Moon over Manifest

I like how the story connects and how it was tied together but like one reviewer pointed out, in Abilene's words, they are universals. It didn't make it bad for me but might not cater to some taste. Still a great read though. I forgot that this was a historical novel so I kind of missed the events that happened the year this book was set. Reading reviews, now it all fits.

I read all the Newberry books a few years ago, but they just keep awarding the Newberry Award to new books. Moon Over Manifest is one of these.

Everything in this story is clever and shiny. Vanderpool creates a lovely small town, with several stories running in two different pasts, 1917 and 1936, with intriguing characters including a fortuneteller and a moonshiner and a newspaperwoman. Our main character is trying to fit together all the pieces of the plot to discover who her dad really is and why he is always wandering. There are, intermittently, newspaper articles and letters, too. It's a nicely done book.

This is one of the better Newbery books I've read in recent years. I feel like the selections now seem to focus a lot on being politically correct as opposed to good stories that instill a love of reading in children. The story within a story drew me in, and I found the characters both realistic and sympathetic. I still had a few questions at the end but overall was very satisfied with the ending.