alcapone

Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko ISBN: 0-399-23861-1 ©2004 215 pages

Good sections to read aloud: pp. 3-6 where we are introduced to the island, and Natalie

Summary: Moose’s family moves to Alcatraz Island (where the famous Al Capone is being kept) so his father can work as a guard. His mentally challenged sister is expected to only be with them on the island for a short amount of time until she is accepted into a special school. When that doesn’t work out, Moose is expected to watch her every day after school which interferes with his baseball game and making new friends. It doesn’t help that the warden’s daughter, Piper, is always hanging around trying to get Moose to do something he shouldn’t, and she usually succeeds. This portrayal of life on Alcatraz Island back in the 1930’s is very accurate and insightful through the eyes of a middle school student.

YA fiction-- teen issues; United States Penitentiary, Alcatraz Island; Autism; family problems; brothers/sisters; California

©Jennifer Lang - WDMS - 2007