Dirt Road Home (Alabama Moon, 2)

The story of of the orphan boy Moon, begun in Watt Key’s award-winning Alabama Moon, continues with Dirt Road Home After his recapture, gutsy 14-year-old Hal Mitchell is sentenced to live at Hellenweiler, an institution that is more like a jail than the boys’ home it’s supposed to be. Hal could walk out in just a few months if he keeps out of trouble. But in a place like Hellenweiler, the more he tries to avoid the gangs and their violence, the stronger Hal’s fellow inmates try to make him fail. This title has Common Core connections. “Key does a fabulous job of keeping his readers involved in the story and vested in the characters. Even reluctant readers will most likely find this one hard to put down.” — VOYA