Watt Key

What a good book this is! It may be Middle Grade (with a little coming-of-age mixed in), but I sat up late to finish it, not wanting to put it down. And yes, it’s kind of like a movie on The Lifetime Channel, but who can resist those?!

Twelve-year-old Foster lives with his widowed mom Linda on Fourmile Farm in Alabama, some three hours south of Montgomery. His dad died the year before in a traumatic accident, and his mom has started seeing a man – Dax – who raises the hackles of both show more Foster and his dog Joe.

Foster becomes increasingly alienated, but that all changes when Gary Conway, a former Iraqi Special Forces soldier, hikes by their farm and offers to stay on a while to help fix it up. Foster bonds with Gary and his dog Kabo, and knows that Gary (unlike Dax) would never hurt him. At the same time, however, he picks up on an unease in Gary, “like a coiled spring,” that frightens him.

Dax doesn’t like Linda having a potential rival like Gary on the property, and tries to force Linda to make a choice. The results change all of them forever.

Discussion: The set-up in the first chapter is excellent: there is tension, mystery, a hidden tragedy, and a loving mother and son struggling to make it on their own. It pulls you right in and doesn’t stop there. And what a pleasure to find that the 12-year-old narrator is not omniscient: he doesn’t always “get” what is happening among the very authentically drawn adults, nor for that matter, do we readers, since we only know what we glean from Foster’s perspective. I love that!

As for the ending, it is so fabulously realistic that, although I always hope for a fairy tale finish, I can’t help but admire the author and love the book for the last chapter, and especially, the last paragraph.

Note: Fans of the Patrick Ness’s A Monster Calls will appreciate the echoes of that fable in Foster’s efforts to come to terms with his own monster after the death of his dad.

Evaluation: A Middle Grade book that will appeal to all ages. If you see this one, I recommend not passing it up! show less

Alabama Moon follows ten-year-old Moon Blake, whose survivalist father dies unexpectedly, sending him into institutional life—something he’s avoided his whole life. Using forest skills learned in childhood, Moon escapes to the wilderness with new friends and unexpected enemies. As he adapts to a world he’s never known, he forms unlikely bonds and imagines a future beyond rules and restraint. This emotionally resonant middle-grade novel balances rugged adventure with quiet reflection, show more offering a powerful portrait of identity, loss, and growing up. At Lexile 720 L and ATOS 4.1 (AR 11 points), it’s both accessible and compelling for readers ages 10–14. show less

Reviewed by Grandma Bev for TeensReadToo.com

Watt Key has introduced an unforgettable character in ten-year-old Moon Blake. He has lived in the wilderness with his father for as long as he can remember. Moon's father is anti-government and they live a reclusive life, surviving on what they can trap and raise with just an occasional trip to the little country general store. When Moon's father suffers a broken leg, and refuses to seek medical help, his subsequent death leaves Moon alone. Moon show more manages to see to his wilderness burial, but following his father's instructions to go to Alaska and find others that live their way of life is more difficult. While Moon is very resourceful, he doesn't understand the ways of the modern world and has no idea where Alaska is, or how to get there. The attorney that recently purchased the land where Moon and his father lived believes that he is doing the best thing for Moon, and turns him over to a boys home.

Moon is determined to escape and so he and two other boys manage steal a bus and run away. Moon's survival skills keep them one step ahead of the abusive and determined constable and out of jail. Moon has a chance to learn firsthand about what friendship means and to be able to interact with boys his own age for the first time. The boys are very sympathetic characters...even the bloodhound sent to track them down decides to join them.

Moon begins to question the lessons his father taught him about how bad the government is and to question even his father's lifestyle. Moon is a character that I'll never forget. This action-packed story is filled with chases, captures, and escapes. If you want to encourage reluctant readers, give them this exciting first novel by Watt Key. I'm hoping for another story...Moon is just too good a character to not have a sequel. show less

Moon Blake has always lived in the wilderness alone with his pap. Able to survive completely on their own, Moon and his father build shelters, hunt and trap animals, and make their own clothing. Then suddenly, Moon’s father is injured and becomes critically ill. Though Moon knows a lot about folk and herbal medicine, he is soon left alone to fend for himself. Even worse, a big city lawyer has begun building on the property that Moon and his father called their own, and Moon knows it’s show more only a matter of time before he will have to leave.

Sure enough, authorities soon come to take him away to a boys’ home, authorities that include the sadistic Constable Sanders. Moon’s inability to understand the ways of the outside world soon put him on Sanders’s bad side. Luckily, at Pinson, the boys’ home, Moon quickly makes friends who help him break out. He and his band of “lost boys” head into the Talladega forest, where Moon promises to teach them all how to survive in the wilderness. Frightened by exposure and the sheer vastness of the forest however, most of the boys end up staying behind, leaving Moon with only two friends: Hal, the stubborn leader and Kit, the faithful follower. For a while, the three live very happily in the woods, and Moon thinks he’s finally settled. But soon, Kit’s health takes a turn for the worse, and then Sanders shows up, looking for the boys. It’s then that Moon realizes that his life has truly changed, and he is going to have to make a life-and-death decision.

Filled with tidbits about survivalist information, this novel is sure to appeal to middle school kids of all stripes, especially boys. Moon is a tough kid, but with a heart of gold. He’s not out to hurt anyone, but he also has no idea why the world works the way it does. He has been brought up with the idea that the government is out to get him, and the only thing he can do is hide out far away from civilization. But the kind people he meets slowly show him otherwise. Reading about his slow realization that maybe his dad wasn’t as sane as he seemed is both a relief and a heartbreak. Teens will cheer on Moon as he rebels against all types of authority, but will also understand why he eventually needs to submit and find a new life in the city. And Sanders is a frightening and disturbing villain who gets his comeuppance in the end.

The book is filled with lush descriptions of the wilderness that Moon cherishes, but is a quick-paced read. Key is particularly good at capturing Moon’s loneliness. Students will gobble the book up to find out if Moon survives, first when he is by himself, and later when he is saddled with two friends who mean well but have no clue what they are doing. There is some mild cussing, but it lends authenticity to already strong character voices. Overall, a fast-paced adventure story that middle schoolers will really enjoy, even if they have never set foot in a campsite.

Grades 7-10 show less