Fourmile

Starred review from August 13, 2012
Like Moon, the protagonist of Key’s Alabama Moon, 12-year-old country boy Foster is a rough-edged hero with a barrelful of troubles and a large, compassionate heart. Foster is still grieving the death of his father when his mother begins dating another man, Dax, who scares Foster “in a way I didn’t understand. Like somebody I’d find standing over my bed at night, closing those fingers around my throat.” To make matters worse, Foster’s mother wants to sell their rural Alabama farm, which her late husband “worked and saved ten years” to buy. Then a mysterious hiker named Gary shows up and offers to do some much-needed repairs. Spending his nights in the barn and his days fixing things, Gary wins the trust of Foster and his mother, but makes an enemy of Dax. As tensions between Gary and Dax mount, Key masterfully unveils secrets, leading up to an explosive climax that tests the courage of everyone involved. Suspenseful and introspective, Key’s novel is an intimate portrait of the messy complexities of modern small-town life. Ages 9–12. Agent: Marianne Merola, Brandt & Hochman Literary Agents.

Starred review from August 1, 2012
Key (Alabama Moon, 2006, etc.) has crafted another powerful, riveting coming-of-age tale that doesn't stint on violence to advance the action. Middle schooler Foster and his mother have been barely getting by since his father's death a year ago. The farm in Fourmile, Ala., is going to ruin around them without a man's help, and now Mother has begun a relationship with dangerous, unpleasant Dax, a man she seems powerless to keep from abusing both Foster and his dog, Joe. Then Gary shows up, hiking along the rural road. He's a young man with a secret past but is nevertheless kind, hardworking and ultimately heroic. Foster, desperate to find some steady ground in his life, connects to Gary immediately, even though in his heart he's aware that whatever is in Gary's past likely dooms the relationship. After Foster's mom spurns him, Dax begins an escalating and tragic campaign of retaliation. Foster's first-person voice is richly authentic as he gradually acquires the wisdom that will eventually lead him to a believable though heart-wrenching resolution to some of the crushing conflicts in his life. Confrontations between Dax and Gary are vivid and violent enough to disturb some readers, the violence expertly serving to define yet distinguish their characters. Deeply moving and fast-paced, this life-affirming effort is a worthy addition to the bookshelves of sturdy readers. (Fiction. 12 & up)

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Starred review from November 1, 2012

Gr 5-8-As punishment for throwing a brick into Dax's truck windshield, 12-year-old Foster has to paint the fence that surrounds the Alabama farm where he lives with his mother. Dax, her boyfriend, is just plain mean and dangerous-even Joe, Foster's dog, knows that the man is bad news. Foster is out painting when Gary, a traveler on his way to Texas, walks up the road carrying a large pack. In exchange for minimum wage and a place to sleep in the barn, he stays for a few weeks while he fixes up the dilapidated farm. Gary provides a sharp contrast to Dax. Through his kindness and the attention he pays Foster, he helps the boy begin to heal after his father's death. When Dax turns violent, Foster's mom tells him she doesn't want to see him anymore, and the situation spirals out of control. This is a moving portrait of a boy coming to terms with loss and learning to survive on his own. Simultaneously poignant and suspenseful, the story will keep readers on the edge of their seats.Ragan O'Malley, Saint Ann's School, Brooklyn, NY

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