Dirt Road Home
A Novel
-
-
4.6 • 58 Ratings
-
-
- $9.99
-
- $9.99
Publisher Description
In this gripping sequel to Alabama Moon, the gutsy 14-year-old Hal Mitchell must navigate the brutal world of Hellenweiler, a juvenile detention center where survival is a daily struggle.
After his recapture, Hal is sentenced to live at Hellenweiler, an institution more akin to a prison than a boys' home. If he can keep out of trouble, Hal could walk free in just a few months. But in a place rife with gangs and violence, staying on the straight and narrow proves to be a daunting task. The harder Hal tries to avoid conflict, the more his fellow inmates seek to make him fail. Dirt Road Home is a powerful tale of resilience, hope, and one boy's fight against a broken system. 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
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This gritty sequel to Key's Alabama Moon tells what happens to Moon's friend Hal after their escape from the Pinson Boys' Home. The book begins with 14-year-old Hal being sent to the Hellenweiler Boys' Home in Tuscaloosa, a "high-security jailhouse to lock down eighty bad boys." Desperate to return to his father and to reunite with his girlfriend, Hal vows to "play it cool." It's hard to avoid trouble, however, when guards do nothing to prevent fights and two warring gangs pressure Hal to choose a side. As he becomes aware of underlying corruption in the system, preventing any chance for release, Hal has to decide between using brute force or his wits to survive. Readers will feel Hal's fear and temptation to give up, but unlike the boys' home itself, the novel is not without hope, and Hal hatches a plan to make the institutional corruption known. 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. Ages 10 14.
Customer Reviews
Grate sequel to Alabama moon
Could not put down one of my favorite books
Dirt road home
Dirt road home is one of the best books I have ever read, I love the excitement and entertainment!! In both Alabame kook (his 1st book, and Dirt road home.