Alabama Moon

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, 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.

Survival adventure! Moon Blake has lived in the Alabama forest with his anti-government father for as long as he can remember, hunting and gathering food and making rare trips to a small general store to trade for supplies they can't make themselves. Moon's father breaks his leg and before he dies he tells Moon that he must get to Alaska, where there are "more people like us." Moon buries his father, packs up the wheelbarrow and walks out into the world -- a place he is definitely not prepared for. He runs into a sadistic constable, and is placed in the Pinson Boys Home (more like prison for juveniles) where he is officially listed as property of the state. Moon finds two true friends there, engineers a wild nighttime escape, and ends show more up back in the forest, hunted by the vicious constable who's now accused him of attempted murder (and eating his dogs). For a kid who knows absolutely nothing about how the world actually works, Moon figures out how to apply the skills of wilderness living to the outside world, and the good and bad people who live in it. Lots of humor, action, wonderful detail about life in the woods, and unforgettable characters! A movie version's been filmed, but not released yet. 7th grade and up. 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 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 show more 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

Narrated by Nick Landrum. From jacket: "Ten-year-old Moon has lived in an Alabama forest with his Pap ever since he can remember. Pap, a Vietnam vet, taught Moon how to survive--and how to keep away from the government. On his deathbed, Pap tells Moon that he must flee to Alaska to find others like them and continue to live free, without government restrictions. Soon though, a well-meaning acquaintance (lawyer Mr. Wellington) turns Moon over to the local boys' home. Moon is determined to keep the promise he made to his father, so with Hal and Kit, the first friends he's ever had, he sets off for Alaska. But Moon learns the hard way that you need to trust sometimes--and maybe Pap wasn't right to distrust everyone and everything." Moon's show more naive perspective of the world after his secluded upbringing was completely believable and poignant, especialy as presented in the audio version. Recommended for older fans of "Hatchet." Lib notes: Some mild profanity (sumbitch, damn). show less

This is one of several reviews I wrote for the late lamented Secular Homeschooling Magazine. We ran an article about homeschoolers in fiction, and I rated a lot of YA novels based on how good they were and how well they handled homeschooling. Mostly, homeschoolers were hauled out as the reliable weirdos in story after story; but it was still fun to do so much reading and call it my job.

So: Alabama Moon, by Watt Key

Category: Creepy backwoods illegal homeschooling

Summary: Occasional trips into town for supplies are the only times Moon gets to see anyone other than his father, or glimpse the world outside their tiny hidden home. Just before he dies, Moon's father advises Moon to leave Alabama and go to Alaska to seek others of their kind show more – people who know how to live off the land and refuse to have any relationship with the government. The fact that Moon is only ten when his father dies doesn't stop him from trying to follow this injunction. Fortunately, he doesn't succeed, though the reader becomes increasingly sympathetic with his wish to. Instead, Moon ends up in a warm, safe home with a loving family, and learns the difficult lesson that you can love and honor someone and still not agree with him – even if he's your father.

Conclusion: The "Little House" books will seem kind of creepy for about a week after you finish reading this.

Rating as a novel about homeschooling and/or homeschoolers: It's true that Watt Key is writing about one very unusual child in one very unusual situation. If you're a homeschooler, good luck explaining that to friends and relatives who read this book and panic about your decision to teach your own kids.

Rating as a novel: A brilliant, beautiful book with subtle characterization and a terrifically clever court scene that ties up all loose ends. Ideals of love, redemption, friendship and forgiveness permeate the story. show less

Alabama Moon is the story of a 10 year old boy who has been raised in the forest by his survivalist father. Moon, as he is called, can gather food, build shelter, find his way in the woods but he has no experience with other people or civilization. When his father dies, and he is left on his own, he has no idea of who to trust and gets on the wrong side of the law. Unfortunately the lawman he comes in contact with is a small-minded bully. Moon is taken to a boy’s juvenile home from which he shortly escapes from.

Moon does not escape alone but takes along a couple of the boys, as he has learned that loneliness is the one thing he can’t cope with. He and his two friends encounter all kinds of difficulties and heartbreak before Moon show more discovers that there are adults that are willing to help him and guide him to a place of safety and belonging.

Set in the 1980’s I thought this was an interesting and entertaining look at what happens to the children of these survivalists that leave civilization to escape from any kind of government control. A easy YA read, with a fairly predictable storyline, but with a strong, scrappy main character that you grow to care about. show less

Moon is a ten-year-old who has been raised in a shelter in the middle of the forest by his survivalist, anti-government father. When his dad breaks his legs, refuses to leave the forest for medical attention, and then dies, Moon is left alone with his father's dying words that he should go to Alaska. He is taken to a boys home and has his first of many run-ins with the increasingly sadistic, vengeful Constable Sanders. He somehow manages an escape with all the boys in the boys home - this kid not only knows everything about surviving in the wilderness, he may be a long lost relative of McGyver (please excuse the 1980s TV reference). Ultimately, Moon connects with some other boys, Hal and Kit, and finds an unlikely ally in a wealthy show more lawyer. This was a strangely compelling book, but at times it also struck me as a bit out there. There was something really unsettling about Moon, like an absolutely wild child out of place in the modern world. I did learn somethings about natural living, and ultimately I wished Moon a life where he could find a family to care for him. show less