Moonshine

August 15, 2019
The son of a Depression-era bootlegger tries to turn his father to more lawful pursuits. Thirteen-year-old Cub can't remember a time when making shine was legal, his father was a farmer, or his mother was alive. He and Pa spend their nights in the woods near their ramshackle Tennessee cabin, cooking the scant crop of corn their land will grow into moonshine. Change begins when Pa announces that, for the first time, Cub will have to attend school in the nearby town--the local sheriff is threatening Pa with jail time and Cub with an orphanage unless they give up their illegal ways. Not long after, the situation reverses when Mr. Salvatore, a mobster from up North, tries to make Pa an offer he can't refuse. When Cub attempts to intervene, his father is severely injured, and Cub has to try to find his way out of the mess. Smooth, lyrical writing and crisp regional dialogue are the strengths of this debut. Inconsistent characters are its primary weakness: Cub seems to mature far too quickly into the role of moral arbitrator, and the excuse that his rural school opens his eyes doesn't hold water; his father vacillates irrationally between strong and weak. The sheriff and the mobster come from central casting. Benton knows his landscape, however, and should be a strong voice for the future. Characterization flaws keep it from packing an emotional wallop, but it's still a fine adventure. (Historical fiction. 8-12)

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Starred review from September 1, 2019
Grades 5-8 *Starred Review* Cub and his father have made illegal moonshine for a few years in order to survive. They do what they must in the isolated hills of eastern Tennessee during the Great Depression. Cub has never attended school, having instead been infrequently tutored by a visiting teacher. Now he's 13 and his father says he must attend school to keep authorities from separating them and taking Cub away. Fear and concern about the illegality of their operation have bothered Cub for some time, and his worries prove legitimate when he and his father attract undesirable attention from the sheriff and a mobster, Mr. Salvatore. Cub tries to stand up to Salvatore, but his bravery results in an accident at the still that leaves his father severely burned. Knowing Salvatore is behind this, Cub convinces his father they must find a way out. Will their plan work? Will they survive? The smooth writing and Cub's distinct narrative voice make this debut novel compelling from the start. Benton's spot-on description of the sparse mountain setting with its social isolation and desperate poverty draw readers into the corrupt, complex times of the Great Depression. Though these elements are grim, they are balanced by strong themes of family and trust. When combined with the tense, realistic plot, a gripping piece of historical fiction emerges.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)