More Than Meets the Eye

Claire Vanderpool's Moon Over Manifest is a tale of discovery. It is the story of Abilene Tucker, a young girl who spends a summer in her father's hometown of Manifest.  Abilene is given the assignment of writing a story, due at the beginning of the next school year.  As she searches for a story to write she finds the story of the town, it's citizens and maybe even a bit of her own story. 

Vanderpool masterfully weaves togher Abilene's present activities, past newspaper articles, and a diviner's stories to create a tale that showcases both the past and the peresent for one unique story.  Everything in this tale is more than meets the eye.  Abilene has spent the first 12 years of her life riding the rails with her father.  Her time in different towns has fostered her belief that there are "universals."  Manifest challenged this notion but this thought remains, "If there is such a thing as a universal-and I wasn't ready to throw all of mine out the window-it's that there is power in a story." 

In fact this whole text is about stories, "the Lord himself knew the power of a good story.  How it can reach out and wrap around a person like a warm blanket."  And that's how it is with a good story.  A good story is one you keep coming back to, one you ponder and mull over for days, one that envelops you and makes you feel something inside.  Moon Over Manifest is most definitely a good story. 

Abeline spends much of her summer working for Mrs. Sadie, the diviner.  One of the best pockets of wisdom Mrs. Sadie gives to Abeline is this, "the person you encounter is often more than the person you see."  Abeline's careful examination of Manifet's past and present proves this to be true.  I don't care how much you've traveled, you will be hard pressed to find a town with more stories than Manifest. 

Taking time to encounter, seeing more than meets the eye...that's kids stuff