Moon over Manifest

Summary: Abilene Tucker’s father puts her on a train and send her to live in his hometown of Manifest, Kansas with a friend. When Abilene arrives, she is determined to learn her father’s history. When she and her friends Lettie and Ruthanne discover that a spy named the Rattler is somehow connected to Manifests past, they set out on a quest to find out all about it.

My Review: This book was a lot better than I thought it would be. Its story is simple, but there are deep themes and bits of wisdom scattered throughout the book. The characters are funny and memorable.

My Takeaway: This is a sweet story about uncovering the history of a little country town. Parent’s might want to be aware of a theme of mysticism in the characters of Miss Sadie, who operates a “Diving Parlor”. However, you can’t tell if she is a fake or not. The author uses the idea of mysticism to drive home the themes of the book. Also, the people of Manifest are very superstitious, and the children tell each other ghost stories, which my frighten some children.

Romance: None.

Nudity: None.

Language: None.

Alcohol/drugs/smoking: Mentions of alcohol and smoking.

Violence: None.

Darkness: None.

Bad Messages: None.

Good Messages: Found family, kindness

Stars: 4