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Al Capone Does My Shirts

Al Capone Does My Shirts. Gennifer Choldenko; Putnam, 2004.

Synopsis:

Set in 1935, when guards actually lived on Alcatraz Island with their families, 12-year-old Moose Flanagan and his family move from Santa Monica to Alcatraz Island where his father gets a job as an electrician at the prison and his mother hopes to send his autistic older sister to a special school in San Francisco.

General Review:

Family dilemmas are the main component of the story, but history and setting--including plenty of references to the prison's most infamous inmate, mob boss Al Capone--play an important part, too. The Flanagan family is believable in the way each member handles Natalie and her difficulties. The story, told with humor and skill, will fascinate readers with an interest in what it was like for the children of prison guards and other workers to actually grow up on Alcatraz Island. With its unique setting and well-developed characters, this engaging coming-of-age

Story has plenty of appeal.

Themes: Alcatraz Island (CA), Autism, Family Problems, Brothers & Sisters, Coming of Age

Author Information:

www.choldenko.com

Discussion Questions: Standard 3, Benchmark 3

1. How does Moose Flanagan sleep during his first night on Alcatraz Island?
2. Who is “105” and why does this person cause Moose so much anxiety?
3. From the beginning to the end of the novel, which characters seem to show signs of changing? How do they change? Do you think these changes will last?
4. Based on the title of the book, what did you think this book would be about before you read it? How was the story different from what you originally expected?
5. Moose finds himself both attracted to Piper and very suspicious of her. If you could give Moose some advice about how to handle Piper, what would you say? How do you think Moose ought to respond to her?

Activities:

1. Research to learn more about Al Capone or another famous criminal mentioned in the novel who spent time at Alcatraz. Draw a timeline to depict the criminal’s life, using drawings and descriptions to show important events. Standard 3, Benchmark 3; Standard 5, Benchmark 1.

2. If Moose believes that Al Capone is responsible for Natalie’s admission into the school, how would he thank him? If he wrote a letter to Capone, what would he say? Write a thank you letter from Moose to Capone. Standard 3, Benchmark 1.

3. What is autism? Use the Internet or reference books to learn more about autism, and create a poster to help educate your fellow classmates about this disorder. Be ready to explain which signs of autism Natalie displays. Also, how has the treatment of autism changed since the 1930s? Standard 1, Benchmark 2 & 5; Standard 5, Benchmark 3

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