Al Capone Does My Shirts (Choldenko, Gennifer, 2004, 215 p. ISBN 0142403709 $6.99)
This fictionalized account of a family living on Alcatraz island in 1935 is charming, witty, and abundantly sweet. Twelve-year-old Moose Flanagan narrates the tale of his family’s recent move that has brought his father to work on The Rock as an electrician and guard. Moose is not happy about the move, which means he must leave behind his best friend and baseball-playing buddies, but his family is hopeful about getting his sister—who has autism, though that name and diagnosis do not yet exist—into a promising new school in San Francisco. Moose is frequently torn between wanting to move back to his old, familiar life, and wanting to get help for the sister he loves.
Moose meets up with a new group of playmates, including the mischievous Piper—the warden’s daughter—who is always plotting a new scheme that is sure to land Moose in trouble. The earnest and endearing Moose will appeal to a wide range of readers, including boys and girls from middle school on. The author includes delightful details (many of which are probably true, as she explains in the notes) about Alcatraz at that time period, including Al Capone’s mother’s visit that sets off the metal detectors and sets the island abuzz. It is a lovely tale of family loyalty, friendship, and finding one’s way in the difficult age of early adolescence.
