Al Capone Does My Shirts

Title: Al Capone Does My Shirts
Author: Choldenko, Gennifer
Publisher and Date: G.P Putnam’s Sons, 2004
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Range: 4th-6th

2005 Newberry Honor Book

Summary:
This book is set during the 1930’s on Alcatraz Island off the coast of San Francisco. It tells the story of Moose, his family, and his friends. Moose is a young boy
who has just been uprooted from his home in San Francisco and moved to the isolated prison site of Alcatraz Island all for the sake of his sister Natalie. Natalie is “different” from other kids her age; she loves buttons, book indexes, and lemon cake. She has trouble functioning at a level normal for most sixteen year olds. Moose’s mother tries so hard to do what’s best for Natalie, often leaving Moose’s best interest out of her decisions. When the family moves to a “twelve-acre rock covered with cement, topped with bird turd, and surrounded by water” all so Natalie can attend the Ester P. Marinoff School, Moose has had just about enough. Not wanting to disappoint his father, Moose tries to make the best of his situation. He ends up becoming surprisingly fond of his new home. He joins a school baseball team, actually befriends Natalie, and becomes part of one of his new friend Piper’s schemes (must to his dislike). He is beginning to finally feel like he belongs. When his mother’s plan to sneak Natalie into Ester P. Marinoff School as a ten-year-old fails, Moose may face being uprooted again. He and his new friend Piper come up with a crazy scheme to sneak the infamous Al Capone ( who is a prisoner on Alcatraz) a letter asking for help. Natalie gets accepted to a new older branch of the school and Moose gets a piece of paper in his shirt with the word “done” on it. It is a great ending to a truly inspirational book!

Response:
This was such a wonderful book! It has a great setting, memorable characters, and an excellent message. The setting of the book will draw students in and fill their imaginations with visions of criminals, jail breaks, and undercover operations. The book gives just enough information about the criminals on the island to set the scene without distracting the reader from the message of the book. The map on the first few pages of the book is vital to understanding the story; be sure to take time to look at it. The characters are very true to life. You can feel Moose’s frustration with Natalie when he shouts at her, saying, “Do you have any idea what you’re doing to us? To Mom and Dad? You’re making them old. They worry about you all the time. At least you can try. At least you can do that. Sometimes I think you don’t even try and I hate you for it, Natalie. We try so hard and you don’t. I hate you, Natalie! I do!” At one time another we have all experienced frustration with someone in our lives, whether it was a parent, a friend, or sibling. The emotions and actions of the characters in this story are so true to life; students will be able to relate to all of the characters well. Probably the most important aspects of this book are the messages it sends to students. The first message I pulled from the book is to make the best of your present circumstances. Moose was uprooted from his home, his friends, and his family (his grandmother), all so that his sister could get a better education. Moose was very upset about this in the beginning of the book, but during the course of the book there is a noticeable shift in his attitude. He begins to accept his new life and even looks for ways to embrace it. He joins a baseball team at school, goes exploring for “convict baseballs” with Natalie, and even becomes friends with all the other kids on Alcatraz Island. This message is applicable to everyone. All during our lives we are put into situations that we might not to happy about; we need to learn to do as Moose did. Any situation can look brighter if we have the attitude that we are going to embrace it and make it better. The second message that I took from the book is acceptance, specifically acceptance of people we consider “different.” During the time period in which this book was set, nobody had termed the name for autism (this is the condition that affected Natalie). They had no way to treat it or to help these children or adults prosper. People during this time weren’t very receptive of it either. When Piper initially meets Natalie, she asks if she is “retarded” or “stupid.” She also hints that she doesn’t really approve of Natalie hanging around. This is so sad. We should always accept others no matter what makes them different. Moose is great example of how a person should act. He ends up being very accepting of his sister and helps her make a lot of progress by working with her and just by hanging out with her.

Teaching Ideas:
This would be a great book to incorporate into the classroom anytime for the year, but it could specifically be used when The Great Depression is being covered. The book is set during the 1930’s right when the Great Depression is hitting the hardest. I was actually slightly disappointed that the book did not mention the Great Depression more, but it does give enough information to seg-way into a discussion on the Great Depression. This is also a great book to read with your class to encourage acceptance and empathy.