After a childhood spent moving from place to place and nowhere to call her own, Abilene Tucker rolls off the train into the tiny town of Manifest. Her father sent her to his childhood home with nothing but a flour sack of her few possessions and a letter stating she was to be in the care of Pastor Howard for the summer. The sign at the edge of town says Manifest is “a town with a past.” The more Abilene learns about her new home, the more she realizes this is true. From Hattie Mae, the reporter around town, to Shady, the pastor/bartender, to Miss Sadie, the local diviner, Abilene learns about the Manifest of 1918 and how it shaped the town and the people of the Manifest she comes to know during the summer of 1936.
Abilene is a strong little girl who learns about friendship, trust, and learns how and the choices people make that can affect an entire town. Abilene really grows as a character and the story is well done.
Newbery Medal winner