Moon Over Manifest

Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool

This year's Newberry Medal Winner. I have mixed feelings about this award, some have been pretty spot on the perfect choice for kids and others complete duds (this is just my opinion ;-)
So this Easter holiday this is one of the books coming home with me.
Here's the summary.
Abilene Tucker feels abandoned. Her father has put her on a train, sending her off to live with an old friend for the summer while he works on a railway job. Armed only with a few possessions and her list of universals, Abilene jumps off the train at Manifest Kansas, aiming to learn about the boy her father once was.

Newbery Winner

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Well your looking at this years Newbery Award Winner,

I forgot I had an advanced reader copy of this one, so I picked it up again and read it this weekend. I have to say it wouldn't have been my pick, my pick would have been Savvy (which did end up being a honour book for 2009).

I love a good first sentence, followed by a good first paragraph, followed by a good first page and well The Graveyard Book does have this. Here's that first sentence.

There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife.If that doesn't grab your attention I don't know what will.

The story follows a young child Nobody Owens (orphaned on that first page) also known as Bod, the only living inhabitant of the graveyard, where ghosts, ghouls, werewolves and witches are his new family and friends. he undergoes a unique education and will have to use his graveyard skills to survive the monsters of the human world.

Like I said not my choice for the big best of children's lit but I'm sure it will be one that I can promote for it dark humour and adventure.