I was very pleasantly surprised by this book. I was expecting over-the-top prison stories without much else. I found quite the opposite. Moose is a middle-school aged kid bummed about his family's move to Alcatraz. His sister Natalie is one of the more interesting characters I've encountered from children's books in this genre. My kids have really gotten into this one lately.
Al Capone Does My Shirts (Tales from Alcatraz)
By Gennifer Choldenko
Book 1 of 3 in the
Al Capone Series
| Interest Level | Reading Level | Reading A-Z | ATOS | Word Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grades 4 - 8 | Grades 2 - 8 | X | 3.5 | 49509 |
Moose Flannagan moves with his family to Alcatraz so his dad can work as a prison guard and his sister, Natalie, can attend a special school. But Natalie has autism, and when she's denied admittance to the school, the stark setting of Alcatraz begins to unravel the tenuous coping mechanisms Moose's family has used for dealing with her disorder.
When Moose meets Piper, the cute daughter of the Warden, he knows right off she's trouble. But she's also strangely irresistible. All Moose wants to do is protect Natalie, live up to his parents' expectations, and stay out of trouble. But on Alcatraz, trouble is never very far away.
Set in 1935, when guards actually lived on Alcatraz Island with their families. Choldenko's second novel brings humor to the complexities of family dynamics and illuminates the real struggle of a kid trying to free himself from the "good boy" stance he's taken his whole life.
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
ISBN-13: 9780399238611
ISBN-10: 0399238611
Published on 3/30/2004
Binding: Hardcover
Number of pages: 240
Book Reviews (59)
I was very pleasantly surprised by this book. I was expecting over-the-top prison stories without much else. I found quite the opposite. Moose is a middle-school aged kid bummed about his family's move to Alcatraz. His sister Natalie is one of the more interesting characters I've encountered from children's books in this genre. My kids have really gotten into this one lately.
i read this a long time ago, but i kept on rereading it sometimes. The book was wonderful because it shows a boy's life who is different from other boys that time because he lived near the Alcatraz. It would've been hard to imagine ourselves living in the 1900's and living near a jail that had the worst people, including the infamous Al Capone. The book was intresting to read and is one of my favorite books. 5 stars!
This was a decent book. I was reading it with my reading class, lol. So Moose is forced to move to Alcatraz Island for his dad's job: which is a guard for the jail. Moose's sister: Natalie has autism and is hopefully attending the Esther P. Marinoff school soon. Moose also meets Piper; the Warden's daughter who is bossy and comes up with risky plans. The criminals on Alcatraz are also required to make dinner and do the laundry and Piper comes up with a plan: a laundry business at Moose's and her school. Moose also meets Theresa who is a sassy yet cute girl who always follows Moose and Natalie around. So Moose tries to stay out of trouble on the Island, but that's pretty much impossible with Piper and her plans and his sister Natalie who he always has to keep his eye on.
so funny. i think anyone would like it
Really good book . Totally reccomend it!
I learned a lot about Alcatraz and about the 1930's. I can't imagine living on an island where you have to take a ferry to get to the main land to school! Really cool book!
This book is great for introducing the issue of disability awareness. It could also be good for a discussion on bullying. The main character "Moose" is a great kid who is loyal to his family. I would recommend it mostly for the middle school age group.
![Meagan Sterner](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 12 12"%3E%3C/svg%3E)
This story is told by a boy named Moose. He shares about his new life on Alcatraz Island with his family. His sister is Autistic and he talks about the special relationship he has with her. Moose tells about each event in his life in a way that is funny and easy to understand.