Although we prefer to get to know people face-to-face, it is possible for someone you have only heard stories of to have the same amount of meaning to you. This is demonstrated in the book Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool, in the relationship between the main character, Abilene Tucker, and various townspeople. They are Pastor Shady Howard, the gypsy Ms. Sadie, and, while only a memory of the past, the most important person of all: the childhood embodiment of her father, Jinx (whose given name is Gideon Tucker). Each of these relationships is special and meaningful in its own way, and contributes a large part to the overall frame of the story. After Gideon’s sudden departure to a railroad job in Iowa, Abilene is sent to stay with Pastor Shady Howard in Manifest Kansas, where her father once stayed when he was an orphan. Although the pastor’s name strikes Abilene as ominous at first, she quickly finds that Shady is actually very nice. He does his best to provide for Abilene, and introduces her to the local townspeople. However, Abilene doesn’t find out much of an impact Shady really had on this small town’s development until she befriends the diviner Ms. Sadie. Ms. Sadie is a long-time resident of Manifest, and whenever Abilene goes to her divining parlor, Ms. Sadie “divines” a story about Manifest to Abilene. The main character in every one of these stories is Jinx. You might be interested in how Abilene got involved with a diviner: Gideon had entrusted Abilene with a memento of his–the compass of his deceased friend Ned Gillen–but Abilene lost it and later found it on a tree in Ms. Sadie’s backyard. However, it was too high to reach, so she stepped on a porcelain pot and almost got it, but not quite. But things got worse when she was stepping down; the pot suddenly cracked under her feet. Ms. Sadie happened to notice and forced Abilene to do yard work for her, in addition to collecting strange herbs. However, Ms. Sadie would repay Abilene’s hard work by telling her stories, sometimes voluntarily, sometimes because Abilene would coax her to. These stories left Abilene surprised and shocked at the end of every single turn. Who would have thought Ned and Jinx would set off firecrackers during Woodrow Wilson’s trip to Manifest? Who would have thought Mrs. Larkin and Jinx would be able to devise a plan to humiliate the cruel coal mine owners Devlin and Burton? Yet, crazy as they were, through all of Jinx’s mischievous plots, Shady was there for him. Knowing that Shady had looked after her very own father when he was a child quickly made Shady one of Abilene’s most trusted friends. However, Abilene is undoubtedly most connected to her father, Gideon Tucker. And although Abilene is very close to him, I think what is interesting is that knowing about his childhood life as Jinx brought Abilene even closer to him. After hearing about all of Jinx’s crazy but magical plots alongside his friend, Ned, Abilene was opened to a whole new section of her father’s life. And while this may seem obvious, getting the whole picture of someone often allows you to get closer to them. Aren’t there so many stories where someone forgot his past, and desperately tries to find a way to get his memories back? And after the memories are retrieved, isn’t there always a sense of completion? Abilene is in the same situation here. Previously, Abilene felt uncomfortable knowing that Gideon hadn’t told her that much about his childhood and often pondered what it was like. This triggered many disturbing thoughts in Abilene’s head, such as, Did something happen with my father when he was young? Is that why he is leaving me for his railroad job? or What impact did my father have on Manifest? Why is there no trace of him here? During her time in Manifest, Abilene spent most of her time trying to answer these questions. And when they were finally answered, Abilene suddenly felt that she knew her father so much better, and that she had finally found the missing puzzle pieces to her image of her father. And she felt that her life’s yearning was fulfilled. Many of us worry about the future–about tests, homework, classes–a little too much, and don’t really focus on the past. As Abilene showed us, there is valuable information stored in our past, and if we just spend a little time uncovering these secrets, our lives will seem a lot more meaningful and complete. The prominent religious leader Thomas S. Monson once said, “The past is behind, learn from it. The future is ahead, prepare for it. The present is here, live it.” Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool. Delacorte Press, 1995. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process!
book review
The Hate U Give, Reviewed by Ben, 13, and Jackson, 13
Editor’s Note: The following review is review is co-written by Ben Frost and Jackson Ohle-Kot. In our opinion The Hate U Give is a great book for young and old readers. It shows the story of Starr Carter, a young high-school student growing up in Garden Heights. She is leaving a spring break party when her unarmed friend (Khalil) is murdered by a white police officer. This begins Starr’s hunt for justice. Jackson likes this book because Starr is split between worlds. She goes to school at Williamson High, which is located in a rich white neighborhood. She doesn’t feel like she can bring her other friends into to her home or the rest of Garden Heights, but most of all she can’t tell her other friends about Khalil. Ben likes this because book because it shows a different perspective on the community within Garden Heights. It shows the kindness, the craziness, and the intricacies of Garden Heights. It shows the life of gang members, family members, business owners, and much more. “This is a very interesting book that I would recommend to anybody.”It poses an interesting challenge for Starr’s uncle who is a police officer. He feels like he should be loyal to the police but does not support their decision to protect the shooter. He also gets in a fist fight with the officer that shot Khalil, and gets put on leave. She ends up being tried as a witness in front of the grand jury, where she testifies for the murder. We feel like it would be a major spoiler if we tell you what happened in the ruling so, we are going to leave that to you. The rest of the story is very interesting and we would not want to ruin it for you. In conclusion, it shows a hostile police department that tries to twist her words when she is being interviewed as a witness. However her family trained her and told her to NOT let them speak for her. We have noticed that most books will show the police as the “good guys” but in this case, the police originally committed the murder, and continue to lie on everything from live TV to evidence, saying that they found a gun and drugs in Khalil’s car. It shows what they will do to save themselves, and we praise this book for that unique perspective. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. Balzer + Bray, 2017. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process! Have you read this book? Or do you plan on reading it? Let us know in the comments below!
Ashes, Reviewed by Zoe Lynch, 11
Ashes, by Laurie Halse Anderson, is the third and final book in Anderson’s Seeds of America trilogy. It tells the story of four escaped slaves in revolutionary America. The main characters are sisters Isabel and Ruth who have escaped from slavery and are trying to get to Rhode Island and freedom. Ruth and Isabel have a complex relationship because Ruth was taken as a young child by the plantation’s owner to work on another plantation, but Ruth believes that Isabel sent her away voluntarily. As the two sisters journey towards freedom, their relationship strengthens, especially when they are alone in the forest on their way to Yorktown. The book concludes with the marriage of Isabel and her friend Curzon in the army encampment. The plot of the book revolves around the dilemma Isabel faces when picking a side in the American Revolution. I found the book to be unrealistic because Ruth thinks that Isabel sent her away, but she would know by then that as a slave, Isabel would not have had the power to control who left the plantation. Another part of the story that I found to be unrealistic was that Isabel missed being a slave because of the structure. On the other hand, I did enjoy reading about the time Isabel and Ruth spent in Williamsburg as well as the army encampment. Nevertheless, I found the book interesting to read. Anderson, who is the author of several books, including Fever, Forge, and Chains, does a good job of making history interesting to learn about, and paints a vivid picture of historical events through the eyes of her diverse characters. This book made me read other sources about American history to form my own opinions about the story and the characters’ experiences. For that reason, I would recommend that others read this book. Ashes by Laurie Halse Anderson. Simon & Schuster, 2017. Buy the book here and support Children’s Art Foundation-Stone Soup in the process! Have you read this book? Or do you plan on reading it? If so, comment below!
