Al Capone Does My Shirts - Newbery Honor Book

Choldenko, G. (2006). Al Capone does my shirts. New York: Penguin Young Readers Group.

Al Capone Does My Shirts is the story of Moose and his family's life on Alcatraz Island. Moose's younger sister, Natalie, is mentally handicapped and when Moose's mom takes a job as a piano teacher, Moose finds himselfe in charge of Natalie. I loved this book because of the characters and their interactions with each other. The reader can't help falling in love with Moose and the way he handles the adult-like responsibilites that he faces as a child. It is equally impossible not to notice the love and protection that Moose offers Natalie. I think that this is the thing that I will remember most about this book - Natalie responds best to Moose because, even though she is different than most other children, he treats her like a normal sister. One thing that may have influenced my reaction to this book is the fact that I have an older brother who somewhat reminds me of Moose. As a child, I would often tag along behind my brother, just as Natalie does with Moose. Although I could tell that my brother was not always thrilled to have me around, he always took care of me and made sure that I was okay.

One thing that I learned about children's literature while reading this book is that it's okay for children's literature to be a bit unconventional. In this book, Choldenko has included very blunt, and sometimes even crude language - but that's okay because it's REAL. Also, the author has included things that suggest innappropriate sexual notions between the inmates and Natalie. Although some may consider this to be too much to include in children's literature, the fact is that it is reality and children do not always need to be totally shelterd from reality.