshine. They warmed you up and left a pleasant glow, but you couldn’t hold them.”― Clare Vanderpool, Moon Over Manifest
Clare Vanderpool won the Newbery Award, with this, her debut novel. It is a powerful story of relationships, loss, betrayal, and redemption. Abilene Tucker is sent to the worn out town of Manifest, Kansas for the summer by her father. Abilene feels abandoned as her father sends her off on the train by herself to his hometown. Abilene knows no one but is taken in by the pastor. In the pastor’s home, stashed away under a floorboard, she finds an old box of trinkets and letters from a boy named Ned to another boy named Jinx. These items set Abilene and her two new friends off on a journey to find a spy, despite being warned to leave things alone. As the girls investigate, old secrets come to light –including ones about Abilene’s father. Set during the depression, this book has great historical detail as well as a compelling and rich narrative.
Content Advisory: War, violence, murder