Note: This is really a 3.5 review. 
 Moon Over Manifest is the winner of the 2011 Newberry Medal, and, for that reason, I hold the book to a marginally higher standard. Simply put, my thoughts on this book are conflicted. The ending is masterfully done and that of a five star book; however, the chapters leading up to that ending, while individually well written (sometimes artfully so), are laid out in such a clunky fashion that it's difficult to give Clare Vanderpool's tale complete attention. 
 That's a shame, really. The story is a compelling one, even if it takes a little more work than it should to appreciate it. I see why it won the award though. Both central characters are strong and interesting, historical facts are sprinkled throughout the work and the text is rife with vocabulary words just screaming to be given out as assignments in classrooms across the nation. 
 Moon Over Manifest does a great job of sneaking in the "vegetables" to an, at times, beautiful story. I just wish the pace and structure of the book were executed a little better. I still think the book is definitely worth reading, despite the flaws. The satisfyingly emotional ending makes it all worthwhile.