Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
(c) 2004 225 pages
Seventh grade isn't easy for anyone (remember?) so when the Flanagan family moves to Alcatraz in 1935, you know it's going to be a rough year for twelve-year-old Moose.
Moose is gangly, he misses his dad (who is pulling double duty as an electrician and a prison guard) and has his hands full watching his sister, who is autistic.
But that word doesn't appear in the first two-thirds of the book. Choldenko's characters are almost all show, no tell - her characters are real from page one; they drive the story.
Readers, both male and female, will enjoy this book, but you don't have to take my word for it. Al Capone Does My Shirts was a Newbery Honor Book, a New York Times Best Seller, A Kirkus Editors' Choice, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, and a People magazine Best Kid's Book.
And I could go on, but I won't. Readers ages 12 and up will love Al Capone Does My Shirts. If they don't, I'll eat my shirt. (But only if it's clean.)
-- To learn more about author Gennifer Choldenko, visit her website. --
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