#tbt: Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko

Penguin Random House

Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko. 228 pg. Tales from Alcatraz #1. G.P. Putnam's Sons/ Penguin Young Readers, March 30, 2004. 9780399238611.

Coming in very late to post a #tbt, because one of my favorite authors posted that one of my favorite books of all time turns twenty this week! #tbt features Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko. The year is 1935, right in the middle of The Great Depression. Moose Flanagan's out-of-work electrician father, takes a job on Alcatraz Island. The catch? He also needs to double as a prison guard and his family needs to move into an apartment on the island. Moose's older sister, Natalie, has what would now be diagnosed as autism, but was not well understood at the time. His mother hopes to get her accepted to a special school and Moose is tasked with keeping her out of trouble, which means he often cannot play baseball with other children who live on the island. He also has to contend with the warden's spoiled daughter, catch the ferry each day to school and worry about the the prison's most notorious inmate, Al Capone.

This face-paced, hilarious, historically accurate story captured my heart immediately. It won a Newbery Honor, though I was hoping it would win the medal. Ms. Choldenko wrote three sequels to Al Capone Does My Shirts, each one cemented Moose Flanagan's place in my heart as a favorite character. All of her historical fiction novels are well researched and contain extensive back matter. Fun fact: read the author's note in Al Capone Does My Homework for a surprise.

Middle Grade Monday: Break by Kayla Miller

Image: HarperCollins Publishers.

Break by Kayla Miller. Click series #6. 224 p. Clarion Books/ HarperCollins Publishers, January, 2024. 9780358414229. Review of finished copy borrowed from public library.

Well, Readers, it has been another minute since I posted, and I am sorry. I have been in a bit of a reading slump. Reading slumps can stem from a variety of reasons. Sometimes, you just can't find the right book. Sometimes, you're just too busy doing other things. And sometimes, like me, it is health issues that affect your ability for focus. Whatever the case, it's important to be kind to yourself. You will find your next favorite book.

Middle Grade Monday features Break by Kayla Miller. This is the sixth book in the popular "Click" series. While Break can be read as a stand-alone, fans of the series have been following Olive's growth and will appreciate what she has accomplished here.

Olive is looking forward to spending her spring break doing all kinds of activities with her friends, from binging movies to marathon sleepovers. All of her plans are dashed when she learns that she and her brother, Goober will be spending break in the city with her dad, who recently moved back from New Zealand. Olive has not yet forgiven her dad for leaving the family and moving halfway across the world, so her feelings are complicated. Goober, of course, is all-in.

As in all of Ms. Miller's graphic novels, she creates relateable characters with relateable problems. The palette is muted yet colorful and there's an energy about the art that keeps readers engaged. Utterly charming.