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 * Irene Palacios
 * October 13, 2015
 * English 103
 * Stubs

Al Capone Does My Shirt
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Al Capone Does My Shirts is a historical fiction novel for young adults by award winning author Gennifer Choldenko.

Plot
In this story, Moose Flanagan, our narrator and his family move from Santa Monica to Alcatraz Island in the 1930's. The move was caused by the father's new job positions as an electrician and as a guard in the well known Alcatraz prison. On the island there is a very prestigious school for children with mental issues so Natalie, Moose's sisters can attend. Due to his parents hectic work schedule Moose is left with almost full responsibility of his autistic sister Natalie along with fitting in a new school. Natalie was accepted into the Esther P. Marinoff School, which was supposed to help her, but unfortunately, she's sent back home almost immediately because she's just not adjusting to the school. Which means that Moose becomes her caretaker.

Moose becomes friends with the wardens daughter that talks him into being part of her money making scheme. One of her schemes was a criminal laundry service for the kids at school. Once that flops the children are punished and have to find a new hobby. Moose decides to hang around the prisoners rec center trying to find a stray baseball just to help him fit in with the other kids on the island. Moose eventually notices his older sister Natalie developing a relationship with a convict named Onion. The convict starts watching Moose to a point that he eventually hands him a ball just to amuse him. Moose becomes scared for his autistic older sister until he realizes how close his sisters interview is with her new school. Moose and his family's hopes are crushed when the school rejects Natalie. Out of ideas Moose decides to take a risk and eventually writes a letter to the infamous criminal Al Capone asking him to pull any strings he has to help his family get his sister back into school. Within days, Natalie is accepted into the Esther P. Marinoff School. The next day Moose is getting ready for the day when he finds a note in his pocket with the word done underlined.

Characters

 * Matthew "Moose" Flanagan: 12 year old boy, whose family moves to Alcatraz island from Santa Monica.
 * Natalie Flanagan: Moose's sister with autism. Attending a prestigious school for children with mental issues
 * Cam Flanagan: Moose and Natalie's father. he works on the island as an electrician and a guard.
 * Mrs. Flanagan: Mother to Moose and Natalie. She works incredibly hard to have her daughter "cured" to be normal. Her mission is to avoid sending her daughter into a mental institution.
 * Piper Williams: The Warden's daughter. A determined young woman constantly inventing ways to make money off of her home, Alcatraz Island.
 * Warden Williams: The warden of Alcatraz. The strict power enforcer and Piper Williams father.
 * Al Capone:Is himself, part of the money making scheme Piper Williams makes up.
 * Theresa Mattaman: One of the classmates on the island and one of the few people who understand Natalie.
 *  Jimmy Mattaman: Theresa's older brother, usually more to himself.
 * Scout McIlvey: One of Mooses few friends, they play in a baseball team together. Moose eventually tries to find a baseball hit by a con on the island.
 * Mr. Purdy: The head director of Esther P. Marinoff School.

Sequels
It has two sequels, Al Capone Shines My Shoes (2011) and Al Capone Does My Homework (2014)

Al Capone Shines My Shoes
What do you do when your neighbors are a bunch of hit men, con men, and mad dog murderers? Well, if you're Moose Flanagan, you ask the most notorious convict of them all, Al Capone, for help. But when that convict comes through for you and then asks you for a favor in return suddenly it's a whole different ball game.

Al Capone Does My Homework
Alcatraz Island in the 1930s isn't the most normal place to grow up, but it's home for Moose Flanagan, his autistic sister, Natalie, and all the families of the guards. When Moose's dad gets promoted to Associate Warden, despite being an unlikely candidate, it's a big deal. But the cons have a point system for targeting prison employees, and his dad is now in serious danger. After a fire starts in the Flanagan's apartment, Natalie is blamed, and Moose bands with the other kids to track down the possible arsonist. Then Moose gets a cryptic note from the notorious Al Capone himself. Is Capone trying to protect Moose's dad too? If Moose can't figure out what Capone's note means, it may be too

Awards

 * Newberry Honor
 * California Young Reader Medal

Critical Reception
Many critics would agree Al Capone Does My Shirts as a great read no matter where it takes place. Kirkus Review states "Choldenko’s pacing is exquisite, balancing the tense family dynamics alongside the often-humorous and riveting school story of peer pressure and friendship." Miranda Doyle of The School Library Journal says "The story, told with humor and skill, will fascinate readers with an interest in what it was like for the children of prison guards and other workers to actually grow up on Alcatraz Island." Even Ed Sullivan of Booklist has nothing but good reviews for this book. He states in his review "With its unique setting and well-developed characters, this warm, engaging coming-of-age story has plenty of appeal, and Choldenko offers some fascinating historical background on Alcatraz Island in an afterword."

Plot
Bud, Not Buddy is the story of a 10-year-old Bud Caldwell, an orphan living in Flint, Michigan. It takes place in 1936 during the Great Depression. Since the death of his mother four years ago, Bud has been living in an orphanage and had short stints in several foster homes. The few items he has left of his mother include: a blanket, a bag of rocks, a photograph of his mother as a child, and fliers that show Herman E. Calloway and his jazz band, the Dusky Devastators of the Depression.

The story opens with Bud being placed with a new foster family, the Amoses. Bud soon meets Todd Amos, their 12-year-old son, who teases him mercilessly and calls him Buddy. After a fight with Todd, Bud is forced to spend the night in the garden shed. In the shed, Bud mistakes a hornets’ nest for a vampire bat and hits the nest with a rake. This upsets the hornets and Bud gets stung.

After escaping the shed, Bud takes revenge on Todd by making him look like he wet his bed (he did this by pouring water on Todd). He escapes and sleeps under a Christmas tree for the night. Bud then meets up with Bugs, a boy from the home, and together they go to Hooverville, a small town in Flint, in order to hop a train to California and eventually go find Bud's father. Bud and Bugs run for the train but only Bugs makes it. After missing the train, he goes back to Flint, and a nice librarian helps him figure out how to get to Grand Rapids, where Calloway lives.

On Bud's hike to Grand Rapids he is bribed by Lefty Lewis with food. Lefty Lewis wants to help Bud and eventually takes Bud back to Lefty's daughters house where Bud can actually sleep on a real bed. In the morning Lefty gives Bud a ride to Grand Rapids. Once Bud reaches Grand Rapids he finally finds his father, whom is in a jazz band. Bud then confronts his father in front of his jazz band asking why did he leave him and his mother by themselves? Why didn't he want to be part of his life. Bud's father didn't want any type of responsibility of Bud and just dismissed him. Luckily his fathers jazz band took a liking to Bud and offered him a dinner with them. Bud then forms a family like atmosphere with the jazz band and their famous leader whom just so happens to be Bud's grandfather

Characters
Steady Eddie, The Thug, Dirty Deed, Doo-Doo Bug and Mr. Jimmy - These are the band members who tease Bud unmercifully, but also show him how to be a good and loving person. They buy him his own saxophone and give him a name in a secret ceremony that makes him one of them.
 * Bud Caldwell: Main character, a 10 year old african american orphan. He becomes an orphan early in his life due to his mothers unexpected death and his little knowledge of his father. He refuses to stay an orphan and is on a hunt to find his biological father
 * Herman E. Calloway: Buddy’s grandfather, The senior member of the Jazz band.
 * Miss Thomas: She knew and loved Bud’s mother and even before she knows Bud’s relationship to Mr. Calloway, she offers him a motherly love and comfort. Bud thinks she is very beautiful and the music that comes out of her mouth is something so special that he is dazed by it. She believes that Bud is a godsend.
 * Angela Janet Caldwell: Buddy’s mother. Passed on awhile
 * Todd Amos and his parents - This is the foster family from whom Bud runs away after he is abused. They are typical of some foster families who would take in children just for the money the state would pay. They often mistreated them or at best, just ignored them. In this case, Todd is a terrible bully and his parents deny his behavior is anything other than that of a victim. As a result, Bud is punished for having been beaten up by the older boy. This is the catalyst that sets him on his journey to find his father.
 * Deza Malone - She is a young girl who teaches Bud how to do dishes in the cardboard jungle known as Hooverville. She gives him very wise advice about how to remember his mother and even gives him his first kiss, telling him she’ll see him seven years just like the characters in the song “Shenandoah.”
 * Lefty Lewis - This is the very kind black man who picks Bud up along the road to Grand Rapids. He takes him to his daughter’s home where he is fed and given clean clothes. He is a kind of courier who brings blood needed at hospitals and sneaks in union flyers to illegal organizations. He shows Bud basic kindness and compassion, two emotions he has felt little of in his life.

Characters

 * India Opal Buloni: This character's very first friend in Naomi is a dirty, stray dog she finds in the grocery store.
 * The Preacher: This character is described as hiding in his turtle shell and pulling his head into his shell.
 * Winn-Dixie: The dog that goes into the Naomi, Florida, grocery store and causes a stir.
 * Mr. Alfred: This character is the manager of the Friendly Corners Trailer Park.
 * Miss Franny Block: This character owns and runs the only library in Noami, Florida.
 * Amanda Wilkinson: This character is a resident of Naomi, Florida, and becomes a friend to the main character.
 * Otis: This character works in Gertrude's Pets.
 * Gertrude: This is also the name of a pet parrot living in the pet store.
 * Sweetie Pie Thomas: This character is a five-year-old girl from Open Arms Baptist Church.
 * Gloria Dump: This character is a lonely woman living in a neighborhood house...

Award

 * John Newberry Medal

Critical Reception
Many believed Hoot was an enjoyable story. According to The New York Times "You don't have to be a young adult to enjoy it". According to Publishers WeeklyThough readers will have few doubts about the success of the kids' campaign, several suspenseful scenes build to the denouement involving the sitcom-like unraveling of a muckity-muck at the pancake house. These, along with dollops of humor, help make the novel quite a hoot indeed. The Miami Herald calls it “A rollicking, righteous story.”