Moon Over Manifest

By: Clare Vanderpool

Narrated by: Jenna Lamia, Cassandra Campbell, Kirby Heyborne

Length: 9 hrs and 25 mins

Publisher's summary

"The movement of the train rocked me like a lullaby. I closed my eyes to the dusty countryside and imagined the sign I'd seen only in Gideon's stories: Manifest - A town with a rich past and a bright future."

Abilene Tucker feels abandoned. Her father has put her on a train, sending her off to live with an old friend for the summer while he works a railroad job. Armed only with a few possessions and her list of universals, Abilene jumps off the train in Manifest, Kansas, aiming to learn about the boy her father once was.

Having heard stories about Manifest, Abilene is disappointed to find that it's just a dried-up, worn-out old town. But her disappointment quickly turns to excitement when she discovers a hidden cigar box full of mementos, including some old letters that mention a spy known as the Rattler. These mysterious letters send Abilene and her new friends, Lettie and Ruthanne, on an honest-to-goodness spy hunt, even though they are warned to "Leave Well Enough Alone".

Abilene throws all caution aside when she heads down the mysterious Path to Perdition to pay a debt to the reclusive Miss Sadie, a diviner who only tells stories from the past. It seems that Manifest's history is full of colorful and shadowy characters - and long-held secrets. The more Abilene hears, the more determined she is to learn just what role her father played in that history. And as Manifest's secrets are laid bare one by one, Abilene begins to weave her own story into the fabric of the town.

Powerful in its simplicity and rich in historical detail, Clare Vanderpool's debut is a gripping story of loss and redemption.

©2011 Clare Vanderpool (P)2011 Listening Library

Critic reviews

"Ingeniously plotted and gracefully told." (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books)

“Readers will cherish every word up to the heartbreaking yet hopeful and deeply gratifying ending.” (Kirkus, starred review)

"Replete with historical details and surprises, Vanderpool's debut delights, while giving insight into family and community.” (Publisher's Weekly)

Wonderful Story

Any additional comments?

This is a story that is not what I usually choose and found it to be quite good. The narriator was very good.

I loved it!

I thought this was a great story, and I was satisfied with the ending. Great characters. Jenna Lamia is always a good reader, so that was an extra for me.

I know the book is good when I have to get the Kindle book to read so I can easily move from house to car.

You will not be disappointed.

Great Road Trip Listen!!

My girls and I took a road trip and decided to listen to this together. It was fantastic! The different narrators and the story line were a perfect combination. I highly recommend this book. I enjoyed it as much as my girls!

Great characters and clever

Wonderful book for whole family on a road trip- ages 11, 14, 50.. weaves great history of immigrants, WWI, Great Depression and prohibition

Enchanting Story

If you could sum up Moon Over Manifest in three words, what would they be?

Nostalgic, heartwarming, gripping

Who was your favorite character and why?

Miss Zadie ties the whole story together.

Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?

Abeline

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When the town bands together to save themselves and their hope for the future.

Taken back in time

I really enjoyed Moon Over Manifest. Jenna Lamia's narration was exceptional (I loved her in The Help). I especially appreciate how they chose to narrate this book. They used different narrators for the different parts, making the transition from main story to newspaper to letters seamless. When moving from past to present, the book always included the date, making it easy to follow along.

I was swept back to a simpler time where everything costs a dime, but a dime was hard to come by. While I am happy that I wasn't born in the depression, it was great to be able to experience just a taste of it with this book.

Wonderful book to listen to as a family.

We listened to this as a family with our 13 year old daughter and 10 year old son and we all loved it. I particularly liked that the book was told as a story being told within the story -- with a person recalling events from fifteen or so years prior.

Best story I've heard in a WHILE

I loved everything about this audible book- The writing was excellent, and the narration couldn't have been better! This one will be hard to beat!

Fun beginning of the 20th century story.

Nostalgic yet genuine reflection on past relationships in small towns and the struggle to make ends meet.

Great Story!

Jenna Lamia delivers another outstanding performance. The story is fantastic! There were plenty of twists and turns in the story that made it more interesting. I highly recommend this book!