Customer Reviews

The Literacy Bridge - Large Print - Al Capone Does My Shirts

5 star:		(117)
4 star:		(73)
3 star:		(28)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

I can hardly believe this is considered a children's book, since it is ideal for adults who can relate to their own coming-of-age experiences. Without going into excessive detail, Gennifer Choldenko manages to portray an era, adolescence and the pain of a disabled sibling in a different time with alarming accuracy.

Moose Flanagan is a 7th grader who is tall for his age. It is 1935, right in the midst of the Great Depression. Moose's father takes a job as a prison guard on Alcatraz Island. This means the whole family, including his mom and older sister, Natalie, have to live on the island, within the shadow of the prison, in an apartment building with the families of the other guards. Moose is not happy about leaving his home and friends in Santa Monica to take up residence next to a prison. The main reason for the move is so that his older sister, Natalie, can go to a special school in San Francisco. Natalie is considered different. In modern times, she would be diagnosed as Autistic, but in 1935, Autism had not been classified. Moose adjusts to life in a strange new place, stuck with the responsibility of looking after his sister, hardly seeing his parents, and getting to know the other children on the island, including the pretty and problematic Piper, the daughter of the Warden.

I read this book in one sitting. It is very well-written, and the author clearly hasn't forgotten what it is to be a child. She portrays being the responsible sibling to a handicapped sister excellently, and I cannot recommend this book enough.

There's historical fiction, and then there's historical fiction. Now to critique a kid's book that falls in the historical fiction genre there's really only one standard to which you should hold the book directly accountable: Do accurate historical facts about the story make the book more interesting or less interesting? Which is to say, does the story stand on its own two feet? Has this book taken true tales and given them new life or has it created an entirely fictional (some would say fanciful) world that bears little resemblance to what really did occur back in the day? I am pleased to report that Gennifer Choldenko's book, "Al Capone Does My Shirts" sits strongly in the former category. Taking true facts, following them up with historical research and footnotes, and giving the whole book a real but fascinating feel, Choldenko has written one of the great chidren's novels of 2004. The story is deeply interesting and continually gripping without boring the reader once. The premise is alluring but it's Choldenko's excellent writing that solidifies this puppy as a must-read for all ages.

Not many kids get to live on an island chock full of the world's most dangerous prisoners. But not many kids are Moose Flanagan. When his father takes a job as a guard on Alcatraz Island, just off the coast of San Francisco, Moose finds himself in alarmingly close proximity with a variety of different vicious criminals. The whole reason his father took the job, of course, is because of Moose's sister Natalie. A victim of autism, Natalie's condition isn't one that's easy to treat in 1935 America. The family has just discovered a wonderful school that might do Natalie some great good if they can only get her into it. Unfortunately, treating Natalie so that she's acceptable to the school may require her to spend copious amounts of time with Moose when he'd rather be playing baseball. And then there's that awful warden's daughter, Piper, who keeps getting Moose and his friends into trouble all the time. Things are a lot more interesting on an island prison than even Moose might have suspected.

The book does several very difficult things simultaneously. First of all, it tells the story of Moose and Natalie without appealing to the lowest common denominator. I was deathly afraid that this might turn into one of those "Beautiful Mind"/"I Am Sam"/"Shine"/any other triumph-over-adversity story you'd like to name. I was hoping against hope that this would not end up being some teary weeper with a perfect happy ending and an idealized struggle against the unknowable. Now, admittedly, the ending is (not to give anything away) pretty darn perfect. Choldenko isn't afraid of employing a little deus ex machina to get her way. On the other hand, she pulls it off. Sure, the ending's just a tad schlocky. But it's also exactly what the reader wants to hear. There are no happy endings for autistic kids in a 1935 world, but this one comes pretty darn close.

Another difficult thing the book manages is to ever-so-slightly redeem the story's resident demon from the fourth dimension of Hell, Piper. This girl is trouble, but worse she's self-centered, cruel, and cunning. Moose knows right from the start not to trust her, but she's also cute and Moose is fourteen-years-old and not entirely in charge of his hormones. I guess I spend a lot of my time reading children's books in a state of deathly fear because not only was I worried that this would be a cheesy heartwarming tale but I was also afraid that Piper would be utterly redeemed by the tale's end. And gosh darn it, I hated Piper! I hated her so much it wasn't funny. I mean, she almost gets the other kids' parents fired, she mocks Natalie (calls her "retarded" no less), she lies, tries to use Natalie as bait to get at a con, and is generally awful all over. Yet Choldenko gives her a slight improvement by the book's end. Nothing mind-blowing. Nothing miraculous. Just an ever-so-slight change from breathtaking evil to almost having a heart. And in a lesser author's hands this would've been either unbelievable or callous or both. Yet Choldenko pulls it, and many other plot points too, off with a skill I've not seen in a rising children's author in some time.

So let's review. You've got a book that is chock full of facts. I mean, the author even includes a note at the back that explains what was made up and points out which facts may have been stretched. She's so accurate that she even feels the need to point out that the weather she's listed here, "does not reflect the exact weather of 1935". Now THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is a writer who cares about preserving a historical record. In addition to this, the book does not pull at your heart-strings in a cheap and lazy fashion. It's honest and appealing and treats Natalie's autism brilliantly (possibly because Choldenko's own sister had a severe form of autism). Finally, it redeems the unredeemable believably. I don't know what else I can say except to point out that on top of all this the book's a very enjoyable read. It has characters you care for, real moments of tension and suspense, a brilliant setting, and a superb ear for dialogue. If you want to booktalk a new story to the kids you know, just offer them this tale about a guy who lives near gangsters and murderers. I think they'll bite.

My children received this book as a gift and I decided I should read it before my 9 year old took a shot at it.

I had no idea what to expect and started without even reading the back cover. From the first page I was hooked. The writing is very well done. Its deep and meaningful but not at all self-conscious or pretentious. It hits that superb level of competence when reading becomes effortless almost as if you are watching the story unfold in real life. Still it is very accessible to grade school readers and will be a great read aloud book.

The subject matter is great for kids. Its not santized but kid appropriate. The protagonist is a young teen boy and the author really pulls off telling the story from his point of view.

A special note needs to be made that this is indeed a story told from the perspective of the younger sibling of a developmentally disabled young woman whose family is learning to deal with what we would now label autism. I found myself asking "how did the author know?" as I moved through the pages lured on by the unfolding of a story I had lived but in a much less interesting time and place.

My sister is now 38 and I am 37. I think I will keep the gift copy for myself and buy two more copies, one for each of my children. When the time is right I hope this book will help them understand why my "older sister who is younger than me" has such a special place in my life and can get away with doing things they never can.

When I saw this book on the public library shelf, I wondered if it was a good idea to read a historical novel for children. On one hand, it is historical and set during the 1930s, which was what I had been looking for, but on the other hand... well, it's a children's novel. I have read and loved various children's books and novels, but I read most of them years ago and I've been reading more Young Adult books rather than children's reads whenever I'm in the mood for those as of late. However, the plot in this book seemed interesting and the title caught my eye so I decided to give it a whirl. Al Capone Does My Shirts is a delightful, insightful and heartwarming novel that appeals to adults as well as children. The year is 1935. The Flanagan family moves to Alcatraz Island, just off San Francisco, because Mr. Flanagan has accepted to work as a guard at the notorious prison. They do this because they want their daughter Natalie, an autistic child, to be accepted at Esther P. Marinoff School, a school that would be perfect for her. The girl would have to accepted at the school though, and in the meantime her brother, Moose, will have to look after her. This doesn't sit well with Moose, for he'd rather be playing baseball. Several fun and entertaining events occur in this novel, like Moose getting into trouble whenever he hangs out with Piper, the warden's daughter. Al Capone is mentioned a great deal here since he was a prisoner at Alcatraz at the time. Could the Flanagans and the other children survive at such close proximity to criminals? There are various twists throughout the novel.

It is a good thing I don't go by first impressions and trusted my instincts when I picked up this book. What a delightful and uplifting read this turned out to be! Moose Flanagan is a wonderful narrator and his adventures with Piper and the other kids are fun to read. (Piper is very annoying though.) His experiences with his autistic sister are wonderful and poignant at times. Moose grabbed me from the opening sentence all the way to the last paragraph of the book. I enjoyed his cynical tone when talking about Alcatraz and the other children who live on the island. I also liked the insights about living with a child with autism. They moved me and taught me a great deal about the illness. It seemed that having a child with autism was especially difficult during the 1930s because they didn't have the kind of knowledge of the illness that doctors and specialists have now. And that's another enjoyable factor in this novel -- the time period. Historical facts and information populate this book without overshadowing the storyline. I love the references about Al Capone and other historical figures and goings-on like the Great Depression. Gennifer Choldenko has created a wonderful and educational world for children and a delightful and just as educational reading experience for adults. I enjoyed Al Capone Does My Shirts and I hope to encounter a book as well written and historically accurate as this one in the future.

I recommend this title to every book lover I encounter. Especially adults, because most do not (unless they have a child book lover) hear about this genre of books. Everyone that has read it, thanks me for recommending it. It has humor, humanity, and a great back drop in which the plot takes place. When recommending this book to students, most of which do not have a clue who Al Capone is, I advise them to do a little research about the man, first. Also, to familiarize themselves with Alcatraz Island and it's infamous history. Armed with that information, a great read becomes even better.

There have been times I thought no one had ever felt quite as I do about their autistic child, but I just met a woman who does -- in a novel! Gennifer Choldenko's brilliant new young-adult novel, Al Capone Does My Shirts, tells the story of Matthew "Moose" Flanagan, a 12-year-old boy whose life was already complicated enough by his autistic teenaged sister, Natalie, and their mother's anxiety over Natalie's condition (which the family never mentions by name -- the novel takes place in 1935). But when his father gets a job as a guard at Alcatraz and the family must move to Alcatraz Island, Moose's life takes a series of sharp turns. While Mr. Flanagan works long hours guarding criminals like Al Capone, his wife works tirelessly to get Natalie into a special school that offers a glimmer of hope for Natalie having a "normal" future. For Moose, the move brings new friends, new temptations, and an increased role in his sister's constant care. I'll never forget Moose Flanagan, and I'd recommend this novel to anyone who can read. But it does have extra resonance for those of us who live with a person with autism. An exceptionally compelling story -- fun to read, moving, and insightful. Astonishly well-written--I couldn't put it down.

Listening to this book I could hear the sea gulls and feel the chop of the waves beneath the hull of the boat that carried me across the water and back in time. The characters and story begged to be listened to but the real star of this tale is the setting, Alcatraz Island in the year 1935.

Moose Flanagan's family moves to Alcatraz when his father gets a job as an electrician/guard at the famous prison. Moose is homesick and lonely. He must take the boat to the mainland for school each day. His passion is baseball and the game helps him make new friends.

His home life is more problematic. His father works around the clock. His sister Natalie is autistic (although that condition is not identified) and subject to tantrums and unexplainable behaviors. His mother is so driven to get Natalie enrolled in a special school in San Francisco that she is blind to her son's needs.

The unseen presence in the story is the gangster Al Capone who is imprisoned in Alcatraz. The children of the island are fascinated, thrilled and terrified by the convicts. They are obsessed with catching a glimpse of Capone. The warden's gorgeous daughter, Piper is the same age as Moose and seems to have a gift for getting him in trouble.

Choldenko writes with great compassion of the challenges of living with an autistic family member. You admire and ache for Moose as he shoulders the responsibility of watching over his sister when he could be playing baseball in the afternoons. His kindness and love for his sister give the story extra depth.

Johnny Heller's narration is excellent. His voicing of Moose and Natalie are beautifully done. Moose's voice answering "Yes Sir!" to the Warden has lingered in my mind.

Interesting characters, the Great Depression and Alcatraz Island make this one of the most original works of historical fiction I have ever read.
Highly recommended.

"Al Capone Does My Shirts" is about a 12-year old boy named Moose, whose family moves to Alcatraz in 1934 for his dad's job as a prison guard there. If you don't know, Alcatraz is a maximum-security prison on a rocky island across the bay from San Francisco. Although it is no longer in use, in the 1930's, Alcatraz was prison sweet prison to such notorious gangsters as Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly. You could understand why Moose isn't excatly thrilled to live there. But the other reason they moved is so his sister, Natalie, could go to the Esther P. Marinoff school. Natalie has a disease that is today called autism, but was unidentified in the 30's. Moose, wanting his sister to be "normal", agrees to move for her sake. Still, he isn't happy about living on what he calls "a 12-acre rock covered with cement, topped with bird turds and surrounded by water". But the other families that live on Alcatraz might change his mind.
This book is both funny and sad, and Moose is very easy to relate to. Other very dynamic characters make "Al Capone Does My Shirts" interesting. You'll finish it quickly and wish it were longer.

Choldenko weaves Bay Area history, baseball, the legend of Al Capone, and a satisfying family story into a winning YA novel. Moose Flanagan moves with his family to Alcatraz. In the depression-era 30's Dad is happy to have a job as a guard and electrician, but the move is really motivated by a desire to place Moose's autistic sister, Natalie, into a special San Francisco school. Moose is Natalie's care giver and champion and in spite of her illness, the two of them form friendships in the tight knit Alcatraz community. The best part of the story revolves around Moose's growing understanding of what family choices will mean for Natalie's future. Guided by his affection for Natalie and his own need for some kind of normal life, Moose helps his parents come to terms with their situation and find a future for Natalie. Moose is very wise for a teenager, but his behavior and emotions always ring true. The role Capone plays is small, but his legend looms large in the book and adds both mystery and humor. Choldenko spent several years as a docent on Alcatraz and her knowledge of the island and the prison it housed add significantly to the books authenticity.

This is a beautiful story that mixes all the elements of great fiction. Historical setting and characters, emotional involvment with genuine characters, laugh-out-loud humor, and a fresh writing style combine to form a unique and sensitive story. Highly reccomended for anyone interested in Alcatraz, Autistic children, or anyone looking for well-done modern kids lit piece. Also reccomended: Notes From a Liar and Her Dog(same author).