The Newbery Honor Book and New York Times Bestseller that is
historical fiction with a hint of mystery about living at Alcatraz not
as a prisoner, but as a kid meeting some of the most famous criminals in
our history. Al Capone Does My Shirts has become an instant classic
for all kids to read!
Today I moved to Alcatraz, a twelve-acre rock covered with cement,
topped with bird turd and surrounded by water. I'm not the only kid who
lives here. There are twenty-three other kids who live on the island
because their dads work as guards or cooks or doctors or electricians
for the prison, like my dad does. And then there are a ton of murderers,
rapists, hit men, con men, stickup men, embezzlers, connivers, burglars,
kidnappers and maybe even an innocent man or two, though I doubt it. The
convicts we have are the kind other prisons don't want. I never knew
prisons could be picky, but I guess they can. You get to Alcatraz by
being the worst of the worst. Unless you're me. I came here because my
mother said I had to.
A Newbery Honor Book
A New York Times Bestseller
A People magazine Best kid's Book
An ALA Book for Young Adults
An ALA Notable Book
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
A Krikus Reviews Editor's Choice
A San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
A Parents' Choice Silver Honor Book
A New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing Selection
A New York Public Library Best Book for the Teen Age
*Choldenko's pacing is exquisite. . . . [A] great read.--Kirkus
Reviews, starred review
*Exceptionally atmospheric, fast-paced and memorable!--Publishers
Weekly, starred review
*The story, told with humor and skill, will fascinate
readers.--School Library Journal, starred review****
Al is the perfect novel for a young guy or moll who digs books by Gordon
Korman, or Louis Sachar.--Time Out New York for Kids
Funny situations and plot twists abound!--People magazine
Heartstopping in some places, heartrending in others, and most of all,
it is heartwarming.--San Francisco Chronicle
