Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer CholdenkoMoose's dad gets a job as electrician and guard at Alcatraz prison, and so Moose and his family move to Alcatraz in January 1935. Moose quickly finds that the kids at Alcatraz have to follow the rules of the warden, and that the warden's daughter, Piper, is determined to make the kids break them. Unfortunately, Piper is the only kid from the island who goes to the same school that Moose does.
Moose's sister Natalie is rejected from a special school on account of being a screamer. Moose's mother makes Moose babysit Natalie everyday after school, losing him what popularity he might have had at school.
The language of the book is entirely contemporary. The author's note explains the historical basis for the rest of the book, with notes and sources. Natalie is based on Choldenko's autistic sister.
Happy reading.
