Alabama Moon

Description

Reviews

Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-07-01
Summary: "Alabama Moon should become a classic"

This one belongs high on the list of coming of age tales and is, not only a great story about a young man growing up in very unusual circumstances, but it offers a wealth of information about how to survive, especially on one's own in the wilderness. Moon is living with his father deep in the forests of Alabama. When he is only ten years old, his father dies and Moon is left alone to fend for himself. The civilized world is not ready to let him do that, especially one constable who is determined to lock this young man away in some jail or institution. As the lawman pursues him, Moon constantly outsmarts him; and along the way makes a couple of new friends who bring him to the realization that he does not want to live his life alone any more. I won't spoil the page turner, but will say that things turn out favorable in the end. This book is a keeper. If I could, I would give it to every young man in this age group or even older to show them there is more to life than TV and video games. Highly recommended.

Rating: 4 / 5
Date: 2010-02-09
Summary: "Alabama Moon"

Alabama Moon by Watt Key is a very unique and entertaining book for 10 to 15 year olds. This book is about a boy who lives with his father in the woods isolated from the rest of the community. People usually say not to judge a book by its cover. I never judged this book by its cover and I decided I would read it. The assistant librarian of my school actually recommended this book to me. I decided to read this book because people who read three of the California young reader medal books receive a pizza party. Although I would receive a pizza party I thought this book was very decent.
Moon, who lives in the forest with his father, is hiding from the rest of the community, hunts for food and is very resourceful. Moon's father dies and Moon is caught by the police, who is placed in a foster home. Moon escapes with his friends and has many wild adventures.
This book deserves four stars out of five. This was not one of the best books that I have ever read, but this book is very enjoyable. This book is always changing ideas and is very hard to keep up with, but is an interesting story for readers and very entertaining, but is not my favorite.

Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2009-11-07
Summary: "This moon is shinning!"

In this book we are treated to outdoor survival stories, crazy escapes, adults behaving badly, adults behaving kindly, boys having the times of their lives, and boys fighting for their lives. The action is varied and so are the characters. The ending is satisfying with the right balance of reality and happiness. Moon, the ten-year-old hero is a character that will stick with me for quite awhile because of the amusing situations in which he is placed and because of the questions he raises about loneliness, trust, and all types of survival. Read this one and enjoy.

(One note, there is a fair amount of appropriate-to-the-story "PG" swearing which may be a consideration for some families. If that might be a concern, read it aloud to your taste, but don't skip it!)

Rating: 4 / 5
Date: 2009-08-04
Summary: "People Keep Tryin' to Catch Him All The Time..."

"People keep tryin' to catch me all the time and I haven't done anything wrong. Before my pap died, he told me to head to Alaska. Said there were more people like us up there." -pg. 65

Alabama Moon is the story of a ten-year-old boy who has lived in the forest with his father in their camouflaged shelter for as long as he can remember. Anything, and everything, they need can be found in the forest---at least that's what Moon's father always taught him. They generally keep to themselves save for the occasional trip to the general store. When Moon's father dies, he leaves his son with one last instruction--to go to Alaska and find others like themselves. What Moon doesn't realize is that there's a world (and reality) that he doesn't quite understand. He becomes entangled in all of the things that he's been trying to avoid.

Using his skills of survival, Moon sets out on the adventures that lay before him as he tries to make a life for himself.

Alabama Moon is a quick and easy read that will keep you absorbed as Moon undergoes one hardship after another. Moon is a likable character--both wise and naïve--I couldn't help but root for him! In the company of his father, Moon is clearly just a child. However, when Moon has to take matters into his own hands, he is beyond his years. I kept forgetting how young his character really is. The narration is easy to follow and the language is in keeping with the characters personalities. Alabama Moon is a well-written novel with just the right pace. Full of adventure and survival tactics, Watt Key paints a picture from the point of view of a ten-year-old who endures so many changes and challenges in such a short time. Overall, young boys will be sure to find a hero in Moon.

Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2009-07-19
Summary: "Fantastic adventure, especially for anyone who loves the outdoors"

This book was a wonderful surprise. I'd not heard of it or read any reviews, just picked it up and was intrigued. My two boys (12 and 10), my husband and I all really enjoyed this one. Achingly sad at times, but balanced by a "flying by the seat of your pants" adventure and plenty of humor from a very likeable main character. Any kid will love the fact that the main character's skills put him in the position of being more capable and mature than the adults charged with "caring" for him. The fact that even a child who is fully capable of caring for himself needs love and companionship in order to really live makes for a deeply moving and thoughtful story.