''Al Capone Does My Shirts'' is a

historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other t ...

novel for young adults by the author

Gennifer Choldenko Gennifer Choldenko (born October 20, 1957) is an American writer of popular books for children and adolescents. Awards '' Al Capone Does My Shirts'' was a finalist for both the British Carnegie Medal and the American Newbery Medal The John ...

. In the book, Moose Flanagan and his family move from Santa Monica to

Alcatraz Island Alcatraz Island () is a small island in San Francisco Bay, offshore from San Francisco, California, United States. The island was developed in the mid-19th century with facilities for a lighthouse, a military fortification, and a military pri ...

when his father takes a new job as an electrician and a guard in the well-known

Alcatraz prison United States Penitentiary, Alcatraz Island, also known simply as Alcatraz (, ''"the gannet"'') or The Rock was a maximum security federal prison on Alcatraz Island, off the coast of San Francisco, California, United States, the site of a ...

. The book was named a

Newbery Honor Newbery is a surname. People * Chantelle Newbery (born 1977), Australian Olympic diver * David Newbery (born 1943), British economist *Eduardo Newbery (1878–1908), Argentine odontologist and aerostat pilot * Francis Newbery (disambiguation), s ...

selection, and in 2007 it received the California Young Reader Medal. It has three sequels: ''Al Capone Shines My Shoes'', ''Al Capone Does My Homework'', and ''Al Capone Throws Me a Curve''.

Plot

In the 1930s, Matthew "Moose" Flanagan and his family move from Santa Monica to Alcatraz Island when his father takes a new job as an electrician and a guard in the well-known Alcatraz prison. Moose becomes friends with the warden's daughter, Piper, who regularly gets into trouble in her attempts to earn money to get off of Alcatraz. Piper talks Moose into being part of her money-making schemes, like having inmates on the island do laundry for the kids at school. When the scheme fails and the Warden receives word of it, the children are punished and have to find a new way to spend their time. In an attempt to gain acceptance, Moose hangs around the prisoners' rec center in hopes of finding a stray baseball for use in games with the other kids. Moose eventually notices his older sister Natalie developing a relationship with convict 105, also known as Onion, who is trusted and able to roam freely because his sentence is almost up. Onion knows Moose has been looking for a baseball and gives him one. Scared of his sister hanging out with a convict, Moose is only reassured because of his confidence that she will be re-accepted to the Esther P. Marinoff School for people with

special needs In clinical diagnostic and functional development, special needs (or additional needs) refers to individuals who require assistance for disabilities that may be medical, mental, or psychological. Guidelines for clinical diagnosis are given in b ...

. Moose and his family's hopes are crushed when the school rejects Natalie. Desperate to help Natalie, Moose, with the help of Piper, writes a letter to the infamous criminal

Al Capone Alphonse Gabriel Capone (; January 17, 1899 – January 25, 1947), sometimes known by the nickname "Scarface", was an American gangster and businessman who attained notoriety during the Prohibition era as the co-founder and boss of the ...

, who works in Alcatraz's laundry. The letter asks Capone to pull any strings he has to help Moose's family get his sister back into school. Within days, Natalie is accepted into a new Esther P. Marinoff School branch for older children. The next day, Moose is getting ready for the day when he finds a note in the sleeve of his shirt with the word "Done" underlined.

Awards

California Young Reader Medal The California Young Reader Medal is a set of five annual literary awards conferred upon picture books and fiction books selected by vote of California schoolchildren from a ballot prepared by committee. The program was established in 1974 with Int ...

Critical reception

''Kirkus Review'' gave the book a positive review, stating "Choldenko's pacing is exquisite, balancing the tense family dynamics alongside the often-humorous and riveting school story of peer pressure and friendship." Miranda Doyle of ''The School Library Journal'' says "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 grow up on Alcatraz Island." Ed Sullivan of ''Booklist'' states in his review, "With its unique setting and well-developed characters, this warm, engaging coming-of-age story has plenty of appeals, and Choldenko offers some fascinating historical background on Alcatraz Island in an afterword."

Stage performance

In 2011, the book was adapted as a stage performance at The Children's Theatre of Western Springs. In 2019, the book was adapted as a stage performance at Mission Cultural Center by the San Francisco Youth Theatre.

References

External links