Al Capone Does My Homework

by Gennifer Choldenko

Paperback, 2014

Status

Available

Call number

813.6

Publication

Puffin (2014), Edition: Reprint, Paperback, 256 pages

Description

"Moose Flanagan, who lives on Alcatraz along with his family and the families of the other prison guards, faces new challenges when his father is promoted to Associate Warden"--

User reviews

LibraryThing member amkj

Written in the same style as the first two books in the series, I enjoyed Natalie's return as a more prominent character. However, I spent the first half of the book very frustrated that characters who seemed to be becoming wiser at the end of the second book started this book more prejudiced than

ever. The second half of the book was much more satisfying and I appreciated the teamwork involved in gathering the clues as the children attempt to figure out the cause of the fire. (Note: review based on an advance reading copy.)

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LibraryThing member catzteach

I found this book very entertaining! I have not read the other Tales from Alcatraz but it didn't stop me from enjoying this one. It did make me interested in the history of the island. I would hope it would spark that in the kids that will read it. I think this book would appeal to boys ages ten to

18. I know it will make a great addition in my friend's fourth grade class library.

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LibraryThing member kimpiddington

Third in the series. Solid, believable plot and likable characters.

LibraryThing member SebastianHagelstein

This is the third book in the Alcatraz Trilogy. There were a lot of suprises and twists that made the story suspenseful in several places. The Alcatraz prisoners play a big part in the story and add to the twists and conflicts. Moose's sister, Natalie, has progressed as a character and gets

stronger as the story goes on.

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LibraryThing member lilibrarian

Last book in the Al Capone trilogy. Here, Moose's father has been appointed as associate warden on Alcatraz. Shortly afterwards, the family's apartment catches fire. Moose and his friends try to solve the mystery of how the fire started, and Moose has his hands full caring for Natalie, whose

routine has been totally upset. Al Capone and a variety of other cons and criminals make appearances.

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LibraryThing member prkcs

The third book in the series finds Moose Flanagan in some tricky situations. As the new Associate Warden, his father's life is threatened, and Moose feels responsible for keeping him safe. A fire in the family's apartment is blamed on his sister Natalie, but Moose can't believe she actually caused

it. If she did, then that would mean it was his fault since he was watching her that night. Moose's relationship with Annie begins to get more complicated. And one of Moose's idols, the coolest guy on the island of Alcatraz, has quite a fall from grace.

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LibraryThing member mamzel

Moose is now 13 years old and his dad is now an assitant warden as life on Alcatraz Island continues in 1936. He is tired of the burdens of caring for his older sister who is autistic, watching out for his dad, and trying to keep his friend, Piper (the warden's daughter) out of trouble.

He saves his

sister when a fire breaks out in his apartment and is afraid she set the fire when he fell asleep. Even though there is an official inquiry in the arson, he tries to discover the truth himself. There is also the question of why people are receiving little gifts and why the cons are leaving numbers in a drain pipe.

The setting and the characters of this series are so interesting. That families lived on the island is a fact but Choldenko lets us know what other events are based on truth or made up.

Hooray, too, for the depiction of an entire family trying to help a mentally disabled member. Moose takes a big step in maturity as he realizes he will probably take care of his sister for the rest of her life but he also sees how influential he is.

I look forward to even more adventures of life on Alcatraz Island.

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LibraryThing member childlikelist

Written in the setting of Alcatraz based on extensive research of the island, the assistant warden's son sees the politics of promotion when his father is promoted over one of his coworkers. His autistic sister is then accused of starting a fire and Moose has to find a way to defend his family

against some interesting antagonists.
Age recommendation--10+

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LibraryThing member sgrame

Although this is the 3rd in the trilogy, it is easily enjoyed as a stand alone book about the families living on Alcatraz Island in the 1930s. 13 year old Moose is in charge of his autistic sister Natalie when a fire breaks out in their apartment. Although he gets her out safely, most of their

apartment is in ruins. Moose joins in with his friends to try to find out how the fire started. Multiple plots are interwoven like mysterious gifts, counterfeit messages, swindlers and acceptance of developmentally disabled persons. A book that will keep you going until the end, I'd recommend this 212 page mystery/historical novel for students in grades 5-8.

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LibraryThing member Juliekessler1

I really did like this book I just thought it was a little too long for my liking. The purpose of this book is to solve the mystery of who started the fire, because the Natalie, the main character’s sister is blamed even though she is innocent. There is much more to the story in solving the

mystery but because I thought of this book in my multicultural text set, my main focus was Natalie. Natalie is the main characters sister and she has Autism. I like this book because it incorporates her disability through an actual story, rather than just being a factual book about Autism. The purpose of this book is to solve the mystery in time to save the day and take the blame from Natalie, however, it also informed about Autism throughout Natalie’s character. I think many students would find this book interesting because of the main plot, while still learning about different kinds of people throughout the other characters.

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LibraryThing member fingerpost

The third book in the Tales From Alcatraz series is a little different from the previous two. It is essentially a mystery novel. Moose's father has been promoted to assistant warden, and shortly afterwards, there is a fire in their apartment. The parents are in San Francisco that evening, and Moose

just manages to get his autistic sister, Natalie, out of the house safely. Some are convinced that Natalie set the fire, and want to use it to get her off the island, but Moose and his friends, Annie, Jimmy, and Teresa know Natalie would never do that, so they try to solve the mystery of how the fire started.
One aspect of the mystery is too easy to figure out, but most of the elements were nice surprises in the end.
And for those who are reading all the books in order... it was nice to see Piper finally get what she deserves; Moose to finally recognize Annie as she deserves; and to see Natalie slowly growing and learning how to be around people despite her extreme level of autism.

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LibraryThing member mstrust

Thirteen year-old Moose and his family still live on Alcatraz, but his father has been promoted from guard to assistant warden, which puts a target on his back with the inmates and also enrages another guard who was passed over for the promotion. Moose's older sister, Natalie, is on break from her

special needs school in San Francisco, which means that Moose is put in charge of her, a heavy responsibility that Moose carries on his shoulders twenty-four hours a day. When their apartment is nearly destroyed in a fire, Moose takes on that responsibility too and has to prove whether or not Natalie did it.
This is the third in the series of historical Alcatraz, and it's a smart and informative story.

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