Al Capone Does My Shirts discussion

My kids and I needed a new book to listen to, so I downloaded Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko, and I am happy to report we loved it! I was a tad worried that the book would be too young for them, but we love Alcatraz and the history, plus Al Capone made an appearance and there was baseball! What’s not to love? The kids loved it, and the car was quiet while we listened, which is always a good sign, we listened to it in record time!

The story begins with Matthew “Moose” Flanagan and his family’s recent move to San Francisco, more accurately, Alcatraz Island, the Federal Penitentiary in the 1930’s. The Flanagan family is from Santa Monica, and moved to the Bay Area so Moose’s sister, Natalie could attend the Esther P. Marinoff School because Natalie has what could best be described as Autism, although they never actually put a name to why she is “different” and lives in her own world.

The cast of characters is entertaining, Theresa, the neighbor girl, who’s is intelligent and chatty. Piper the Island bully and warden’s daughter, who is looking to make a buck. Jimmy & Annie also live on the Island and are roped into to Piper’s plan. Scout a friend from the new school who loves baseball almost as much as Moose. Inmate Onion 105, attempts to befriend Natalie when Moose is looking for lost baseballs that the convicts hit over the fence, he scares Moose, but seems harmless. Then there is Mr. Al Capone, who the kids never actually meet Capone, he works in the laundry room, and one does write him a letter asking for help…

At the end, the book gave a brief history of what it was actually like to live on the island as one of the working families when it was run as a prison. Some of the talk at the end is of Al Capone and his goings on during his time on Alcatraz from a child that lived there. His story goes from murder to soup kitchens…