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Al Capone Does My Shirts (Al Capone at Alcatraz #1)

by Gennifer Choldenko (Goodreads Author), Kirby Heyborne

3.8 of 5 stars 3.80 · rating details · 16,962 ratings · 2,002 reviews

1935
I want to be on Alcatraz like I want poison oak on my private parts. But apparently nobody cares, because now I’m Moose Flanagan, Alcatraz Island Boy–all so my sister can go to the Esther P. Marinoff School, where kids wear their clothes inside out and there isn’t a book in sight. Obedient Moose. I always do what I’m supposed to do.

When Moose’s family moves to Alcatra...more

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Published September 8th 2009 by Listening Library (Audio) (first published March 30th 2004)

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Sep 24, 2012 Kristine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: family and friends of someone with autism, anyone

Shelves: newbery-honors, i-own, kids-lit

I read this poolside during our SoCal vacation -- and I was pleasantly surprised.

Moose's family moves to Alcatraz where his dad has taken a job as an electrician. He has a "younger" sister who has autism and the family is trying to get her into a special school.

If you think about it there are so many parts of the story that are heart-wrenching . . . the author does an amazing job of making emotional connections with each character. You can see the grief cycle in each member: anger, denial, bar...more

5 likes · like · see review

Oct 29, 2007 Jessica rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: newbery

I had to read this book once I learned that it is about little kids who lived on Alcatraz in the 1930s. Ever since I was a little girl I've wanted to purchase Alcatraz Island and live there. (Plus, it's a Newberry Honor Book, so it sort of counts towards my goal.)

The book centers around a family: a mother, a father, a "ten" year old sister, and a twelve year old brother, our protagonist, Moose. The family has just moved to Alcatraz Island where the father works around the clock at two jobs so th...more

6 likes · like · see review

Feb 23, 2012 Meghan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: engl-492-required-reading

I really enjoyed reading Al Capone Does My Shirts for a few reasons. First of all, it was a very quick read. The writing style was so simple, so it was a walk in the park to read on a Tuesday night. Secondly, the setting and the characters were very interesting. I think many of the characters had unique voices and mannerisms that made them memorable. However, some of the characters weren't very active in the plot and it just left me with questions about their participation in the book. The under...more

2 likes · like · see review

Sep 30, 2010 Jinky rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2010

I don't agree with the enthusiasm for this book. A Newbery Honor, really? At least it didn't win.

I wanted to like this book. A story about families living on Alcatraz where the worst of the worst convicts reside was alluring. But this book just didn't cut it. The characters developments were horrid. Moose was wishy-washy, Piper incredibly reckless, and the adults were idiots. The only character that the author got right was Natalie. Plus, the whole 'let's see how close we can monopolize Al Capo...more

2 likes · like · see review

Nov 05, 2012 Stephen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-read-in-2012, historical-fiction

Surprisingly upbeat for a book set in the Great Depression and dealing with the subject of autism. From the first paragraphs I realized that this was not the light-hearted, funny book that the title suggested. And yet it was a good wholesome read that left one feeling better rather than worse. This book walks the fine line between tense and funny and yet has heart. It should be a good recommendation for reluctant readers, particularly of the young male persuasion.

While told from a young man's p...more

3 likes · like · see review

Dec 03, 2008 Robin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This big kid adored this book for kids and the audio version with narration by Johnny Heller is superb.

2 likes · like · see review

Sep 28, 2008 Beth rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-lit, audio, favorites, historical-fiction

What makes me really love a book is when the author is a master at creating characters so vivid that you can either get behind them or you want to smack them because you hate them so much.

Choldenko does a great job of doing both in this book. You really feel for the main character, Moose, and the horrible reality of his situation having basically lost his childhood because he has to look after his autistic sister, Natalie, all the time.

You want to smack Moose's mother for being so oblivious to...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 13, 2008 Tuckerm added it · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

1 like · like · see review

Jul 23, 2009 Ann rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: teen, historical-fiction, 2009, newbery-honor

This is a really great book. I'd been meaning to read it for years and finally got around to it! Moose Flanagan and his family move to Alcatrez Island where his father works as a guard so that his sister Natalie can go to a special school in San Francisco for kids with disabilities. Today, Natalie would have been diagnosed with autism, but back then they didn't know what to do with her. The author deals with this topic very sensitively and emotionally, because it's based on her own experiences w...more

1 like · like · see review

Jul 30, 2008 Julia M rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I absolutely adore this book! Initially, I had to read it for a children's literature class two years ago, but I chose to pick it up again recently because I loved it so much. The story is about a young boy named Moose and his experiences growing up as a prison guard's son on Alcatraz during the 1930's. Moose's younger sister Natalie has special needs, and although her specific diagnosis is unknown, we as readers can assume that she is autistic. Moose's life is made even more interesting when he...more

4 likes · like · see review

Sep 20, 2009 Christina rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Alcatraz home to the most dirtiest convicts known to man. No place for kids right? Wrong. Moose Flanagan would like nothing more than to go home and not be anywhere near Alcatraz again. But he can't, he has to stay there because his father works there as a security guard and electrician. But Moose isn't the only kid on Alcatraz there are others but they're trouble. Moose doesn't want to be in any of their schemes though. He just wants the best for his sister. But when his sister gets too close t...more

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Oct 24, 2012 Sapphire Pyro rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: series-teen, favorites-good

Though Al Capone's name is in the title and he's even treated like a celebrity by the other characters in the book, he wasn't exactly the book's central character.

That got some readers disappointed, but it was actually what made me more impressed.

The novel is doing what readers aren't expecting. This book overall had been a very pleasant surprise.

I love it that though it's a novel related to convicts, no blood was shed. And it's not even about crimes at all, but it's instead focused on the lives...more

1 like · like · see review

Dec 24, 2008 Lonette rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Liked it. Plot circles around society's treatment of autisitic children in the 1930's and one brother's efforts to help his autistic sister. Creative plot location.

2 likes · like · see review

Jan 25, 2009 Yofish rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Interesting children's book. Good historical view, sympathetic characters. 12-yr-old boy's view of the world (from Alcatraz) in 1935. Nice twist at end

1 like · like · see review

Jan 24, 2009 Valerie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Ian

This book had an intriguing setting, 1935 San Francisco and a great sibling story line.

1 like · like · see review

Apr 10, 2012 Beth Cato rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: in, 2010, children-s, autism

It's 1935, and 12-year-old Moose Flanagan moves onto Alcatraz Island along with his parents and his unusual sister, Natalie. His dad works double shifts as a guard and electrician, and his mom devotes all her time to getting Nat into a special school in San Francisco. As for Moose, he's curious about sharing the same island with the famed Al Capone, but most of all he wants to play baseball. As if Natalie's tantrums and social issues weren't bad enough, the warden's pesky daughter concocts schem...more

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Mar 19, 2009 Katy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

3.5 stars

I think the title of this book would have drawn me in as a kid - I had a thing for reading about criminals - but I think I might have been disappointed. The book really isn't about Capone at all. He's mentioned, and the kids all want to see/meet him, but he's not a central character.

However, I really did like Moose. He was a good kid. I loved that he took such good care of his sister. Despite how difficult it must have been for him. Mrs. Flanagan drove me crazy. I hated that she put so...more

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Dec 17, 2008 Carol rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

With a name like Al Capone Does My Shirts, I was settled in for a good light read, not. Not that it isn't an easy read but there is pathos in this story of Moose Flannagan. Moose is the brother of a severely challenged sister, Natalie, who cannot function in society and is sometimes entombed in her own frightening world to the exclusion of even her family.
Moose's father is a prison guard/electrician on the island of Alcatraz. His mother takes a boat to San Francisco most days to teach piano and...more

2 likes · like · see review

Nov 20, 2008 Jacquelyn Higgins rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Genre: Historical Fiction Reading level: Ages 10-12
This award winning children’s novel has an unlikely setting. One would not normally consider Alcatraz Island as a place to rear children. Moose, a twelve-year-old boy, and his family move there to allow his father to work two jobs in order to send his autistic sister to a special school. Moose, disgruntled over loosing his old friends and sacrificing time with his dad, never loses touch with the importance of helping his sister. He is often just...more

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Apr 11, 2013 Gracie G. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Moose wants his sister to get into a special school for her disability, but they turn her down because of her age, so he starts communicating with Al Capone to get help. In the book, Al Capone Does my Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko, Moose and his family are moved to Alcatraz Island for his father’s work. Moose’s older sister Natalie has what we recognize as autism. He and his family want to send her off to a school for the disabled to help her, but she is turned down. Moose wants her to get into t...more

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Apr 09, 2013 Kathleen Behrendt rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: brothers-and-sisters, families, fiction-for-boys, fiction-for-girls, historical-fiction, sisters-and-brothers

This historical fiction story is set in California in 1935, during the Great Depression when jobs were scarce. Twelve-year-old Moose and his sister Natalie move to Alcatraz Island where their father works as an elecrician and a prison guard. Natalie, a teenager,is "different" from other girls - she has what would now be diagnosed as autism. Her parents have tried everything to either cure or help her, and the Esther P Marinoff school is their last chance. Except, Natalie is too old to attend. Mo...more

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Apr 01, 2013 Linda Lipko rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: newbery-winner, young-adult

2005 was a stellar year for Newbery Award winning books. Al Capone Does My Shirts joins two of my favorites, Kira Kira which won the medal and Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boys which was another honor winner that year.

The setting is 1935 when twelve year old Moose Flanagan moves with his family to Alcatraz prison. His father has a new job as a guard and an electrician on the island. Moose is having a difficult time adjusting, but the learning curve is not as steep as it is for his autistic...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 28, 2013 Kay Ray rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: transitional

Al Capone Does my Shirts by Gennifer Choldneko introduces us to Moose Flannagan who has to move with his family to Alcatraz; which is an island, so his dad can work as a prison guard and electrician. The family does need money but he doesn't know how he will make it all work considering one of his job requires him to live on the premises. Moose has a sister named Natalie who needs to attend a special school for her autism. Natalie was denied admittance to the school. Moose meets people on the is...more

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Mar 28, 2013 Chelsea Gail Smith rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

Al Capone Does my Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko is a story about a boy named Moose and his family. The family has to move to the prison Alcatraz in the mid 1930's. Moose has a sister named Natalie that has a special kind of disorder, they do not know what it is back in this time period, but today it would be diagnosed as Autism. Moose's father had gotten a job as a guard and an electrician and Alcatraz, and Moose's mom spends a lot of time trying to help her daughter. This story is interesting be...more Al Capone Does my Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko is a story about a boy named Moose and his family. The family has to move to the prison Alcatraz in the mid 1930's. Moose has a sister named Natalie that has a special kind of disorder, they do not know what it is back in this time period, but today it would be diagnosed as Autism. Moose's father had gotten a job as a guard and an electrician and Alcatraz, and Moose's mom spends a lot of time trying to help her daughter. This story is interesting because it shows how hard it was to have a disability in the 1930s. The society back then was not as accepting of someone who was different like Natalie. Moose had to watch his older sister a lot because of her disability. He was most the time embarrassed of her and did not want to her to come around his friends because of how she acted so differently. Soon Moose is involved in a scheme to collect laundry money with the wardens daughter, Piper, from the other classmates. She ensures Moose that Al Capone is on laundry duty. He is not, but soon enough Moose ends up to get used to living in Alcatraz and actually enjoy it. The one thing that kept bothering him was that his sister could not get into the Esther P. Marinoff School. He decides to write a letter in secret to Al Capone asking him to help his sister get into a boarding school. And to Moose's surprise Natalie is admitted into the new wing of the school that was made for older children with disabilities.
I really enjoyed reading this book. I found it interesting especially because I have visited Alcatraz before and I was the age of Moose when I went to visit. I was completely mesmerized with the prison and have wanted to learn more and more about it. I thought this book gave a good insight to what life was like in the prison. I also liked how the book focused on Natalie. Autism effects so many people today, but students are not treated badly. They are included in the classroom, whereas students with autism back in the 30's had to go to a special school. One thing I did not really like about the story was the character Piper. She seemed to be very annoying and controlling, and for some reason it really bothered me why I read it. Besides that I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone!(less)

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Mar 28, 2013 Erin Prosser rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

When i first saw this book, the red cover really popped out at me, along with the big words, "Al Capone." it stuck out at me because i actually know who Al Capone was, and I love history so i was excited to be reading this historical fiction novel.

Al Capone Does my Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko is an adventurous book where 7th grade Moose just moved and now lives on an island off of San Fransisco in the 1930s where many high risk criminals are held. He lives with his mother, his father (who is a...more When i first saw this book, the red cover really popped out at me, along with the big words, "Al Capone." it stuck out at me because i actually know who Al Capone was, and I love history so i was excited to be reading this historical fiction novel.

Al Capone Does my Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko is an adventurous book where 7th grade Moose just moved and now lives on an island off of San Fransisco in the 1930s where many high risk criminals are held. He lives with his mother, his father (who is an electrician for the prison) and his older sister, Natalie. The book follows Moose around and is told from his point of view about his wild life he has living on Alcatraz. One main focus of the book is about his older sister, Natalie. Throughout the book,the reader tries to figure out what is wrong with her because she is considered "special." In the 30s, you can see in the book that kids with disabilities are usually frowned upon and are considered to have a "sickness." Most of the book is centered around Natalie being kicked out of one of the best boarding schools in the country that is supposedly supposed to cure her of her "sickness." Moose ends up having spend his time babysitting his OLDER sister while his mother does music lessons to try to earn extra money. You can see that he is embarrassed to bring his sister around his friends because he thinks they will make fun of her. Moose soon finds out Natalie is more than friends with one of the cons and he doesn't know how to feel about it because she seems to be benefiting from it. By the end of the book, Moose writes to Al Capone to see if there is any way he could get Natalie into the boarding school, however nobody knows Moose is writing to him because the Warden could kick his family off of the island if he found out. To Mooses surprise, His parents inform him that Natalie was admitted into a newly added wing of the boarding school for older patients. His family is so happy but wonder how this came to be. Moose finds a brown slip of paper in his laundry that says "done." This is from Al Capone, and thats the end of the story.

I really enjoyed reading this historical novel. I found myself reading the entire book in one sitting because the imagery was very interesting and the historical aspect was also interesting. All of the characters personalities were beautifully painted for the reader and i felt like i knew all of the characters well by the end of the book. I would say this book would be for the 8th grade reader because the issue of retardation is addressed in this book and younger readers might not be able to understand the disabilities. I thought Choldenko did a good job of helping the reader understand Natalies disabilities and how it was handled in the 1930s and you can see how far it has come since then. I would give this book a 5 out of 5 stars because I found it historically accurate and was on the edge of my seat the entire book!(less)

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Mar 27, 2013 Lucy Meadors added it · review of another edition

Shelves: group-historical-fiction

Al Capone Does My shirts, written by Gennifer Choldenko, is a newberry honor book from 2004. In the book, Moose Flanagan and his family move to Alcatraz Island so that his dad can take a job and his sister, Natalie, can attend a special school. Moose misses his old life including the baseball team he used to play on. Moose meets a pretty girl named Piper, but Moose decided she was actually quite annoying. Moose's sister Natalie, who has severe autism, is denied from the special school. Moose tak...more

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Mar 26, 2013 Leah Robinson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

This was very intriguing and easy read. The active story of Moose Flanagan’s new life on Alcatraz deals with mischief and relationships. As moose copes with the hardships of moving, attending a new school, making new friends, and having to watch out for his older sister, Natalie who has autism, he also has to deal with avoiding getting in to trouble on Alcatraz. Piper, the warden’s daughter, is very mischievous and always sucking moose and the others in to doing her dirty work. After being caug...more This was very intriguing and easy read. The active story of Moose Flanagan’s new life on Alcatraz deals with mischief and relationships. As moose copes with the hardships of moving, attending a new school, making new friends, and having to watch out for his older sister, Natalie who has autism, he also has to deal with avoiding getting in to trouble on Alcatraz. Piper, the warden’s daughter, is very mischievous and always sucking moose and the others in to doing her dirty work. After being caught for trying to make profit off laundry done by the cons for their friends at school, the mischief stops and we find out more about Piper, Natalie (Moose’s sister), and Al Capone. Although we never find out why Piper is so interested in the cons, she, for change, helps moose instead of the other way around.
This novel was surprisingly more focused on Moose’s life and how having a sister with special needs has affected him and his family, than I had thought it would be. From the beginning and after reading the novel I had thought there would be more emphasis on laundry project, baseball, or even the cons themselves. I was kind of disappointed to find out the con had nothing to do with Natalie’s improvement, as well as we never really know what happened.
On another note as the story comes to end (spoiler alert ahead) it was nice that Natalie finally go into to the school, but I could see an alternate ending in that Natalie stays with her family, continues to improve, and join a community for the first time. However, with that said I was pleased with the ending and I liked that it leaves the reader with the question of how did Capone get Mr. Purdy to let her in/ open another branch?
There are no illustrations in the book and quite honestly I did not enjoy the cover that much, besides it is kid friendly with fun font. I did like how the chapters were split up and that it was in a dairy form, all from Moose’s point of view. As a teacher this book would be great for many lessons, although you would definitely need to do a history lesson with it. I would also suggest that you use this book with older readers (3rd grade+) and give a nice introduction to it, pointing out key history points and pointed out the period in which it was set. You could also use this book to talk about Autism, respecting others, and more.
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Mar 03, 2013 Allen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I chose the book "Al Capone Does My Shirts" because I've always had an interest with topics relating to Alcatraz. The book was about a boy names Moose moving from Los Angeles to an apartment in Alcatraz because of his dad's occupation. There, he tried to fit in and became involved in a plan of taking advantage of the inmates doing peoples laundry so that Moose and his friend could make a profit. A quote I found interesting was "Inside her notebook she shows me a small sign: Once in a lifetime op...more

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Feb 28, 2013 Mac rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In the book Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko, there is a boy named Moose that moves to Alcatraz because his dad gets a job as a guard there. Moose’s sister, Natalie, is autistic. This is a very important aspect of the book because she throws many fits throughout it. There are many conflicts throughout, but the author does a very good job of putting it all together so it makes sense. This is a realistic fiction book. An interesting fact about it is that it is based in the 1930’s. T...more

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Feb 21, 2013 Jessica rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: teen-books

What a great book! I haven't read a lot of books with male characters as the main character, but, as a male character, Moose portrayed a teen boy well. This book had humor, adventure, and helps the reader have more compassion with those that are different from us (Moose's sister has autisim). I would recommend this book to any student, since I was hooked from the first page, but especially those that might be forced to read a historical fiction book for class. Although this is considered histori...more

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About Gennifer Choldenko

How did a girl named Snot-Nose end up publishing children’s books?

Here are the facts as I know them . . .

I am the youngest of four kids, all of whom have big mouths. We were so loud, that once a lady asked my brother if our mother was deaf.

She was not.

The only sibling who did not have the trademark Johnson big mouth was my sister, Gina, who had Autism. My parents worked very hard to try to fig...more

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“Nobody knows how things will turn out, that's why they go ahead and play the game...You give it your all and sometimes amazing things happen, but it's hardly ever what you expect.” — 50 people liked it

“Now I understand. When you love someone, you have to try things even if they don't make sense to anyone else.” — 28 people liked it

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Al Capone Does My Shirts (Al Capone at Alcatraz #1)

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