Al+Capone+Does+My+Shirts

2005 Newbery Honor Book
Choldenko, G. (2004). //Al Capone does my shirts//. New York, NY: Puffin Books.


 * Summary:** Moose Flanagan is twelve and has just moved to Alcatraz Island with his family so that his sister, Natalie, can go to a school in San Francisco for children with autism. Moose meets Piper, the warden's daughter, who devises a plan for the two of them to make money by sneaking other kids laundry in with their family's clothes, so that the inmates can wash them. All Moose wants to do is fit in and try to make Alcatraz his new home.


 * Grade Level:** 6-8
 * Reading Level:** 3.5

4.1.1 Read, view, and listen for pleasure and personal growth 4.1.2 Read widely and fluently to make connections with self, the world, and previous reading 4.1.7 Use social networks and information tools to gather and share information 4.1.8 Use creative and artistic formats to express personal learning 4.4.1. Identify own areas of interest 4.4.6 Evaluate own ability to select resources that are engaging and appropriate for personal interests and needs
 * Standards for the 21st Century Learner:**
 * 4. Pursue personal and aesthetic growth**


 * School Library Journal Review 2004: (from Mackin)** In this appealing novel set in 1935, 12-year-old Moose Flanagan and his family move from Santa Monica to Alcatraz Island where his father gets a job as an electrician at the prison and his mother hopes to send his autistic older sister to a special school in San Francisco. When Natalie is rejected by the school, Moose is unable to play baseball because he must take care of her, and her unorthodox behavior sometimes lands him in hot water. He also comes to grief when he reluctantly goes along with a moneymaking scheme dreamed up by the warden's pretty but troublesome daughter. Family dilemmas are at the center of the story, but history and setting-including plenty of references to the prison's most infamous inmate, mob boss Al Capone-play an important part, too. The Flanagan family is believable in the way each member deals with Natalie and her difficulties, and Moose makes a sympathetic main character. The story, told with humor and skill, will fascinate readers with an interest in what it was like for the children of prison guards and other workers to actually grow up on Alcatraz Island.-Miranda Doyle, San Francisco Public Library