Flykten från Alcatraz

Unsolved Case Files #2

by Tom Sullivan

Läs om den otroliga men sanna rymningen från den ökända fängelseön Alcatraz!

Morgonen den 12 juni 1962 går en fångvakt på Alcatraz sin kontrollrunda. Kvar i sina sängar ligger Frank Morris och två andra fångar, bröderna John och Clarence Anglin. Vakten försöker att väcka Morris men till hans bestörtning lossnar fångens huvud och faller till golvet! De tre männen saknas från sina celler och efter sig har de lämnat ihoprullade filtar och huvuden av papier-maché. Var har fångarna tagit vägen?

Jo, de har lyckats med det omöjliga – att rymma från världens hårdaste fängelse!

Flykten från Alcatraz är andra boken i true crime-serien Olösta FBI-fall.

Genres: Nonfiction, Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Childrens, True Crime, History, Mystery

112 pages, Hardcover

Published May 10, 2022

About the author

Tom Sullivan is an author, illustrator, and graphic designer based in Boston, Massachusetts. He studied at the New England Institute of Art where he earned a Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design.

After spending the first ten years of his career as a freelance Art Director and Designer, Tom switched gears to pursue his love of storytelling. He is the author and illustrator of the Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins picture books I Used To Be A Fish, BLUE vs. YELLOW, Out There and the graphic novel series Unsolved Case Files.

Reviews

[Melki]

The only prisoners housed at Alcatraz were those deemed "too much" for other federal prisons to handle. The fortress-like island penitentiary did seem like the perfect place to incarcerate the worst of the worst as it was deemed "inescapable." And, indeed, over twenty-one years, though there were a dozen escape attempts, all prisoners ended up recaptured . . . or dead.

Until . . .

June, 1962 when three career criminals staged a daring escape using papier-mâché heads, a raft made out of raincoats, and plenty of ingenuity. How'd they do it? And, did they succeed?

Sullivan's book, the second in his Unsolved Case Files series for younger readers, tries to answer those questions. He certainly makes learnin' fun with the use of bold graphics, maps, and actual photos of the evidence.



By carefully choosing the most relevant information, he manages to sum up in a little over 100 pages everything you really need to know about the history of this notorious prison, and its most infamous escape attempt..

[Christina]

4 stars. What a fun way to peruse FBI files.

[Janssen]

These books are just so well done.

[Rod Brown]

Another fun outing for this true crime series aimed at kids. I was surprised there was so much evidence that the prisoners may have survived the jailbreak. I'd always heard they were presumed dead.

My daughter and I had the chance to visit Alcatraz five or ten years ago. It was a fascinating tour, and that experience made it very easy for me to visualize the escape beyond even the very useful illustrations provided here.

[Dakota Morgan]

Inject this series directly into my veins. Like with Escape at 10,000 Feet, Tom Sullivan gives a detailed explanation of an unsolved mystery (a trio escaping from Alcatraz), along with a dollop of history and some smart guesses at just what might have happened.

I like the cartoony illustrations in that they keep a scary open-ended story from getting too scary. (Good for younger readers) There are actual pictures in the back if you don't want your imagination to be your guide.

[Natalie Tate]

Acquired by the U.S. Department of Justice in the 1930s, the island of Alcatraz became a maximum security prison for convicts that had already made trouble at other jails. Over the years, dozens of inmates tried to escape Alcatraz, but they all failed. This didn't surprise prison operators. Alcatraz was escape-proof. . . or was it?

In 1962, three men—one of which was known for his extremely high IQ—proved the "escape-proof" idea a fallacy. With artful ingenuity, they used such resources as an accordion, papier-mâché, raincoats, and Boy Scout articles to jailbreak their way off the island.

With fascinating details of the master plan and a delightfully unresolved ending, this graphic novel/chapter book mashup is sure to be a hit.

[Dawn]

Interesting look at Alcatraz prison and its many escape attempts, specifically the escape of Morris and the Anglin brothers.

This series acts as a case file (literally an image of a file folder starts and ends the book). The actual crime is detailed with graphic novel style illustrations. Real diagrams and pictures of evidence are also included when applicable. The investigation into the case is also included, and ends with possible outcomes, though, of course, this is an unsolved case.

Good for grades 3-6 who have an interest in mysteries, adventure, crime, etc. Its graphic style makes it a quick read. As a kid I would have either loved it or become scared of escaped prisoners coming to my house.

[Steph]

Holy moly! This graphic nonfiction book is SO engaging & eye-appealing and middle grade readers won't be able to put the book down due to the intriguing, well told topic. I had no idea this was book two in the series, but I'm definitely getting book one!

[Ricki]

Absolutely fascinating. This book is very well done.

[Becky B]

A graphic novel retelling of the true story of the escape of Frank Morris and the Anglin brothers from what was thought to be the most secure prison in American, what we know about the three men who escaped Alcatraz, how they escaped, and the theories about what happened to them after their escape.

A nice, bite-sized nonfiction graphic novel about a fascinating bit of true crime written in a way that is intriguing and accessible for middle grades. This does a thorough job of covering the basics of the case and the unsolved mystery aspects. Hand this to reluctant nonfiction readers, and curious kids.

Notes on content: No language issues. No sexual content. It is mentioned some men were in Alcatraz for murder (no details of their crimes). It is also mentioned that some would-be escapees drowned or died of falls when trying to escape Alcatraz. It also mentions a would-be escapee who was found naked and apprehended again (illustration shows bare butt).

[Kristen]

With the popularity of true crime podcasts, documentaries, etc. that their parents/older siblings are watching/listening to, kids are looking for true crime, but most of it isn't aimed at most kids and isn't necessarily kid appropriate. These books are the perfect fix for that. I didn't even mean to read this one--I thought I was putting the Isabella Gardner one on hold and then just decided to read this as well when it came from the library. It was fascinating and something I really didn't know anything about. It also doesn't hurt that you can read it in 30 minutes or less--for me, it's the perfect amount of true crime content. I'm a pretty law-abiding, rule following sort, but I have to admit that the amount of ingenuity and inventiveness that these guys put into their escape made me root for them a little. It's a true study in engineering--they used all the tools they had at hand incredibly intelligently to make their plan.

I book talked Escape at 10,000 Feet: D.B. Cooper and the Missing Money about D.B. Cooper last year and the kids were all super into it. I think they would be just as excited about this one. Looking forward to the Isabella Gardner one next!

[Jacob Schmitt]

The true unsolved case of how three prisoners escaped Alcatraz. Readers will be blown away by the ingenuity and teamwork of these inmates; whether it be making a raft out of rain jackets, pumping it up by a retrofitted accordion, or making a paper mache replica of their heads to fool the guards! And although the FBI are reluctant to admit that these three may be enjoying a simple life farming in Brazil, we are left with the feeling of awe and consternation at their mysterious fates.

Tom Sullivan’s illustrations uniquely combine pen, pencil and digital art. The book is designed like a case file, and readers really feel like they have their hands on an FBI file. Although, the typewriter font is thin and spotty at times, making it difficult to read at times. Overall, a great nonfiction graphic novel to have on your shelf!

[Salamah]

I use Tom Sullivan's book Escape at 10,000 Feet in a lesson about nonfiction and my students love it. So I decided to read his other two books in the Unsolved Case Files series. Jailbreak at Alcatraz was very interesting. I like how the book is filled with so many facts about the individual criminals. The escape was very harrowing and I found myself wondering how they were going to make it. The crazy part is how jails were set up back then that made it possible for criminals who put their mind to it to break out. I felt sorry for West at first but I wonder if later he realized that at least he is alive. I like Sullivan's books because at the end he always adds the real photographs of the event. Many nonfiction graphic books do not do this and I think it adds something important to the story.

[Amanda]

The true story of the infamous escape from Alcatraz Prison.

As soon as I started reading this, I knew it wouldn't be as interesting and digestible as the others. This book is very "dry" compared to the other books in the series. It goes into great depth about how their escape came to be, which I, of course, appreciated. On the other hand, it felt like the whole plot was just the technical details of the escape and very little about the men behind the escape. With this book, compared to others in the series, we know who committed the crime so why not put a bit more focus on these men and how they came to be?

Overall, I wanted more from this book. I was blown away by the previous books with all the details, theories, and interesting behind-the-scenes facts. This book just didn't feel as engaging and was lacking the narrative elements that made the rest of the series unique.

[David Hodged]

Alcatraz island (Bird Island) is the highest among all the other prisons in the united states. Alcatraz Island Has had the worst bad guys to ever live. They have all the bad guys from everywhere around the united states. They were the best of the best until one time 4 people had the idea to escape the insane prison. They have had many people trying to escape but this time... it was different. They set out to do the impossible and they may or may have not escaped.

I kinda liked this book because it taught me about Alcatraz and its history. They have had many people trying to escape but there were 4 people that set out to do the impossible they tried to escape and they did! Obviously we don't want them to escape because they are very bad people but it is good that they got out of there since they have been there for so long.

[Michelle]

Second in this series of junior non-fiction case files of unsolved real-life mysteries. The first one was about DB Cooper, the second about the escape by three men from Alcatraz. As I commented on the initial book of the series, the information presentation is just so well done. I felt like the details were pitched just right for me - I'm not going to read a whole non-fiction book about this escape, my interest level isn't there, but it is there for this short illustrated book. The way he incorporates original documents is also excellent. Most books I will forget the details of straight away, but I think I could recount all the main points from this book if you quizzed me in a week. No guarantees after one month.

[Donald]

Nicknamed “Hellcatraz”, this was the ‘ultimate’ prison - an isolated island in the San Francisco Bay surrounded by miles of treacherous waters, rumored to be filled with man-eating sharks.

“They paddled out into the bay… and disappeared under the cover of darkness… never to be seen again.”

I live in the S.F. Bay Area, and have recently been to Alcatraz, and STILL I learned a lot from this book! I didn't know that there had been an unsolved escape before this one, or the thing about the warm water showers! There is a lot of great information in here, with excellent illustrations! If you want to know about this unsolved mystery, young or old, this book will do the trick!

[Derek Daniel]

This is a true story.

In the middle of the San Francisco Bay, in California an island called Alcatraz Island and on it is a prison called Alcatraz Prison where is the 1960-70s the most dangerous criminals went to spend their sentence. Most of them had it worse they were in their till death. The cells were designed by the first warden, Warden James A. Johnston with extra stuff they needed and some of their personal belongings, like an instrument, and a diary. In morning guard Lawrence Bartlett was performing a morning check to see if all the prisoners were still there and to wake them up. When he got to the cell of Frank Morris there was no response, so he tapped his head. The head fell to the ground and with the prisoner not there at all with a blanket and the body. By 8 A.m. the same thing happened to three other cells, they had escaped. They have been planning this escape for months by stealing sharp objects and scratching the wall at night. Frank Morris, Allen West and the Anglin brother made their escape in the middle of the night and while they were scratching their wall they forgot about Wests wall and they escaped without him. They interrogated West about where they had gone and what they will do next. He said that they were going to steal a car and drive it up to Marin County through their Raccoon Strait. They later heard that a car was stolen and they were heading up to Marin County. They went to try to find them and they found nothing. Weeks later Warden Blackwell received a postcard that was from Frank Morris that said " HA HA WE MADE IT."

I really liked this book because I like to learn about the past cases that people haven't solved yet.

[Shana OkieCozyReader]

Lots of interesting facts and even FBI photographs in this book by Tom Sullivan. The information is laid out like a case, with typed messages about the illustrations.

Some new facts to me - the papier-mâché heads had real hair on them (from working in a barbershop) to create dummies in the beds.

Alcatraz wasn’t a place people were sentenced to, but sent to when other jails couldn’t handle them.

I’m looking forward to other books in this series. I found it when a student asked about a book about DB Cooper (the first book in this series).

[Sharon Looby]

Loved it! Great new series for 8 to 12 year olds! Real FBI cases that have still to this day not been solved. Includes great comic panels and the images and photos of documents from the real investigation are intriguing. Kids that like mysteries, true-to-life stories will definitely be drawn to this series. Also has great themes that teachers can build upon for continuing research, narrative lessons.

[Mary Louise Sanchez]

Growing up, I was always intrigued by the FBI pictures on the walls of our post office, but don't recall seeing or hearing information about this jailbreak at Alcatraz at the time. I learned so much and was fascinated how the prisoners were able to fool the guards and escape. Although crime doesn't pay, I hope IF the prisoners made it safely to Brazil, they turned their lives around.

I know kids will be fascinated with this accounting of an historical event.

[Sesana]

The second book in this series, and it's just as strong as the first book. The case choices in this series are great: this is another fascinating and extremely mysterious unsolved case without any gore. This is an admirably detailed account for such a short graphic novel. I think you'd have to be quite well-versed in this case to not learn at least one new detail. It's a quick read, because most pages aren't terribly text heavy.

[Marissa]

The whole set-up of this book is great. I love how it made what could have been a complex case easy to understand. This book would be great for kids who are interested in true crime and cases. I enjoyed the art as well as the additional facts that were included. This is definitely a book I would recommend to kids interested in true crime.

[Jj]

THIS is how you do outstanding and engaging graphic nonfiction! It was even better than the first volume in this new series, which was about D. B. Cooper. I have read a number of children's books about Alcatraz, as well as visited/done the tour in-person, and I still learned things from this book! Interesting and excellent all around. I cannot wait for the next entry in the series!

[Beth Anne]

Another fantastic book in this series. I would consider myself pretty familiar with Alcatraz and the different escape attempts, but this book provided me with new information. So well done, engaging and well-written, visually appealing and I thought the length was even better for this one because there was more content. Love this series.

[Tara Ethridge]

Absolutely FASCINATED by this series and the 2nd one I've read matched the brilliance of the first. Part graphic novel, part chapter book, the format works beautifully and is so engaging for this true story of the only real escape from Alcatraz. Filled with details, photographs and just the right amount of text, my prediction is this will be very popular with upper elementary readers.

[Becky]

Another great installment in the Unsolved Case Files series by Tom Sullivan! This short graphic novel covers the infamous 1962 escape from Alcatraz. I remember visiting Alcatraz as a young kid and being fascinated by the story so it was fun to revisit it with all the details and a bit more perspective. My 4.5yo gives it 5 stars!

[Jessica]

Got this series for my son from the library, and we were hooked! It’s a good combo of graphic novel and nonfiction. This one was fascinating! True unsolved mysteries-very cool. Some of the vocab in it might be a little tough, but it also includes explanations of words kids might not know (I just know he couldn’t read some of the words himself).

[Michelle]

I gave it a 4 because it was a great book but I think they could add more of how they lived in prison. Instead of just how they tried to escape. Also they should have added what the cops did after the escape. Finally I give this a four and you should give it a try if your into history or jailbreaks. And happy reading!

[ANNA]

This book is quite detailed. It mentions how Frank Morris dug the air vent and covered it with soap and coloured the wall back with paint. The book also mentions the reason Alcatraz prison uses warm water for the prisoners to shower.

Though I would prefer to see a mixed of real photos and drawings instead of all drawings.