The Real Escape from Alcatraz

by Andy Marino

uilt on an island in the middle of the deadly San Francisco Bay, Alcatraz was a towering prison where the worst criminals were sent to serve their time. With just a mile between it and freedom, it was thought to be an escape-proof prison. But was it?




Under the watchful eye of the warden, Alcatraz housed some of the most dangerous prisoners in history: Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly, and Bumpy Johnson, among others. But life on the Rock wasn't easy. From deadly hostage situations to full-blown battles within the prison's walls, many tried and failed to make their escape— until Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers.




Their prison break was legendary. The men disappeared into the night, never to be seen again. Were they lost in the icy waters? Did they reach the mainland? If so, where did they go?




Read all about the building of Alcatraz, the men who ran the joint, the prisoners sent there, and the mysteries of the ones who attempted the impossible: escape.

80 pages, Paperback

About the author

Andy Marino was born in upstate New York, spent half his life in New York City, and now lives in the Hudson Valley. He is the author of seven novels for young readers, most recently THE PLOT TO KILL HITLER trilogy.

THE SEVEN VISITATIONS OF SYDNEY BURGESS is his first novel for adults.

Reviews

[Samantha]

Once I discovered that this book existed, I had to work hard to track down a copy. (Shout out to Abe Books!) The fiction that Marino writes is amazing and always makes me want to know more about the real history behind the stories. This was a great companion piece that provided me with a lot of information about Alcatraz and the many escape attempts made over the years.

[Emily]

Fun to read the details with the kids. now I really want to take them there sometime.

[Holly Gardenhour]

Perfectly written for middle grades. But also very interesting information for adults in a concise fashion.

[Gwen Howard]

I'm fastinated that there was a successful escape! Mark Rober did a video on it that was really cool. I also liked how it included all the other escape attempts.