1. Publishers Weekly recommends Moon Over Manifest for children ages 9-12, Kirkus Reviews for ages 10-14, and Library Media Connection suggests ages 11-16. Do you think children in these age ranges would have any trouble with the references to historical elements such as the Depression or World War I? How about Prohibition, the Ku Klux Klan or the flu epidemic of 1918? What is the relevance of these topics today?
2. Do you think children in the recommended age groups would have any difficulty keeping track of the various narrative voices of the book -- Abilene, Miss Sadie, Hattie Mae, and Ned's letters? Are four different methods of narration too many? Why do you think Vanderpool chose to use this narrative technique?
3. How would you characterize the setting of the novel?
4. I looked at a children's literature blog called MotherReader.com, written by a library assistant;
it seems to have a readership of both moms and librarians, including school librarians. The blogger had this to say about Moon Over Manifest, and most, though not all, of her readers agreed:
It’s not that the book is bad, but it is a real slow starter. I’m not even talking the fifty-page rule that dedicated readers give a book. For me, it wasn’t until I was halfway through the three-hundred-fifty-page book before I was invested in it. The little pieces planted in along the way started to come together with explanation and meaning. The story started to build momentum and tension until a point at which a twist, and then another twist really brought it home.
http://www.motherreader.com/2011/02/newbery-discussion-week-moon-over.html
Did you find the book slow to get off the ground?
5. Does this seem like a book your students or patrons would be likely to pick up? How would you help them find it accessible?
6. We've had recent discussions about the disproportionate number of historical novels that win national awards for youth literature, and about a possible disconnect between what awards panels and young readers may find valuable in a book. Here are two comments from readers of MotherReader.com on that issue:
I do agree, however, that it's not exactly one that's suited to kids. It's the kind of book that wins awards because adults love it, not because kids are clamoring to read it. (Which is why it didn't make our Cybils shortlist.) It's slow, it's dense, and even with the dual protagonists, it's not that exciting for boys OR girls. I love Vanderpool for being a local author, but I wonder how often her book will get read.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I don't think I'll buy it, because 99% of my students don't want to read it. Once they started selling the moonshine, I was a little interested, but ... If I buy any Newbery from this year, it will be Heart of a Samurai. I refuse to buy them just because they win.
Do you agree? What is your philosophy about buying award-winners?
7. Do you believe it is essential to the message of the book that Gideon return to Manifest at the end? Why or why not?
8. What does Abilene mean by her theory of "universals?" How does Manifest fit into her theory?
2. Do you think children in the recommended age groups would have any difficulty keeping track of the various narrative voices of the book -- Abilene, Miss Sadie, Hattie Mae, and Ned's letters? Are four different methods of narration too many? Why do you think Vanderpool chose to use this narrative technique?
3. How would you characterize the setting of the novel?
4. I looked at a children's literature blog called MotherReader.com, written by a library assistant;
it seems to have a readership of both moms and librarians, including school librarians. The blogger had this to say about Moon Over Manifest, and most, though not all, of her readers agreed:
It’s not that the book is bad, but it is a real slow starter. I’m not even talking the fifty-page rule that dedicated readers give a book. For me, it wasn’t until I was halfway through the three-hundred-fifty-page book before I was invested in it. The little pieces planted in along the way started to come together with explanation and meaning. The story started to build momentum and tension until a point at which a twist, and then another twist really brought it home.
http://www.motherreader.com/2011/02/newbery-discussion-week-moon-over.html
Did you find the book slow to get off the ground?
5. Does this seem like a book your students or patrons would be likely to pick up? How would you help them find it accessible?
6. We've had recent discussions about the disproportionate number of historical novels that win national awards for youth literature, and about a possible disconnect between what awards panels and young readers may find valuable in a book. Here are two comments from readers of MotherReader.com on that issue:
I do agree, however, that it's not exactly one that's suited to kids. It's the kind of book that wins awards because adults love it, not because kids are clamoring to read it. (Which is why it didn't make our Cybils shortlist.) It's slow, it's dense, and even with the dual protagonists, it's not that exciting for boys OR girls. I love Vanderpool for being a local author, but I wonder how often her book will get read.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I don't think I'll buy it, because 99% of my students don't want to read it. Once they started selling the moonshine, I was a little interested, but ... If I buy any Newbery from this year, it will be Heart of a Samurai. I refuse to buy them just because they win.
Do you agree? What is your philosophy about buying award-winners?
7. Do you believe it is essential to the message of the book that Gideon return to Manifest at the end? Why or why not?
8. What does Abilene mean by her theory of "universals?" How does Manifest fit into her theory?