Selected Book
Al Capone Does My Shirts
- Paperback
- Author: Gennifer Choldenko
- Publisher: Puffin
- Release Date: April 2006
- Reading Level: Ages 9-12
- ISBN-10: 0142403709
- ISBN-13: 9780142403709
- List Price: $6.99
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Summaries and Customer Reviews provided by Amazon
SummaryMurderers, mob bosses, and convicts . . . these guys are not your average neighbors. Unless you live on Alcatraz. It’s 1935 and twelve-year-old Moose Flanagan and his family have just moved to the infamous island that’s home to criminals like notorious escapee Roy Gardner, Machine Gun Kelly, and of course, Al Capone. Now Moose has to try to fit in at his new school, avoid getting caught up in one of the warden’s daughter’s countless plots, and keep an eye on his sister Natalie, who’s not like other kids. 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. A Newbery Honor Book |
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Historical fiction & family issues
Rating:
This historical fiction book looks at the lives of the children whose parents were employed at Alcatraz, which meant they had to live on the island as well. One of the characters suffers from what we know as autism by today's standards, but the book takes place in 1935, eight years before autism was formally identified, .
I found the book humorous at times, and also heartwarming. If you know a child who must watch after a sibling with a mental disability, they may be able to connect with the main character's situation of wanting to do what all their friends are able to do, but also feeling the burden of responsibility to look after their brother or sister.
If your child is interested in history, or a reluctant reader, he/she may enjoy this book.
Al Capone Does My Shirts
Rating:
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live on Alcatraz Island? The mysterious, creepy place surrounded completely by water, where the worst of the worst criminals were sent. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to have a prison guard as a dad? Well then the Newbery Honor Award book, "Al Capone Does My Shirts" is right for you. Matthew Flanagan (Moose) and his family have just moved to Alcatraz and Moose and have to do his best to fit in. I think this is a great and exciting book to read.
I would recommend this book to older elementary students and young teens who like a little bit of history mixed in with adventures, murderers, mob bosses, and convicts. I recommend this book to older elementary students and young teens because older teens and adults would be bored with the easy reading, although younger kids might get a little confused throughout the book. The author does a good job of keeping the same audience throughout the book, and I think the genre of this book is historical fiction because it takes place in 1935 when the worst criminals lived on Alcatraz like Al Capone, and Machine Gun Kelly, and I know that this book is fiction because some of the events that go on in the story didn't really happen. This book is somewhat similar to another historical fiction book that I have read because both of the books are about a boy who moves to somewhere else with his family, and doesn't fit in.
The book "Al Capone Does My Shirts" by Gennifer Choldenko, takes place on Alcatraz Island in 1935. The Flanagan family had just moved to Alcatraz for Mr. Flanagan's job as a prison guard. Matthew (Moose) and his sister Natalie have to try to fit in with everyone else. Moose goes to a public school is San Francisco, but Natalie on the other has some mental problems. Natalie is just not like every other kid on the island. She is really fifteen but her mom every year has her turn ten again, again, and again. It has been five years Natalie has turn ten over, and over, again. Mrs. Flanagan just doesn't like to think of Natalie older than Moose who is twelve. Natalie is sent to a special boarding school called Esther P. Marinoff in San Francisco to help her with her special needs. Although, the first day she was having really bad tantrums so they told the Flanagan's that she wasn't ready for their program. After Natalie gets booted out, Mrs. Flanagan has her meet with a special teacher to help her with her need so she can try to get in to Esther P. Marinoff again. Although on the other hand Moose is having a good time at his school and his friends who live on Alcatraz all decide that they should tell everyone at their school about how the convicts wash their clothes, and then have everyone pay them to have the convicts wash their clothes. Moose and his friends get in lots of trouble when the warden found out that they did this. The warden says that he might kick the Flanagan's off the island because of this. After improving with Mrs. Kelly, Natalie's special tutor, Natalie goes back for another interview at Esther P. Marinoff and doesn't make it this time either. Moose tries to help out his sister by writing a letter to Al Capone to help Natalie somehow to get into Esther P. Marinoff. Will the Flanagan's get kicked off of Alcatraz? Will Capone actually help out? You have to read the book to find out!
You might like this book if you have seen the Mythbusters episode on the Discovery Channel to see if it was possible to actually escape from Alcatraz. This is somewhat similar to "Al Capone Does My Shirts" because it takes place in the same time when all the convicts still lived on Alcatraz.
I think there are many strengths of this book, but there also are some weaknesses to it. One strength of the book is that there is an actual picture of Alcatraz Island in the book and it is labeled where everything is and where everyone lives. This helps the reader visualize where everything is on the island. Another strength is that the book has lots of suspense, so it keeps the reader interested and want to keep reading. For example one chapter ends when Moose leaves Natalie alone, and when he comes back she's gone. One last strength of the book is that the author always stays on the topic. For example, you she never completely changes what's going on. Although, there are some weaknesses of the book, including that the author doesn't use very good descriptions of the characters. This makes it harder to visualize what they actually look like.
Altogether, I think "Al Capone Does My Shirts" is a great book. It is adventurous and there is even history tied into it. I would recommend this book to all young teens and older elementary students because it kind of teaches you a lesson that everyone should know.
A review for Al Capone does my Shirts
Rating:
During October, I have been reading a book called Al Capone Does My Shirts. This book was written by Gennifer Choldenko and it is historical fiction. Here isa summary of the book without the ending.
The main character, Moose, along with his sister, Natalie move to Alcatraz, a 12 acre rock in the bay of San Francisco. On the island is a prison. All the people in this prison are dangerous criminals that other prisons don't want. Moose moved here because his dad is a prison guard. Natalie has autism. Her parents try to get her into the Esther P. Marinoff School to help her get better. They don't accept her. Moose plays ball on the baseball team after school on Mondays. Next, Warden Williams asks to see Moose. Moose must help the Warden's son, Piper with projects. Moose does a poor job at this .Moose's mom begins to teach piano lessons to earn some extra money. Everyday Moose has to babyait Natalie. She often goes wild. One day Moose asks the Warden if he can help Natalie get into a special school. The warden says , "No!" Moose writes a letter to Al Capone,a murderer on the island. Al does the island's laundry. The letter asks Al Capone to help Natalie get into a special school. Moose hopes Al responds.
This book was very good. I would recommend it to students in 6th or 7th grade
A Teacher's Perspective
Rating:
Al Capone Does my Shirts is a Newbery Honor book that fits into the Historical Fiction genre because it is set in 1935 and is true to that time period. It all begins when a family moves to Alcatraz Island for work. The main character, a young boy called Moose, struggles with the realities of coping with an older sister who is autistic.
This story was captivating! From the first chapter I was hooked. The setting and situation are believable, yet unexpected. I'd never considered that guards' families had to live on the island with the infamous prisoners. In fact, after reading the author's notes at the end of the book, I spoke with a woman who'd experienced living on Alcatraz as a young child...she reported that the book was very accurate.
Natalie's autism adds another element to the tale and allows young readers a window into the realities of siblings with special needs. In the classroom, this book could be an introduction to a study of Alcatraz Island and the history of the institution there as well as its current condition. Alternately, it could be paired with other books with themes of sibling relationships or special needs family members. Fiction provides a wonderful vehicle for students to explore the realities of living with special needs and to develop empathy in this area.
In short, I would highly recommend this book...in fact I have!
A Great Read!
Rating:
I thoroughly enjoyed both the story and the characters! It was refreshing to meet a dad I actually liked for a change and I loved Moose and his friends. Moose's relationship with his autistic sister Natalie was particularly appealing and the setting (Alcatraz) was a stroke of genius.
Highly Recommended!
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