BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Choldenko, Gennifer. 2004. AL CAPONE DOES MY SHIRTS. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. ISBN: 0-399-23861-1
PLOT SUMMARY:
In an attempt to secure enrollment in a special school for his older sister, Moose Flanagan's family moves to San Francisco; more specifically, the family moves to Alcatraz. In this often humorous tale of coming of age and family responsibility, Choldenko depicts the daily life of employee families housed on the prison island.
While trying to adapt to his new home, Moose makes new friends with his island neighbors including the warden's daughter, Piper. Piper is a sneaky entrepreneur always attempting to lead the other children slightly astray of her father's strict rules. Moose loves baseball, his sister, and following rules making him a target for Piper's schemes. Especially schemes that involve the most infamous resident of Alcatraz: Al Capone.
After his sister fails to find help at the new school, Moose has to take on extra responsibility with her. His love for her grows as does his frustration with the entire situation. Piper and all of his new friends become closer to Moose and to his sister, learning a lot about themselves in the process.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
Moose Flanagan is a boy like someone the reader knows; he is a little nervous but nice and friendly. A good friend to have and a good pick for your baseball team. The struggles he faces in Al Capone Does My Shirts also make him seem just like someone we know (or like us). He tries to follow the rules; he tries to help in his family; he tries to do good in school; and he wants to make friends. The author makes Moose a strong and believable character, one the reader can completely connect with. Even his relationship with Piper reads like a relationship the reader might be having with a friend.
A simpler time in America is portrayed throughout the work. A time before World War II and after the initial shock of the Great Depression; one in which baseball was the main concern for boys like Moose. A time when mothers stayed home with children while the fathers worked to support the family. A time when girls only wore dresses, and an illness like Autism did not have a name.
The author's honesty comes through strongly in this book. The relationship in the family is strikingly forthright. The sincere depiction of a family struggling to understand a child's illness and to find some sort of hope for her future is emotional. Moose's attempt to help but to have his own life is honestly portrayed. Even the curiosity the children have about their convict neighbors is honest. Choldenko's thorough research on the lives of children who grew up on Alcatraz comes through and gives the reader a clear picture of what those unique years were like. The scenes of the children taking the ferry boat into San Francisco for school, and their excitement at having Al Capone do their laundry are realistic and effective in pulling the reader into the historic period and into the setting.
Al Capone Does My Shirts is a thoroughly enjoyable read sure to be loved by readers from grades 4-8. They will see themselves or people they know in the characters, and they will surely learn about the variation in American culture in the 1930s and the unique world of Alcatraz island.
AWARDS/REVIEWS:
*School Library Journal: "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." (Miranda Doyle)
*Booklist: "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." (Ed Sullivan)
Newbery Honor Book
ALA Best Book for Young Adults
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
Kirkus Editor’s Choice
CONNECTIONS:
*have students research Autism
*read portions of Temple Grandin's book Thinking in Pictures: And Other Reports from My Life with Autism to students aloud and discuss the disease
*take a virtual tour of Alcatraz at www.nps.gov/alcatraz/
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