ALA Booklist

Key's second novel follows Hal Mitchell, reform-school buddy of the hero of Alabama Moon (2006). Hal is in the Hellenweiler Boys' Home, where the state sends the hard cases to live until they turn 18. If he can stay out of trouble, and his dad can stop drinking, the two can be reunited, but it's immediately clear that Hal's end of the bargain is going to be tough to keep. The kids in Hellenweiler are evenly divided between two gridlocked gangs that altercate violently and often. Neither side is willing to let Hal keep his nose clean, which only distracts him from seeing the true villains in the mix. It's a standard setup for a lockup tale, and Hal's efforts to contain his rage and navigate brawls keep the atmosphere tense and pacing fleet. Most interesting is the unusual triangle he forms with a silent, massive loner and a philosophical Mexican gang leader. The ending is a little too neat for credibility, but for comeuppance it doesn't get much more satisfying.

Horn Book

Fourteen-year-old Hal (a secondary character from Alabama Moon) is transferred to a juvenile detention center with a justifiably sinister reputation. He seeks the precarious middle ground between rival gangs and uncovers corruption in the prison's administration. Hal's narration is honest, suspenseful, and riveting. Short chapters, quick pacing, and plentiful dialogue make the book especially appealing for reluctant boy readers.

Kirkus Reviews

Although a companion to Alabama Moon (2006) in that it continues the story of one of that book's main characters, this survival tale is by no means dependent on its predecessor. Hal Mitchell finds himself locked up in a juvenile facility and is told he needs to choose which gang to join. It's the Death Row Ministers or the Hell Hounds, but Hal is determined to avoid both and keep his nose clean until Mr. Wellington, his lawyer, can spring him. As events unfold, the nature of the system becomes clear, as are the impossible odds stacked against him. Hal's grit and determination provide him with some unexpected allies as well as enemies. Suspenseful and harrowing, the narrative underplays the bodily pain Hal endures but not his emotional and psychological wounds. A gripping tale of a 14-year-old caught in a justice system that is not about justice at all, Key's sophomore outing will be satisfying to his early admirers even as he plows new territory by focusing on a completely different battle. (Fiction. 12 & up)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

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 [used] 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%E2%80%9314. (July)

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8 A companion to the award-winning Alabama Moon (Farrar, 2006), this novel stands on its own. The book opens with lots of action, as 14-year-old Hal is led in chains to the Hellenweiler Boys' Home, a lockdown facility in Tuscaloosa where he is to serve out his sentence. He and his father have an agreement: Daddy is going to stop drinking and Hal is going to keep a clean slate while incarcerated. However, the teen soon discovers that this is almost impossible; he is immediately pressured to "claim" for one of two gangs, with both choices guaranteed to bring him trouble. Hal chooses the unthinkableto join neither. The tension, positioning, threats, and shifting alliances among the boys are believable and will hook readers. The teen's focus on his relationship with his father, as well as a new girlfriend, add moments of hope. The corruption of the supervising adults is also credible, and Hal's idea to reveal it creates a page-turning experience. Unfortunately, the staff's downfall is a little too easily accomplished and rings false, especially after all the gritty realism that comes before it. A happy ending with Daddy, Hal, and Caboose (another loner from the facility) neatly wraps up the story, putting this book squarely in the camp for younger readers with a tougher edge. Amy Cheney, Alameda County Library, Oakland, CA

Voice of Youth Advocates (Thu Apr 28 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

This companion novel to Key’s well-acclaimed Alabama Moon (Farrar Straus Giroux/Macmillan, 2006/VOYA October 2006) is an engrossing tale of a teen’s struggle to endure in a juvenile detention center. When fourteen-year-old Hal Mitchell arrives at Hellenweiller Boys’ Home, he is prepared to do his time and get out. After already escaping from another state residence, he is clear on what it takes to function as a “ward of the state” and has made a pact with his father to stay out of trouble until he is able to get out. This is nearly impossible in a place where violence and revenge are the norm. When he arrives, Hal is recruited by two rival gangs, the Death Row Ministers and the Hell Hounds, but refuses to get involved in either one. In a place where authority is a matter of perspective, it is nearly impossible to stay out of trouble. He soon realizes that the guards and the head of security are the real enemy. Hal is a noble character, and readers will certainly like him. 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. Controversial elements include violent scenes and references to juvenile alcohol use.—Victoria Vogel.