A review by howifeelaboutbooks
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko

5.0

I love Love LOVE this book. Everyone should read it. I literally just closed the cover and already want to read it again. (Thankfully, there's a sequel.) It's 1935, and Moose's family moves to Alcatraz when his father gets a job as a prison guard. Moose has to make new friends at his new school, but the warden's daughter keeps tripping him up. On the home front, Moose's older sister Natalie would be diagnosed as autistic, if the term existed back then. No one really understands her, and since Moose has to take care of her, she makes it that much harder for him to adjust. Moose's family struggles with Natalie's development and getting her into a special school by lying about her age, but when even that doesn't work, Moose takes matters into his own hands. This book is really clever, and so honest that it tugs at your heart and will more than likely make you tear up. I love that there is so much history in it - I never knew that families actually lived on Alcatraz! The author includes a section at the end citing her sources and inspiration, with an extensive bibliography that I'm eager to follow up with.