Al Capone Does My Shirts
 | |
| Author | Gennifer Choldenko |
|---|---|
| Country | America |
| Language | English |
| Series | All Capone series |
| Genre | children's literature |
| Set in | Alcatraz Island, near San Francisco in 1935 |
| Published | Puffin; Reprint edition (April 20, 2006) |
| Pages | 240 |
| Awards | Newbery Honor selection, California Young Reader Medal in 2007 |
| Followed by | Al Capone Shines My Shoes |
Al Capone Does My Shirts is a historical fiction novel for young adults by author Gennifer Choldenko. In this story, Moose Flanagan and his family move from Santa Monica to Alcatraz Island. The move was caused by the father's new job positions as an electrician and as a guard in the well known Alcatraz prison. The book was named as a Newbery Honor selection and in 2007 it received the California Young Reader Medal. It has two sequels, Al Capone Shines My Shoes and Al Capone Does My Homework.[1][2][3]
Plot
Moose Flanagan and his family move from Santa Monica to Alcatraz Island in the 1930s. The move was caused by the father's new job positions as an electrician and as a guard in the well known Alcatraz prison. Off the island there is a very prestigious school for children with mental illness called the Esther P. Marinoff School. While she could not be diagnosed at the time, Moose's sister, Natalie, is explained by the author as being autistic. She is fifteen years old during most of the book, but Mrs. Flanagan tell people that Natalie is ten so that they will not believe she is too old to be helped. Mrs. Flanagan tries applying Natalie to the Esther P. Marinoff School. Mrs. Flanagan believes this is the only way to help "cure" Natalie of her peculiarity and is doing her best to avoid sending Natalie to a mental institution. Due to his parents' hectic work schedule Moose is left with almost full responsibility of his autistic older sister Natalie along with fitting into his new school. Natalie is accepted into the Esther P. Marinoff School, but unfortunately, she's sent back home almost immediately because she's just not adjusting to the school. Moose's mother and Natalie's new psychologist, Mrs. Kelly, push Moose to take full care of Natalie and to take her everywhere he goes to help improve her social skills.
Moose becomes friends with the warden's daughter, who talks him into being part of her money making scheme. One of her schemes is a criminal laundry service for the kids at school. Once the scheme flops and the Warden hears of it, the children are punished and have to find a new hobby. Moose decides to hang around the prisoners' rec center trying to find a stray baseball just to help him fit in with the other kids on the island. Moose eventually notices his older sister Natalie developing a relationship with convict 105, also known as Onion. The convict knows Moose has been looking for a baseball, and he hands Moose a ball just for amusement. Moose becomes scared for his autistic older sister until he realizes the relationship will be ending soon because his sister's second interview with Esther P. Marinoff School is coming up soon. Moose and his family's hopes are crushed when the school rejects Natalie. Out of ideas, Moose decides to take a risk with the help of Piper and writes a letter to the infamous criminal Al Capone, asking him to pull any strings he has to help Moose's family get his sister back into school. Within days, Natalie is accepted into the new branch of Esther P. Marinoff School for older children. The next day Moose is getting ready for the day when he finds a note in the sleeve of his shirt with the word "done" underlined.
Characters
- Matthew "Moose" Flanagan
- 12-year-old boy, whose family moves to Alcatraz island from Santa Monica.
- Natalie Flanagan
- Moose's sister with autism. Attending a prestigious school for children with mental issues.
- Cam Flanagan
- Moose and Natalie's father. He works on the island as an electrician and a guard.
- Helen Flanagan
- Mother to Moose and Natalie. She works incredibly hard to have her daughter "cured" to be normal. Her mission is to avoid sending her daughter into a mental institution.
- Piper Williams
- The Warden's daughter. A determined young woman constantly inventing ways to make money off of her home, Alcatraz Island.
- Warden Williams
- The warden of Alcatraz. The strict power enforcer and Piper Williams's father.
- Al Capone
- A well-known convict and part of the money making scheme Piper Williams makes up. In real life, Capone was in Alcatraz from 1934 to 1939.
- Theresa Mattaman
- One of the classmates on the island and one of the few people who understand Natalie.
- Jimmy Mattaman
- Theresa's older brother, usually more to himself.
- Scout McIlvey
- One of Moose's few friends, they play in a baseball team together. Moose eventually tries to find a baseball hit by a con on the island.
- Mr. Purdy
- The head director of Esther P. Marinoff School.
- Ms. Kelly
- Natalie's private teacher who is helping her with her social skills.
- Convict 105 "Onion"
- The convict that Natalie starts to develop a relationship with that Moose fears is romantic. She refers to him as 105, his inmate number.
Sequels
It has two sequels, Al Capone Shines My Shoes (2011) and Al Capone Does My Homework (2014)
Al Capone Shines My Shoes
What do you do when your neighbors are a bunch of hit men, con men, and mad dog murderers? Well, if you're Moose Flanagan, you ask the most notorious convict of them all, Al Capone, for help. But when that convict comes through for you and then asks you for a favor in return suddenly it's a whole different ball game.
Al Capone Does My Homework
Alcatraz Island in the 1930s isn't the most normal place to grow up in but it's home for Moose Flanagan, his autistic sister, Natalie, and all the families of the guards. When Moose's dad gets promoted to Associate Warden, despite being an unlikely candidate, it's a big deal. But the cons have a point system for targeting prison employees, and his dad is now in serious danger. After a fire starts in the Flanagan's apartment, Natalie is blamed, and Moose bands with the other kids to track down the possible arsonist. Then Moose gets a cryptic note from the notorious Al Capone himself. Is Capone trying to protect Moose's dad too? If Moose can't figure out what Capone's note means, it may be too late.
Awards
Critical Reception
Kirkus Review gave the book a positive review, stating "Choldenko’s pacing is exquisite, balancing the tense family dynamics alongside the often-humorous and riveting school story of peer pressure and friendship."[4] Miranda Doyle of The School Library Journal says "The story, told with humor and skill, will fascinate readers with an interest in what it was like for the children of prison guards and other workers to actually grow up on Alcatraz Island." [5] Even Ed Sullivan of Booklist has nothing but good reviews for this book. He states in his review "With its unique setting and well-developed characters, this warm, engaging coming-of-age story has plenty of appeal, and Choldenko offers some fascinating historical background on Alcatraz Island in an afterword." [6]
References
- ↑ http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/al-capone-does-my-shirts-discussion-guide
- ↑ http://www.alcaponedoesmyshirts.com/index.html
- ↑ http://www.kidsreads.com/reviews/al-capone-does-my-shirts
- ↑ https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/gennifer-choldenko/al-capone-does-my-shirts/
- ↑ Doyle, Miranda, et al. "Al Capone Does My Shirts (Book)." School Library Journal 50.3 (2004): 203-204. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 Dec. 2015.
- ↑ Choldenko, Gennifer. "Al Capone Does My Shirts (Book)." Booklist 100.11 (2004): 976. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 Dec. 2015.