This was the most realistic book I've ever enjoyed. “The tension, positioning, threats, and shifting alliances among the boys are believable and will hook readers.” -School Library Journal for comeuppance it doesn't get much more satisfying.” -Booklist

Hal's efforts to contain his rage and navigate brawls keep the atmosphere tense and pacing fleet. “Hal quickly learns that the boys who want to fight him aren't his real challenge-it's the guards who allow it to happen.” -Birmingham Magazine “A gripping tale of a 14-year-old caught in a justice system that is not about justice at all.” -Kirkus Reviews “The short chapters, quick pacing, and plentiful dialogue make Key's impressive second effort an especially appealing choice for reluctant boy readers.” -The Horn Book “With authentic characters and a candid first-person narrative, Key's story offers a disturbing appraisal of life in a juvenile facility, and a riveting battle for justice.” -Publishers Weekly There's more than enough action to keep the fidgitiest adolescent boy glued to the page here.” -Mobile Press-Register Teacher ResourcesĪlabama Moon has made its way onto the reading lists of a number of schools, these documents were provided courtesy of Rebecca Burnett, 9th grade English teacher at Pelham High School in Shelby County Alabama.įeel free to download them and modify them for use in your classroom.“Key nicely paces his tale, steadily building the tension. As the spirited and resourceful Moon encounters constables, jails, institutions, lawyers, true friends, and true enemies, he adapts his wilderness survival skills to survive in the ‘outside world’, and even, perhaps, make his home there. But Moon is soon caught and entangled in a world he doesn’t know or understand he’s become property of the government he has been taught to avoid all his life. When Moon’s father dies, Moon follows his father’s last instructions: to travel to Alaska to find others like themselves. They keep to themselves, their only contact with other human beings is an occasional trip to the nearest general store. You REALLY never want to eat an armadillo, but I did… FIND OUT WHY? Alabama Moonįor as long as 10-year-old Moon can remember, he has lived out in the forest in a shelter with his father.

Alabama Moon was adapted into a PG-rated movie in 2009 with John Goodman, Clint Howard and directed by Tim McCanlies.

Alabama moon novel