Myomancy ADHD, Dyslexia and Autism

Al Capone Does My Shirts

Gennifer Choldenko

$3.25 via Amazon

Murderers, mob bosses, and convicts . . . these guys are not your average neighbors. Unless you live on Alcatraz. It’s 1935 and twelve-year-old Moose Flanagan and his family have just moved to the infamous island that’s home to criminals like notorious escapee Roy Gardner, Machine Gun Kelly, and of course, Al Capone. Now Moose has to try to fit in at his new school, avoid getting caught up in one of the warden’s daughter’s countless plots, and keep an eye on his sister Natalie, who’s not like other kids. All Moose wants to do is protect Natalie, live up to his parents’ expectations, and stay out of trouble. But on Alcatraz, trouble is never very far away.

A Newbery Honor Book
An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
An ALA Notable Book
People magazine Best Kids’ Book
A School Library JournalBest Book of the Year
A Kirkus Editor’s Choice
A San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
Parents’ Choice Silver Honor Award
A New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
A Junior Library Guild selection
A Children’s BOMC selection

People who have brought this book wrote:

I called this book an "onion" because there are so many different layers to it. There is the Alcatraz layer where the reader learns a little bit about the life of living on Alcatraz. There is the Autistic layer where the reader learns a little bit about autism. There is even a layer of a boy just trying to be a kid by having fun with his friends, but instead he learns about his family and himself. Each one of these layers make up this book. Just like each layer makes an onion.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I am a fourth grade teacher and I had to read this book while pursuing a master's in reading. I will admit that it sat in my class library a few years before I picked it up. I thought it was just going to be a "kids" book. But this truly interested me as even an adult. Although the reading level is at a high thrid grade or low fourth grade level, I do not think that this age has the background to understand this book. Fifth grade would be a better age. I look forward to using this for a classroom reading in the future.

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