Module 6 - Al Capone Does My Shirts

THE DREAMER

Bibliographic Information

•           Choldenko, G. (2004). Al Capone does my shirts. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons.

Summary
It's 1935, and Moose Flanagan moves with his family to live on Alcatraz Island just off the coast of San Francisco.  Moose's father has taken a job at the prison to help pay for special education for Moose's sister Natalie, who is almost totally taken care of by Moose.  In the middle of adjusting to his new school and missing his old friends and baseball buddies, Moose meets Piper, the beautiful daughter of the warden, who wants to start a moneymaking business by convincing the other kids that Al Capone is on laundry duty in the prison and will be washing their laundry for a small fee.  Moose goes along with the plan, and finds success in the business and with new friends, but Natalie's autism gets worse.  Moose and Piper slip Capone a note asking for his help to get Natalie into a prestigious school, which mysteriously comes true.

My Impressions
I chose this book because I like the time period, and thought the idea behind the plot was excellent.  It reminded me of an "Little Rascals" plan to make money, especially in imagining life during that period and the work kids had to do for their families and for a small amount of money.  The book is assembled like a journal, with the dates of events recorded at the beginning of each chapter.  I liked that aspect of writing because it may encourage some kids to begin to keep a journal.

Reviews
Gray, B. (2004). Al Capone Does My Shirts. [Review of Al Capone does my shirts, by G. Choldenko]. School Library Journal, 50(9), 76.

In this skillfully told novel by Gennifer Choldenko (Putnam, 2004), 12 -year-old Moose Flanagan and his family move to Alcatraz Island in 1935, where his father gets a job in the prison which housed such noted criminals as Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly. Moose's older sister, Natalie, is severely autistic and his mother has been obsessed with getting her "cured." She has been sent to a variety of schools and bizarre hospitals, none of which have helped, and their last hope is getting her into a school in San Francisco. Moose is given almost complete responsibility for his sister. Meanwhile, Moose is coping with his new school, living in an isolated and strange place, and the warden's daughter, Piper, who always has a new money-making scheme. Juggling Natalie's daily moods, school work, yearning for Piper, and worry over his folks, Moose tries to please everyone. His greatest fear is that somehow he has caused Natalie's problem. Listeners learn a lot about Alcatraz and what it was like for children to grow up on the Island. There is a lengthy author's note with extensive information that adds to the fictional tale. Johnny Heller does a masterful job conveying both Moose's anger towards and concern for Natalie. His timing is perfect, he voices all the characters with great versatility, and he makes Moose come to life. This is a fascinating book superbly narrated. --B. Allison Gray, John Jermain Memorial Library, Sag Harbor, NY

Library Usage
The book can be used as a study of the Great Depression as a historical period, or even for a discussion/model of the Alcatraz prison and its construction.  I don't know if I would make a big deal out of Al Capone or some of the other inmates at the prison, or bring up organized crime, but this book does very well as a circulating item for moderate chapter book readers.