Alabama Moon by Watt Key

Alabama Moon by Watt Key

In this compelling, action-packed book, Watt Key gives us the thrilling coming-of-age story of the unique and extremely appealing Alabama Moon, the basis for the film of the same name starring Jimmy Bennett and John Goodman.

For as long as ten-year-old Moon can remember, he has lived out in the forest in a shelter with his father. They keep to themselves, their only contact with other human beings an occasional trip to the nearest general store. When Moon's father dies, Moon follows his father's last instructions: to travel to Alaska to find others like themselves. 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 avoiding all his life. As the spirited and resourceful Moon encounters constables, jails, institutions, lawyers, true friends, and true enemies, he adapts his wilderness survival skills and learns to survive in the outside world, and even, perhaps, make his home there.

This title has Common Core connections.

Alabama Moon is a 2007 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Watt Key is an award-winning southern fiction author who writes under the pen name Albert Watkins Key, Jr. He grew up in southern Alabama and now resides there with his wife and family. Watt spent most of his time hunting and fishing in Alabama's forests, which served as the inspiration for his first novel, Alabama Moon, which was released to critical acclaim in 2006. Alabama Moon took home the E.B. White Award in 2007. The book won the White Read-Aloud Award, was named one of Time Magazine's 100 Best Young Adult Novels of All Time, and has been translated into seven languages.