Al Capone Does My Shirts

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.

Author: Gennifer Choldenko
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Published: 03/30/2004
Pages: 228
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.78lbs
Size: 8.58h x 5.76w x 0.91d
ISBN: 9780399238611
Audience: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 3.5
Point Value: 7
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 74909 / Al Capone Does My Shirts


Award: Sequoyah Book Awards - Nominee
Award: Louisiana Young Readers' Choice Award - Nominee
Award: Garden State Teen Book Award - Winner
Award: Nutmeg Book Award - Nominee
Award: Nene Award - Recommended
Award: William Allen White Childens Book Award - Nominee
Award: Newbery Medal - Honor Book
Award: Texas Lone Star Reading List - Commended
Award: Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award - Nominee
Award: Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award - Nominee
Award: Carnegie Medal - Nominee
Award: Volunteer State Book Awards - Nominee
Award: Georgia Children's Book Award - Nominee
Award: California Young Reader Medal - Winner
Award: Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award - Nominee
Award: Virginia Readers Choice Award - Nominee
Award: Black-Eyed Susan Award - Nominee
Award: Jefferson Cup - Honor Book
Award: Iowa Teen Award - Nominee
Award: Young Reader's Choice Award - Nominee
Award: Massachusetts Children's Book Award - Honor Book
Award: Isinglass Teen Read Award - Nominee
Award: Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award - Nominee
Award: Colorado Children's Book Award - Nominee
Award: South Carolina Childrens, Junior and Young Adult Book Award - Nominee
Award: Nevada Young Readers' Award - Nominee
Award: Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award - Nominee
Award: Heartland Award - Nominee
Award: Parents Choice Award (Spring) (1998-2007) - Winner
Award: Sunshine State Young Reader's Award - Nominee


Review Citation(s):
Booklist 02/01/2004 pg. 976
Publishers Weekly 02/02/2004 pg. 78
Kirkus Review - Children 03/01/2004 pg. 220
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 03/01/2004 pg. 265
School Library Journal 03/01/2004 pg. 203
Kliatt 03/01/2004 pg. 8
Voice of Youth Advocates 04/01/2004 pg. 42
People Weekly 05/03/2004 pg. 46
Booksense '76 Childrens Sum 04 06/01/2004 pg. 1
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2004 pg. 376 - Recommended, Satisfactory
Kirkus Review - Children 12/01/2004 pg. 1143
SLJ's Best Books 12/01/2004 pg. 43
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2004 pg. 376 - Recommended, Satisfactory
ALA Best Books Young Adults 02/15/2005 pg. 1007
ALA Notable Children's Books 02/15/2005 pg. 1020
School Library Journal 09/01/2007 pg. 57

About the Author
Gennifer Choldenko is the New York Times bestselling and Newbery Honor Award-winning author of ten children's books, including Notes From a Liar and Her Dog, If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period, No Passengers Beyond this Point, Al Capone Does My Shirts, Al Capone Shines My Shoes, and Al Capone Does My Homework. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family.