April 25, 2005
YA54: Al Capone Does My Shirts
Here's an interesting one for the pile, one that everyone was talking about so I thought I'd finally check it out. Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko.
Twelve-year-old Moose moves to Alcatraz in 1935 so his father can work as a prison guard and his younger, autistic sister, Natalie, can attend a special school in San Francisco.
It's a good quick read, an interesting time and setting (the families of the guards did actually live there on the island at that time) and a likable main character dealing with his sister, the pressure his family puts on him, and his desire to just be a kid and have a chance to play baseball with his new classmates. A good middle school pick.
Grade 6-8
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