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Al Capone Does My Shirts

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Best Seller
Hardcover
$17.99 US
| $23.99 CAN
On sale Mar 30, 2004 | 240 Pages | 9780399238611
Age 10 and up | Grade 5 & Up
Reading Level: Lexile 600L | Fountas & Pinnell X
Moose Flannagan moves with his family to Alcatraz so his dad can work as a prison guard and his sister, Natalie, can attend a special school.  But Natalie has autism, and when she's denied admittance to the school, the stark setting of Alcatraz begins to unravel the tenuous coping mechanisms Moose's family has used for dealing with her disorder.

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.

Set in 1935, when guards actually lived on Alcatraz Island with their families.  Choldenko's second novel brings humor to the complexities of family dynamics and illuminates the real struggle of a kid trying to free himself from the "good boy" stance he's taken his whole life.

  • WINNER
    ALA Best Books for Young Adults
  • WINNER
    ALA Notable Book
  • WINNER
    New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
  • WINNER
    New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age
  • WINNER
    Newbery Honor Book
  • WINNER
    Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year - Adult
  • WINNER
    School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
  • WINNER | 2006
    Newbery Honor Books
  • SELECTION | 2005
    ALA Notable Children's Book
  • SELECTION | 2005
    ALSC Notable Children's Recordings
  • SELECTION | 2005
    YALSA Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults
  • HONOR | 2005
    Newbery Honor Books
Choldenko's pacing is exquisite. . . . [A] great read. (Kirkus Reviews, starred review)
© Patricia Leeds
Gennifer Choldenko was the youngest in a family of four kids, where her nickname was “Snot-Nose.” Her quirky sense of humor made its debut at the dinner table when Gennifer was a very little kid. She is the author of seven children’s books, including Notes from a Liar and Her Dog, a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year; If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period; and Al Capone Shines My Shoes. View titles by Gennifer Choldenko

About

Moose Flannagan moves with his family to Alcatraz so his dad can work as a prison guard and his sister, Natalie, can attend a special school.  But Natalie has autism, and when she's denied admittance to the school, the stark setting of Alcatraz begins to unravel the tenuous coping mechanisms Moose's family has used for dealing with her disorder.

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.

Set in 1935, when guards actually lived on Alcatraz Island with their families.  Choldenko's second novel brings humor to the complexities of family dynamics and illuminates the real struggle of a kid trying to free himself from the "good boy" stance he's taken his whole life.

Awards

  • WINNER
    ALA Best Books for Young Adults
  • WINNER
    ALA Notable Book
  • WINNER
    New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
  • WINNER
    New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age
  • WINNER
    Newbery Honor Book
  • WINNER
    Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year - Adult
  • WINNER
    School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
  • WINNER | 2006
    Newbery Honor Books
  • SELECTION | 2005
    ALA Notable Children's Book
  • SELECTION | 2005
    ALSC Notable Children's Recordings
  • SELECTION | 2005
    YALSA Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults
  • HONOR | 2005
    Newbery Honor Books

Reviews

Choldenko's pacing is exquisite. . . . [A] great read. (Kirkus Reviews, starred review)

Author

© Patricia Leeds
Gennifer Choldenko was the youngest in a family of four kids, where her nickname was “Snot-Nose.” Her quirky sense of humor made its debut at the dinner table when Gennifer was a very little kid. She is the author of seven children’s books, including Notes from a Liar and Her Dog, a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year; If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period; and Al Capone Shines My Shoes. View titles by Gennifer Choldenko