Al Capone Does My Shirts: Book Review

Summary

Moose Flanagan always does what he's told. He takes care of his sister, who has autism in the 1930s before science really understood this condition. He moves with his family, who must live on the famous prison island, Alcatraz, so his father can work as a guard there. He even gives up his beloved baseball when he has to take care of his sister instead. But Piper, the Warden's daughter, is a trouble-maker who can even get the obedient Moose in trouble. Even more shocking, is when the heretofore straight-and-narrow Moose finally finds something worth risking everything.

Overview (No Spoilers)

What I liked most about this book was that it wasn't depressing, in spite of the subject matter. It would be so easy to make a Depression era story taking place on Alcatraz with a boy who must care for his severely autistic sister a sob-fest. At the same time, it's also not unrealistically cheerful. It's the mark of good writer that Gennifer Choldenko managed to perfectly balance darkness with humor and light.

It's easy to relate to Moose's problems. Perhaps none of us live them to the extreme of Moose, but many people feel overshadowed at some point in their lives, like Moose does by the needs of his sister. Having to move to Alcatraz and away from everything he's ever known also taps into the lack of control that the majority of children (and even some adults) have over their lives, which makes this a fitting youth book--not surprising that it won the Newbery.

Yet, in spite of his relatibility, Moose is not a tabula rosa by any means. Instead, he feels like a friend walking you through his world, and I was glad that he shared it with me.

I was also pleased to find out this book has a sequel called Al Capone Shines My Shoes, and I look forward to reading it.

7/10 stars * * * * * * *

Book Club (Spoilers)

The amount that I liked Moose is on par with the amount I hated Piper. A spoiled, selfish, and insensitive little rich girl with no redeeming qualities who inexplicably is nice at the end but I still think she wanted something. I hope she and Moose don't end up together. I would like Moose's sensibleness to win over his growing hormones. He was only twelve in this book, so it wasn't played up much, but it was unmistakable that there was an attraction that baffles even Moose himself who simultaneously cannot stand Piper. So I suppose that you're supposed to hate Piper just like Moose does. But I think I hated her more. I am firmly on team Annie. I'd love to see Annie and Moose end up together. Unfortunately, I doubt that will actually happen in the sequel, if he ends up with either one, it'll probably be Piper, so I just hope Choldenko redeems her character somehow.

I was a little bored by the scene where Moose actually plays baseball, but since I liked his character so much, I was sad for him when he couldn't play. The pain and frustration of having something like that promised and ripped away is another thing I think many people can relate to.

I liked the end but it felt unresolved. What did happen with 105? Why was the warden at the dock to meet Piper? Seems strange that it would just be about grades. My theory was that Al Capone never got Moose's letter but the warden did and he managed to get Moose's sister in that school but let Moose believe it was Capone by leaving a note in his shirt. Maybe that's too crazy, but the idea that Capone could do anything from Alcatraz was the only unrealistic thing I found in the story. So I'm interested to see how the sequel resolves these issues.