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Al Capone Does My Shirts

Audiobook
0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: About 4 weeks
0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: About 4 weeks
1935
I want to be on Alcatraz like I want poison oak on my private parts. But apparently nobody cares, because now I’m Moose Flanagan, Alcatraz Island Boy–all so my sister can go to the Esther P. Marinoff School, where kids wear their clothes inside out and there isn’t a book in sight. Obedient Moose. I always do what I’m supposed to do.
When Moose’s family moves to Alcatraz Island so his father can work as a guard and his sister can attend a special school in San Francisco, he has to leave his friends behind. But it’s worth it, right? If his sister, Natalie, can get help, maybe his family will finally be normal.
But on Alcatraz his dad is so busy, he’s never around. His mom’s preoccupation with Natalie’s condition (today, it would be called autism) is even worse now that there’s no extended family to help. And of course, there’s never enough money.
When Moose meets Piper, the cute daughter of the warden, he knows right off she’s trouble. But she’s also strangely irresistible. All Moose wants to do is protect Natalie, live up to his parents’ expectations and stay out of trouble. But on Alcatraz, trouble is never very far away.
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    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from February 2, 2004
      Set on Alcatraz Island in 1935, Choldenko's (Notes from a Liar and Her Dog
      ) exceptionally atmospheric novel has equally unusual characters and plot lines. Twelve-year-old narrator Moose Flanagan has just moved to the island, where his father has been hired as an electrician and guard. At first Moose is spooked at being in such close proximity to the nation's most notorious criminals, and he doesn't know what to make of the all-powerful warden's bossy daughter, Piper, who flouts her father's rule about talking about the convicts ("You say name and hordes of reporters come crawling out of the woodwork ready to write stories full of foolish lies," the warden explains). At school, on the mainland, Piper hatches a scheme to make money from classmates ("Once in a lifetime opportunity! Get your clothes laundered by Al Capone and other world-famous public enemies!... Only costs 5 cents") and forces Moose to help her. Moose has reasons for staying on Piper's good side: his older sister, Natalie, has what would now be called autism, and Moose worries that her behavior will land the family in trouble with the warden. (Natalie's condition is so poorly understood that an expert tells her desperate mother, "An interesting case... you should consider donating her brain to science when she dies.") Choldenko captures the tense, nuanced family dynamics touched off by Natalie's disability as skillfully as she handles the mystique of Alcatraz and the exchanges between Moose and his friends. Fast-paced and memorable. Ages 10-up.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Moose Flanagan moves to Alcatraz Island when his father accepts a job as a prison guard. It's 1935, and Al Capone is the island's most famous inmate. Moose gains popularity at his new school on the mainland for being a good ballplayer and having his laundry done by the prisoners. At home on the island, the attention comes from having an autistic sister who is perpetually 10. Johnny Heller has the ideal voice for a teenaged boy. You can picture the adolescent confusion, youthful enthusiasm, and humor, as well as the physical changes taking place. Heller's rendition of the story's female characters--sister Natalie, local queen bee Piper, and the pesky 7-year-old Teresa--is also exceptional. Choldenko has written a wonderful children's book, which Heller allows adults to enjoy as well. A.B. 2005 ALA Notable Recording, 2005 YALSA Selection (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • ATOS Level:3.5
  • Lexile® Measure:600
  • Interest Level:4-8(MG)
  • Text Difficulty:2-3

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