Al Capone Does My Shirts
by Gennifer Choldenko
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Book Reviews of Al Capone Does My Shirts
Book Review: A Young Adult Book for EVERY Age!
Summary: 5 Stars
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko was a Newberry Honor Book in 2005. This should have told me something right away. I actually thought this was going to be a silly book. Silly name = silly book, right? Oh how wrong I was. My only complaint is that it didn't win the AWARD in 2005, because this is one fabulous book!!
"Today I moved to a twelve-acre rock covered with cement, topped with bird turd and surrounded by water. Alcatraz sits smack in the middle of the bay -- so close to the city of San Francisco, I can hear them call the score on a baseball game on Marina Green. Okay, not that close. But still. The convicts we have are the kind other prisons don't want. I never knew a prison could be picky, but I guess they can. You get to Alcatraz by being the worst of the worst. Unless you are me. I got here because my mother said I had to."
This is the story of the Flannagan family. In 1935, the family of the guards were actually housed on the island prison of Alcatraz. Matthew, or Moose, Flannagan is a 12-year-old boy that loves baseball and tries to be normal. His older sister Natalie is severely autistic, though in 1935 no one actually knows what is wrong with her. Only that she is different. Moose's dad took a job as a prison guard/electrician and moved the family to Alcatraz for one reason. To be close to San Francisco so Natalie could go to the Esther P. Marinoff School. It was a chance for her to learn to be "normal". Natalie had tantrums, didn't communicate like other children and had a box of buttons that she never left without. She could multiply numbers like 1,654 X 358 and knew and the page numbers in every book index the Flanagan's owned. Moose just wanted to make friends and play baseball.
Also on the island, besides criminals like Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly, were other kids. Piper, the warden's daughter was a beautiful albeit scheming girl that was always trying to make a buck and seemed to be the unquestioned leader of the gang. When she tried to rope Moose into helping her "Sell" convict laundry services to the kids at school, he realized he was going to be in trouble. All the kids wanted their shirts done by the famous Al Capone, after all. But Piper was mean. She made fun of Natalie, blackmailed the other children into helping her in her outlandish schemes, and ran to tell her daddy of anything done wrong.
When I started this book, I had no idea where it was going. What materialized was a coming-of-age story about a boy that loved his sister, no matter what her differences were. It's about a family that is willing to do whatever it takes to make sure that Natalie gets a fair shake in life. And it's about friendships that will last no matter what the odds are. I loved this book. It was touching, heartwarming, and had enough humor to make me laugh. I think any adult would love this book, probably more so than the age group it's actually intended for. As an adult we can see how much this 12-year-old boy actually puts on the line for his sister. I highly recommend this book to everyone
Book Review: My Review of "Al Capone Does My Shirts"
Summary: 5 Stars
My Review of "Al Capone Does My Shirts"
This is what I think of the book "Al Capone Does My Shirts". This is a fiction story written by Gennifer Choldenko. What this story is about a boy named Moose Flanagan who moves from his home town Santa Monica to Alcatraz in San Francisco. A lot of things change Moose's life here. The reason why he moved to Alcatraz because of his dad's job. He lost his job when they lived back in Santa Monica as an electrician and now works overtime as a guard and an electrician. Moose has a sister named Natalie. She has a severe type of autism. Their mom has signed up Natalie to go to a special school for kids like her. This school is called the Esther P. Marinoff. With `conditions' as such. Moose's mom says that she is 10 years old. But Moose's mom has kept Natalie 10 for at least five years. At Alcatraz, Moose meets this girl named Piper. She is the daughter of the warden. She can be quite a trouble maker. She likes to be in charge of everything all the time. Moose also meets more kids, like his friend Jimmy. Jimmy likes to build contraptions that makes things move. Moose meets a girl named Annie. She likes baseball, and is quite smart.Then Moose met Theresa, a seven-year-old who likes jam and is a good friend to Natalie. Moose makes friends with a boy named Scout who loves baseball and is a great friend to Moose. Piper decides to make a T-shirt business with the cons at Alcatraz doing the washing. The warden gets a letter from a kid named Del's mom from their school saying about the T-shirt business and what they had been doing. The warden calls all of the kids to his office to talk about it. The warden gets really mad at them all and even though it is all Pipers fault, she does not get any blame for it what so ever. A few months later, Scout asks Moose if he can get him a convict baseball. Moose says that he will. But he has to look after Natalie. So he brings Natalie along. After what Moose thinks is 5 minutes searching for a convict baseball, he turns around to check Natalie and she isn't there. Moose gets very worried and starts to look for her. After a while Moose finds her. Sitting next to a CON!!!!! Moose has loads of questions popping in his head like, `What have they been talking about?'. `Is Natalie ok?'. He takes Natalie away from this con and runs off with her. Natalie's birthday is coming up. Moose's mom wants to make Natalie 10 years old again, but she is actually turning 16 years old. Moose wants to tell his mom that she needs to stop faking and tell Mr. Purdy ( the man working at the school that Moose's mom is signing up Natalie for) that Natalie is really 16 and not 10. But Moose's mom will not give in. She starts to get really mad at Moose. Moose's father talks with his wife and tries to convince her that Moose is right and they won't be able to get Natalie into the Esther P. Marinoff because the school was only meant for kids ages 4+. Moose's mom finally admits it. They will not get Natalie to the Esther P. Marinoff. That is my review of Al 'Capone Does My Shirts.
By Ashley Hannah Teece, Age 11.
Book Review: Al Capone Does My Shirts - or Al Capone Comes Up Short?
Summary: 3 Stars
The book I read for this review was called Al Capone Does My Shirts, by Gennifer Choldenko, and I rated it with a lucky 3 stars. Why did I choose this middle rating? Well, to be honest, Al Capone Does My Shirts was not the Newberry Winner I expected it to be. I imagined an actually possible story line (which I will explain farther on down in this review.) I also wished for more of Al Capone, quite honestly, to be in this book - most of it was the typical boy-meets-friends, friends work together to solve big mystery/problem. Probable story plot, right? Well, I expected more of a complex storyline for a Newberry Winner. Moose Flannagan has mixed feelings on his new home on Alcatraz Island, once a famous prison, prided on taking the worst of the worst. The time frame is 1935 - and Moose's sister Natalie has the unidentified condition of autism. Moose has a love of baseball, and at school, becomes rather like an outcast, for a simple reason - he cannot stay after school to play ball with the guys. Why not? He must tend to tantrum-prone Natalie, whom his mother babies and his father sympathizes for. Moose, however, is the only one who reaches Natalie, and he has very different ideas about how Natalie should be brought up. His mother is desperately trying to get Natalie into a special school for autistic and "special" children. And she must lie about Natalies age - not just for that, but for everything. (As quoted directly from the text on the paperback edition on page 11) - "How old is she?" the girl whispers. "Ten," I answer. Natalies age is always ten. Every year my mom has a party for her and she turns ten again. My mom (going on to page 12) started counting Nat's age this screwy way a long time ago. (End quote.) (I personally feel that this is not even possible - I know this is a fictional book, but in the real world, you cannot lie about your age. Period. This just confused me quite a lot. I think, though this was a crucial plot attribute, that it might've been a little far-fetched.) Natalie attracts many raised eyebrows, especially from Warden Williams (who runs the island) and his gorgeous, partially cruel daughter, Piper. Piper is one of those "mean girls" - pretty on the outside, devilishly scandalous on the inside. She presumes Natalie to be retarded in the beginning, which really sets off her and Moose's relationship - which is not very good, but you can see some attraction for the other lurking beneath the cloudy surface. However, Natalie will not get into this special place of belonging without a little help from Al Capone himself, and a realization by her mother that yes, time does move on. If you liked this story, perhaps you might be interested in Kira-Kira, by Cynthia Kadohata, Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett, A Wrinkle In Time by Madeline L'Engle, Holes by Louis Sachar, and Undercrurrents by Willo Davis Roberta. Just for the record, I'm a 7th grader who enjoys to dance and cheerlead. This book may interest more of the baseball/basketball type.Book Review: Fascinating Location & Profound Issues
Summary: 5 Stars
Al Capone Does My Shirts was chosen as a Newbery Honor Book in 2005, and also won many other awards. The author, Gennifer Choldenko, was especially pleased to win the Schneider Family Book Award which honors "a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences" according to the website of the American Library Association.
Written for children, but loved by adults as well, this novel is set in one of the oddest and most fascinating places in the world: Alcatraz, the island home of what used to be a maximum security prison from 1934 to 1963. At that time, prisoners were not the only ones living on Alcatraz. When the story takes place, in the late 1930's, many prison guards and other employees lived in apartments there with their families. The warden had a house.
In Choldenko's novel, Moose, age 12, is forced to move to Alcatraz by his parents, but has a hard time adjusting to life away from his best friend in Santa Monica. There are other children on the island, but none he connects with right away. The warden's daughter, Piper, is a trouble maker he tries to ignore, unsuccessfully. When Moose goes to school in San Francisco and meets Scout, he has a chance to play baseball with other boys. Then his mother ruins his fun by insisting that he go home from school immediately after school every day to take care of his older sister, Natalie, who is autistic.
Choldenko chose an unusual and exciting location for the novel, and it plays as important a role as any of her characters. According to an interview posted on her website, she got the idea for the novel from a newspaper article, then volunteered as a docent on Alcatraz to do her research. At the end of the novel she includes a few pages about Alcatraz history, noting what was historically accurate in her novel, and what parts were pure fiction.
Another element of the novel that contributed to its success was Natalie's character - an autistic teenage girl who doubled as a human calculator while being totally out of touch with any part of reality other than her button collection and numbers. This character, while being wholly fictional, was based on Choldenko's observation of her own older autistic sister. Moose's predicament gives a voice to anyone who has been a caretaker of an autistic relative.
The novel's bright red cover and a photograph of Alcatraz are essential to the appeal of the book. Now that it has a shiny silver Newbery Honor Book sticker as well, Al Capone Does My Shirts is sure to attract attention for years to come.
Book Review: Review
Summary: 4 Stars
If you were forced to move to an island that was infested with criminals would you be happy? I certainly wouldn't and neither is Matthew, the main character of the book when he is put in this situation. Filled with interesting surprises, Al Capone Does My Shirts entertains its reader fully. Matthew, a round character, comes to live at Alcatraz when his dad finds a job as a guard and electrician there. He feels nothing but misery when he goes there, but that quickly goes away as the year progresses. He has reasons though to for not liking Alcatraz in the beginning too, problems that would drive any sane person insane. At school and Alcatraz, he must deal with Piper and her crazy schemes. For example, she gets her friends from Alcatraz to advertise to the school that she can get their shirts laundered by the notorious gangster Al Capone. Then she somehow forces everyone in the seventh grade to take off one of their shirts or socks and charges them a nickel each. Though Matthew had almost nothing to do with it he gets into huge trouble with the warden of Alcatraz, who is also Piper's father. Then comes his sister who has autism and is a screamer. Things start to get worse when she is not accepted into a school and Matthew is forced to baby sit his sister. Also he's having trouble with a convict at the prison, who seems to have befriended his sister Natalie. She seems so happy with him, but Matthew is worried because he's in prison. And to add to his already mile long list of pains, is when he finds out he can't play baseball with his friend Scout because he has to baby sit his sister on Mondays. He loses his only friend that he made at school. He does in the end get an easier life. He becomes friends with Scout again and plays baseball with him every day during lunch. In the end, with the help of Al Capone, who had heart to help him, Natalie finally makes it and gets into Esther P. Marinoff.
Though colorful with many details, full of surprises, and excitement, holes can be found in the plot, especially when the book nears its ending. The resolution of the story makes no sense. How could the law breaking prisoner, Al Capone, have convinced the principle of Esther P. Marinoff, who rejected Natalie twice to admission have convinced him to accept her? The author does not leave enough context clues to help the reader understand what is going on. Overall, though, the book does exceedingly accomplish entertaining its readers and is very well written, even though it leaves you wondering what in the world is going on in the end.