Watt Key Explained

Watt Key
Birth Name:	Albert Watkins Key, Jr.
Birth Date:	28 October 1970
Birth Place:	Tuscaloosa, Alabama, U.S.
Occupation:	Writer
Nationality:	United States
Education:	Birmingham–Southern College (BA) Spring Hill College (MBA)
Subjects:	-->
Notableworks:	Alabama Moon,((1st edition hardback)^[1] Dirt Road Home,^[2] Fourmile^[3]
Spouse:	Katie Feore Key (1994–present)
Partners:	-->
Children:	Adele Key, Albert Key, and Mary Michael Key
Awards:	E.B. White Read-Aloud Award (2007)^[4] ^[5]

Albert Watkins Key, Jr., publishing under the name Watt Key and Albert Key, is an American fiction author who is known for writing young-adult survival fiction.^{[6] [7]} A resident of Alabama,^[8] his debut novel Alabama Moon^[9] was published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in 2006 and was the 2007 winner of the E.B. White Read-Aloud Award for older readers. It received a 2006 Parents' Choice Award.^{[10] [11]} Alabama Moon has been translated and published in eight languages. In 2015 Alabama Moon was listed by TIME Magazine as one of the top 100 young-adult books of all time.^{[12] [13]}

Alabama Moon was made into a 2009 feature film starring John Goodman.^{[14] [15] [16] [17]}

Personal life

Watt Key is a graduate of Bayside Academy in Daphne, Alabama and received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Birmingham–Southern College in Birmingham, Alabama. He earned his Masters of Business Administration from Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama. While working as a computer programmer, he began submitting novels to publishers in New York City. When he was 34, he sold his debut novel, Alabama Moon, to publisher Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Watt currently lives with his wife and three children in Mobile, Alabama.

Awards and honors

• Alabama Moon (2006)
  • American Library Association Best Books for Young Adults^[18]
  • E. B. White Read Aloud Award, 2007^{[19] [20]}
  • ALLA Young Adult Book Award^[21]
  • Auckland Council librarian's choice^[22]
  • SIBA Young Adult Book Award, 2007^{[23] [24]}
  • Parents' Choice Award Winner^[25]
  • California Young Reader Medal^[26]
  • Illinois Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Choice Award Master List^{[27] [28]}
  • Indiana Young Hoosier Award Master List^{[29] [30] [31]}
  • James Medison University Book Award List: Best Books For Young Adults^[32]
  • Maine Student Book Award Master List^[33]
  • Missouri Truman Readers Award Master List^{[34] [35]}
  • Massachusetts Children’s Book Award Master List for 2011^[36]
  • Volunteer State Book Award Nominees^[37]
  • Wildcat Book Award Nominees 2008-2009^[38]
• Dirt Road Home (2010)
  • ALLA Young Adult Book Award
  • The Cybils Awards Master List^[39]
• Fourmile (2012)
  • Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year 2013^[40]
  • 2014-2015 Indian Paintbrush Nominee Titles^{[41] [42]}
  • Kirkus Best Teen Books of the Year^[43]
  • Indiana Young Hoosier Award Master List^{[44] [45]}
  • Maine Student Book Award Master List^[46]
  • 2014-2015 MASL Readers Awards Preliminary Nominees^[47]
  • The Mobile Bay Art & Music Awards (MODDYs) Master list^[48]
  • South Carolina Children's Book Award Master List 2014^{[49] [50] [51] [52] [53]}
  • Vermont Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award Master List^{[54] [55]}

Published works

Novels and collections

• Alabama Moon, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2006^{[56] [57]}
• Dirt Road Home, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2010^{[58] [59] [60]}
• Fourmile, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2012^{[48] [61] [62]}
• Among the Swamp People, The University of Alabama Press, 2015^[63]
• Terror at Bottle Creek, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2016^[64]
• Hideout, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2017
• Deep Water, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2018
• Bay Boy, The University of Alabama  Press, 2019
• Beast, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2020
• The Forgotten Coast, (as Albert Key) Penfish Press, 2021
• The Black Hat and Other Tales of Horror, (as Albert Key) Penfish Press, 2021

Memoir, essays

• Swamp Writer series, Mobile Bay Magazine, August 2012 - June 2014^[65]
• Bay Boy series, Mobile Bay Magazine, July 2014^[66]

Screenplays

• Alabama Moon, Faulkner-McLean Productions, 2009^{[67] [68] [69]}
• L.A. Dirt, Tundra Films, 2014^[70]

External links

• • Watt Key at Macmillan Publishers
  • Alabama Moon Movie Official site

Book reviews

• https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F02E1D9153FF932A25751C0A9619C8B63&n=Top%2FFeatures%2FBooks%2FBook%20Reviews, The New York Times
• http://www.booklistonline.com/default.aspx?page=show_product&pid=1798884, Booklist Online
• http://legacy.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/books/060730/book2.shtml, Decatur Daily

Bibliography

Notes and References

1. Book: Alabama Moon by Watt Key. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 978-0-3743-0184-2. 294. 2006.
2. Book: Dirt Road Home by Watt Key. Square Fish. 978-0-3743-0863-6. 240. 2011.
3. Book: Fourmile by Watt Key . Square Fish . 978-1-2500-3995-8 . 256 . 2014.
4. Web site: Book awards: E.B. White Read Aloud Award by the Association of Booksellers for Children: Alabama Moon by Watt Key. 25 February 2015 . LibraryThing.
5. Web site: E.B. White Read Aloud Award- 2007 Winner for Older Readers: Alabama Moon by Watt Key. 25 February 2015 . Duluth Public Library.
6. Web site: Rigby. Jessica Sawyer. Red Clay Readers to examine Watt Key's 'Alabama Moon'. 7 July 2014. 27 February 2015. Alabama Media Group.
7. Web site: Rigby. Jessica Sawyer. Author- Key, Watt. 27 February 2015. Richland Library.
8. Web site: Prize Winning Alabama Author On Talk-Circuit Thursday. 4 September 2012. 27 February 2015. Mobile County Alabama.
9. Web site: Alabama Moon- Watt Key. 27 February 2015. Minuteman Library Network.
10. http://parentschoice.org/product.cfm?product_id=21472&award=AW&from=Award%20Winners%20:%20Fiction&urllist=21472,21642,21487,21615,21676,21616,21582,21674,21675,21667,21452&fromurl=get_direct_level.cfm?cat=c_fic&award=AW&awdyr=2006&awdse=b&product_code=p_boo Alabama Moon
11. Paddock, Jennifer. (June 26, 2007) Writers in residence Garden & Gun Magazine. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
12. http://time.com/100-best-young-adult-books/
13. Web site: Time's 100 Best Young-Adult Books- Results: Watt Key- Alabama Moon. 27 February 2015. Sporcle, Inc..
14. Web site: Scott. Mike. Locally shot 'Alabama Moon' an earnest, but clunky, adaptation. 5 May 2011. 25 February 2015.
15. Web site: Alabama Moon DVD event. 27 February 2015.
16. Web site: Alabama Moon (2011). 27 February 2015. Movieweb.
17. Web site: 2009 World Premiere of "Alabama Moon" at Alabama Theatre, Birmingham, AL. 27 February 2015. Brown Paper Tickets.
18. Web site: 2008 ALA Book Awards- Best Books For Young Adults 2008- Fiction: Alabama Moon by Watt Key. 25 February 2015.
19. Web site: E. B. White Read Aloud Award Winners: Alabama Moon by Watt Key. American Booksellers Association. 26 February 2015.
20. Web site: Winner of the 2007 E.B. White Read Aloud Award For Older Readers: Alabama Moon by Watt Key. 25 February 2015.
21. Web site: Alabama Author Awards from the Alabama Library Association Young Adult: Watt Key. Dirt Road Home (2012) and Alabama Moon (2008). Jefferson County Library Cooperative. 27 February 2015.
22. Web site: Librarian's choice: Alabama Moon - Watt Key. Auckland Council. 26 February 2015.
23. Web site: 2007 SIBA Book Award Winners: Alabama Moon by Watt Key. SIBA. 25 February 2015.
24. Web site: Hart's book among finalists for award: Alabama Moon by Watt Key. 13 May 2007. Salisbury Post. 27 February 2015.
25. Web site: Parents' Choice Awards: Books: Fiction- Alabama Moon, Fall 2006 Fiction. 25 February 2015.
26. Web site: California Young Reader Medal: Fiction- 7th-12th Grade TEEN- Key, Watt. Alabama Moon. Orange Public Library. 25 February 2015.
27. Web site: Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award- Cumulative Master List 1988-2015: Alabama Moon by Watt Key (2009). Rebecca Caudill. 28 February 2015.
28. Web site: Alabama Moon by Watt Key. 26 February 2015.
29. Web site: Alabama moon / Watt Key: Awards note: Young Hoosier Book Award, 2008-2009, 6-8 Nominee. The Indianapolis Public Library. 25 February 2015.
30. Web site: Indiana Young Hoosier Award Nominees 2008-2009- Middle Grades 6-8 Books: Alabama Moon. School Book Center, Inc.. 25 February 2015.
31. Web site: Young Hoosier Book Award: Key, Watt. Alabama Moon. FCV Library Media Center. 26 February 2015.
32. Web site: Book Award List: Best Books For Young Adults: Alabama Moon - Watt Key. James Medison University. 14. 27 February 2015.
33. Web site: Maine Student Book Award- 2007-2008 Reading List: Key, Watt. Alabama Moon. Farrar, Straus, & Giroux.. 26 February 2015. 15 August 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110815124222/http://efolio.umeedu.maine.edu/~masl/msba/pastlists.html. dead.
34. Web site: 2008-2009 Truman Final Nominees List: Key, Watt. Alabama Moon. Square Fish.. The Missouri Association of School Librarians. 26 February 2015.
35. Web site: The Truman Readers Award Nominees for 2008-2009: Alabama Moon by Watt Key. Joplin Public Library. 26 February 2015.
36. Web site: Key, W. (2006). Alabama Moon. (Farrar, Straus and Giroux). 25 February 2015.
37. Web site: Volunteer State Book Award Nominees: Key, Watt. Alabama Moon.. 26 February 2015.
38. Web site: Alabama Moon - Watt Key. Hillcrest Middle School. 26 February 2015.
39. Web site: Young Adult Fiction: Dirt Road Home by Watt Key. 27 February 2015.
40. Web site: Best Children's Books of the Year 2013: Fourmile by Watt Key. 3 March 2015 .
41. Web site: 2014-2015 Indian Paintbrush Nominee Titles: Fourmile- Watt Key. Indian Paintbrush Book Award. 27 February 2015.
42. Web site: Indian Paintbrush Book Award Book Lists: Key, Watt- Fourmile. Campbell County Library. 27 February 2015.
43. Web site: Best Teen Books of 2012: Fourmile by Watt Key. Kirkus. 3 March 2015.
44. Web site: YHB Nominees: Fourmile by Watt Key. Greencastle Community Schools. 27 February 2015.
45. Web site: Announcing the 2014-2015 Young Hoosier Book Award Nominees- Middle Grades: Fourmile by Watt Key. 27 February 2015.
46. Web site: Maine Student Book Award Ballot 2013-2014: Fourmile By Watt Key. 26 February 2015.
47. Web site: 2014-2015 MASL Readers Awards Preliminary Nominees: Fourmile by Watt Key. The Missouri Association of School Librarians. 26 February 2015.
48. Web site: The Mobile Bay Art & Music Awards (MODDYs): Fourmile by Watt Key. Mod Mobilian. 26 February 2015.
49. Web site: 2014-15 SC Junior Book Award Nominees: Fourmile by Watt Key. South Carolina Association of School Librarians. 8. 27 February 2015.
50. Web site: South Carolina Junior Book Award Nominees 2014-2015: Fourmile by Watt Key. Richland Library. 27 February 2015.
51. Web site: 2014-15 SC Junior Book Award Nominees: Fourmile by Watt Key. School World. 27 February 2015.
52. Web site: South Carolina Junior Book Award Program 2014-2015: Fourmile by Watt Key. Dillon Middle School. 27 February 2015.
53. Web site: South Carolina Junior Book Award Nominees: Fourmile by Watt Key. Berkeley Middle School. 27 February 2015.
54. Book: The 2013-2014 Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Award List: Key, Watt. Fourmile. State of Vermont Department of Libraries. 978-0-3743-5095-6. registration. 25 February 2015.
55. Web site: Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award Master List 2013–2014: Fourmile, Watt Key. Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children’s Book Award List. 25 February 2015.
56. Book: Watt Key. Alabama Moon. 3 August 2010. Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR). 978-1-4299-8765-3.
57. Web site: Newberry . Jenny . Who Are the Main Characters in the Book "Alabama Moon"?. 25 February 2015 . Film Festivals portal & social network.
58. Book: Watt Key. Dirt Road Home. 6 December 2011. Farrar, Straus and Giroux . 978-0-3126-7435-9.
59. Book: Watt Key. Dirt Road Home (eBook). 6 December 2011. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 978-1-4299-3335-3.
60. Book: Watt Key. Dirt Road Home (Hardcover). 6 December 2011. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
61. Book: Fourmile, Watt Key. 978-0-8173-1885-7. September 2015. 27 February 2015 . . Key. Watt.
62. Web site: Maloney. Jenny. Fresh Meat: Fourmile by Watt Key. 27 February 2015 . CriminalElement.com.
63. Book: Among the Swamp People: Life in Alabama's Mobile-Tensaw River Delta by Watt Key. 978-0-8173-1885-7. September 2015. 27 February 2015 . The University of Alabama Press . Key. Watt.
64. Book: Watt Key. Terror at Bottle Creek. January 2016. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 9780--3743-7430-3.
65. Swamp Writer: The Trailer Park- text by Watt Key, illustration by Kelan Mercer . February 2013. 7 March 2015 . Mobile Bay Magazine.
66. A kid's best friend- text by Watt Key . August 2014. 76. 7 March 2015 . Mobile Bay Magazine.
67. Web site: Alabama Moon: Movie Synopsis. 27 February 2015 . The Dove Foundation.
68. Web site: Key, Watt Biography . 27 February 2015 . MoviesPictures.org.
69. Web site: Books to Movies & TV in 2011- Movie Title: Alabama Moon, Director: Tim McCanlies . 23 December 2011. 27 February 2015 . EarlyWordBooks.com.
70. Web site: L.A. Dirt (2014)- 101 min: January 2014 (USA) . . 6 March 2015.