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
Bestseller
People
magazine "Best kid's Book"
An ALA Book for Young Adults
An ALA Notable Book
School Library Journal
Best Book of the Year
Krikus Reviews
Editor's Choice
San Francisco Chronicle
Publishers Weekly
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!"
—
*"The story, told with humor and skill, will fascinate readers."
"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!"
magazine
"Heartstopping in some places, heartrending in others, and most of all, it is heartwarming."