Alcatraz Believe it or Not

by T.C. Bakker

Dark, weird, and true stories from the rock...

Genres: Nonfiction, Middle Grade, History

110 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2016

Reviews

[Dena McMurdie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun, fascinating history of Alcatraz Island! I bought it for my 9-year-old daughter at the island gift shop and we both read it over the next few days.
It is full of interesting facts about the prison, the inmates, the caretakers, the spooky stories, escapes, and the Native American occupation. The text was easy to read and accompanied by full color illustrations. If you're looking for a good book about Alcatraz for kids, this is a good choice. Just keep in mind that it's a book about a prison, and many stories and facts might be too much for sensitive kids.

[Jessica Sinn (Books and Trouble) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a score at the local bookstore that I fortuitously stumbled upon at San Francisco's Ferry Building! This book is made for kids, so you’re not going to find anything too frightening, but some of the chapters hit on very creepy aspects of the island, such as the shrunken Peruvian princess head and random bits of bones that landed on the island back in the 1800s when some sea merchants slipped up and purchased a bag of bones instead of salts. Yikes! There’s also some really great stories and illustrations describing a myriad of ill-fated jail breaks. My favorite escape attempt involved some very creative arts-and-crafts projects, which included fake dummy heads with real hair collected from the barbershop (gross!), and makeshift wooden fins for swimming the torrential waters. If you find yourself on Alcatraz, do yourself a favor and purchase this book from their little gift store. It’s a great entertainment for the plane ride back—and you’re also helping out the National Parks Service—win-win!

[Tammy Massey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book in the gift shop on Alcatraz Island because I thought it might be a fun nonfiction read for my middle school classroom library, and I think I got exactly what I paid for. The book provides a basic overview of the history of Alcatraz, from military installation to prison, to occupation by protestors, and finally, to national park. It’s not thorough, it’s not especially well-written, and it’s not, what I’d consider, satisfying for adult readers. It reads more like a 100-page brochure, with lots of photographs, and overly simplified vocabulary and text. It does include brief histories of some of the island’s more infamous inmates and escape attempts, which might spur further investigation.

Overall, this would probably be a satisfying read for readers in grades four and up, but don’t expect to be blown away by its depth.

[Ian Vazquez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think just taking a look of the book can give you a good idea of what it's strengths are. I know, don't judge a book by his cover, but let me explain. Looking at the cover and back you can tell it has great presentation, but the flavor text is simple and cheesy. This applies to the book itself in a way. While there are some highlights in the storytelling, the illustration and how it's presented and structured really bring the whole thing together. However I won't deny this was a good read nonetheless. The stories were interesting and engaging, and (as I've mentioned before) are complimented excellently with the illustrations. Overall, this is an interesting (if bland at times) read, and the vibrant illustrations are a highlight of the whole experience.

[moxie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think adults would even get a kick out of this one! There are many obscure facts I wasn’t aware of before and the book talks about some less popular inmates. The graphics are really cute too! The only thing I would note is that there is at least one if not two incorrect facts. One of which is carnes did not shoot anyone but it was his partner. Since he was there and didn’t help the attendant dying he was arrested for murder. Other than that a great lil Alcatraz book

[Elise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this book up as a souvenir when I visited Alcatraz during a trip to San Francisco in September. Really enjoyed reading the stories and history behind the prison, prisoners, guards, the island itself, and the bay. So many fascinating little details. It's written in such an entertaining way too.

[Annet Teplitskaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Приятная книжечка про Алькатрас и хороший сувенир с острова. Ничего большего я в принципе и не ожидала. Тут веселые иллюстрации, красивая глянцевая бумага, есть пара любопытных фактов, о которых не рассказывает аудиогид на экскурсии на самом острове.

[Diana]

i got this at the alcatraz island gift shop! it wasn’t super well-written, very brief, but O.K. as a starter book to get more into the history of the island. obviously this is mainly aimed at young children so i guess it did what it intended to do :)

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was a fascinating and quick look at several of the highlights of the history of Alcatraz.

[Khae De jesus]

This book was exceptionally amusing. There are things written here that are not quite explained during the tour.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun collection of engaging stories from different periods of Alcatraz history, written in an style that's accessible to middle grade readers.

[Gammakiirgus]

hea lihtne ja kiire lugemine, palju uskumatuid fakte

[poppy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know this book was most likely aimed at children but this was so fun to read. I learnt a lot about the infamous island without anything feeling taxing

[Trent Mikesell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot about Alcatrez from this, and it was fun to read.

[Diana C · Rating 4 out of 5]

8/10 fascinating and easy read

[Beanutt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lo compré en alcatraz más que nada porque me pareció muy llamativo, y es un libro con ilustraciones muy lindas, una lectura muy rápida y buenas historias.

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a good book! Even though I’ve already read it, I really enjoyed reading it again. All of the stories in here never cease to amaze me, as all of them are true! This is definitely one of the coolest books I’ve received.

[Ariel Jensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting stories. Terrible writing. Just because it’s written for children doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be written well.

[Anna Sy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alcatraz has so many unbelievable stories. I couldn’t put this book down.

If you like crime mysteries, you should definitely read this book!

[Syrah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really fun to read. It had many different stories about the different sides of Alcatraz and they were all from different people. The book also had some fun facts and some interesting escape stories about some of the prisoners.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the book! If you like history, it must be read it!.