Having never heard of this book before it won the Newbery Award, I walked into Manifest a little more skeptical than most years. It's historical fiction. It's set in 1936. And a girl arrives in Manifest, Kansas, to uncover her father's past. I knew there had to be more to the book than that. And there is. The story opens as a pretty straightforward first person narrative, but soon things change. Abilene Tucker (the girl) finds a cigar box full of notes and knick knacks. She also happens by a diviner, who begins weaving stories about the notes and items in the cigar box. Abilene takes great interest in Miss Sadie's stories, which, unbeknownst to Abilene, reveal more than meets the ear.
While historical fiction can be as dry as the dirt in Kansas, this book is a finely woven tapestry, with layers of subtle mystery and historical accuracies.
In the end, Abilene uncovers a story within her own story, and it all ties together to form a cohesive narrative full of mischievous characters and a missing piece from Abilene's life.
I hope kids can find the value in Abilene's story while appreciating the intricate storytelling abilities of Ms. Vanderpool.
"dry as the dirt in Kansas"...hey! I beg to differ. Historical fiction can be fabulous, wonderful, magical. Think of Secret Life of Bees...think of Bud Not Buddy...think of Because of Winn Dixie...think of Ten Cents a Dance...
ReplyDeletejust saying ;)
Yeah, yeah. I know. There are plenty of winners out there. Is Because of Winn Dixie historical fiction? Really?
ReplyDeleteThe Secret Life of Bees was as boring as Kansas.
ReplyDeleteDoes MOON OVER MANIFEST remind one of MC HIGGINS THE GREAT? Haven't read it in decades, but I remember liking historical Appalachia. And Kansas can work... the LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE empire... And the fantastic adult book WAS.
ReplyDeleteI'm rubbing the sleep from my eyes. Kidding. I'm actually working on a historical fiction story, set in the ever-tumultuous 1968.
ReplyDeleteNope. Still not reading it.
ReplyDelete:)
I really, really wanted to like this book but the plot moved too slowly. I felt frustrated that 1) no one was telling her about her dad, and 2) she wasn't more insistent on asking questions about him. This contrivance reached a critical mass for me and I gave up about 3/4 of the way through. Probably a big mistake, I know. I'll finish it eventually.
ReplyDeleteMG Higgins - I agree. The story unfolded more slowly than I wanted it to and I so badly wanted to read this book faster than it was letting me. In the end I was satisfied. Though you're right, Abilene Tucker was passive and accepted Miss Sadie's stories at a gradual pace. Maybe Miss Sadie intimidated Abilene. It was a different time period, in a very simple place (Kansas), when kids seldom questioned adults about anything. I think that hints at the roots of the pacing problem.
ReplyDeleteAlso - this opens up my Newbery committee Pandora's box, which I'll spare you from.