Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko. 240 p. Penguin Young Readers Group, March, 2004, 9780399238611. (Own)
#tbt wishes a belated happy 18th anniversary to Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko. Moose Flanagan became a character of my heart once I read this compelling and gently humorous historical fiction.
When Moose's dad finds a job as an electrician/ prison guard on Alcatraz Island during the Great Depression, he has to agree to live in housing that is provided for the employees of the prison. This means that Moose and the other children who reside on the island have to catch a boat each morning to attend school in San Fransisco. Moose is younger brother to Natalie, but more like her protector/ care taker. She is what we now know is autistic, and requires admission to a special school. When admission is denied, the family is faced with a dilemma as Natalie is incapable of following the rules of Alcatraz and breaking them comes with severe, sometimes dangerous consequences.
Al Capone Does My Shirts was Ms. Choldenko's second novel and is the first in the "Tales from Alcatraz" series. It won a 2005 Newbery Honor and was an ALA Notable Book. It won a California Young Reader medal and a Garden State (NJ) Book Award.
If you like impeccably researched and interesting historical fiction, you will love Al Capone Does My Shirts! Happy reading!
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