Moon Over Manifest
By: Clare Vanderpool
Published by Delacorte Press, 2010
Recipient of the 2011 Newberry Medal
Historical Fiction
Without many answers, Abilene Tucker is put on a train to Manifest, Kansas by her father for the summer. Knowing her father had lived in this town for a part of his life, Abilene makes it her mission to find out about her father's childhood. The town is the epitome of a dustbowl town and is not what Abilene was expecting. To her surprise though, Abilene finds a box of mysterious treasures under a floorboard in her room; sending her on a hunt for a spy named Rattler. On her journey she learns about the history of the town and of her father. And of course who the Rattler was.
Reading Level:
Grade Level Equivalent: 5.3
Lexile Level: 800L
Suggested Delivery:
Read aloud, Small group read
Electronic Resources:
This is the author's personal website with a page about 'Moon Over Manifest.' The website has links to information about the book, a bio on the author and even teaching resources for teaching the book in the classroom.
This site explains why Manifest, Kansas was so dusty and dry. In 1936, the Dustbowl was in full swing and Manifest was right in the middle of it. This site will help students understand why Abilene was so dissapointed at the sight of Manifest and the many references to water and heat throughout the story.
This site gives students simple straight forward facts about the Great Depression. The story is not onlt set in the portion of the country that suffered from the dust bowl, but the Great Depression is going on as well.
Key Vocabulary:
perdition, auxiliary, libations, serendipity, prohibition, depression
Comprehension Strategies:
Before Reading:
In order to understand the historical references in this story, it is important for students to know the history of the time the story is set in. The story has two parts: the present, which takes place in 1936, and the past, which takes place in 1918. Put students in pairs or small groups to research the historical significance of these time periods. Have students present to the class some highlights of these periods and record them on chart paper for future reference.
During Reading:
Keep track of Abilene's journey and the stories Miss Sadie tells. Each chapter not only has a title, but a date. With the date, have students write a few sentence summary of the chapter and plot it on a timeline. There will be two timelines: one for Abilene's story and one for the stories Miss Sadie tells.
After Reading:
Continue the story. After Hattie Mae retired from her newspaper column, Abilene took over for her. Predict what happened in Manifest after the story was over and write two more columns for the local newspaper.
Writing Activity:
Students can write the story that Abilene was assigned to write by Sister Redempta. Although it might be a very similar story to the storyline of the book, it will force students to put it into their own words and condense it into the important things.
Vanderpool, Clare. Moon over Manifest. New York: Delacorte Press, 2010. Print.
During Reading:
Keep track of Abilene's journey and the stories Miss Sadie tells. Each chapter not only has a title, but a date. With the date, have students write a few sentence summary of the chapter and plot it on a timeline. There will be two timelines: one for Abilene's story and one for the stories Miss Sadie tells.
After Reading:
Continue the story. After Hattie Mae retired from her newspaper column, Abilene took over for her. Predict what happened in Manifest after the story was over and write two more columns for the local newspaper.
Writing Activity:
Students can write the story that Abilene was assigned to write by Sister Redempta. Although it might be a very similar story to the storyline of the book, it will force students to put it into their own words and condense it into the important things.
Vanderpool, Clare. Moon over Manifest. New York: Delacorte Press, 2010. Print.
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