Al Capone does my shirts

Like many authors before her, Gennifer Choldenko grabs onto an already fascinating piece of history and imagines the characters and scenarios that were involved. When twelve-year-old Moose Flanagan’s dad gets a job on Alcatraz, the whole family moves onto the island. While adjusting to living in this strange place, Moose must also deal with the Warden’s conniving daughter, Piper, who loves to get him into awkward situations.

The reader quickly learns that Moose’s sister, Natalie, is “different.” Although it is never stated outright, it appears Natalie has autism, a condition not named or fully understood in the 1930s. Rather than display embarrassment and try to hide his sister, as some kids might do, Moose patiently handles his sister’s outbursts and proudly explains to others that Natalie is way smarter than they are.

In many ways this is a classic coming-of-age story, although Moose grows up in a very intimate community of families, surrounded by hundred of convicts, on an island in the San Francisco bay. What young man wouldn’t be enthralled by the stories of Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly that are woven into the novel? This novel is most excellent for boys grades 5-8, but girls and even adults will also be fascinated by Choldenko’s novel. I know I was!

Choldenko, G. (2006). Al Capone does my shirts. Puffin: New York, NY. ISBN 978-0142403709.