Genre - Historical fiction
Rating - 4.5/5
Age group recommendation - Grades 5-8
The Scoop - Matthew "Moose" Flangan and his family relocate to an exotic location - the island prison of Alcatraz! Moose must learn to juggle baseball, making new friends and caring for his autistic sister.
The Story - I really enjoyed reading this book. The story is fun and engaging, the characters are believable and likable (or despicable enough...Piper!), and the location and time period make it even more interesting. Moose is a character that kids can identify with, particularly those who have special needs children in their families. The book is also a serious, but not too heavy, look at autism and how it affects regular family life. Since Natalie's behaviors are based on the author's experience with her sister, the interactions and reactions to Natalie ring true.
Educational applications
Rating - 4.5/5
Age group recommendation - Grades 5-8
The Scoop - Matthew "Moose" Flangan and his family relocate to an exotic location - the island prison of Alcatraz! Moose must learn to juggle baseball, making new friends and caring for his autistic sister.
The Story - I really enjoyed reading this book. The story is fun and engaging, the characters are believable and likable (or despicable enough...Piper!), and the location and time period make it even more interesting. Moose is a character that kids can identify with, particularly those who have special needs children in their families. The book is also a serious, but not too heavy, look at autism and how it affects regular family life. Since Natalie's behaviors are based on the author's experience with her sister, the interactions and reactions to Natalie ring true.
Educational applications
Georgia Performance Standards
MSFCS6-CF1
Grade: 6,7,8
Description: MSFCS6-CF1 Students will identify and discuss social and financial skills needed to develop personal independence and interpersonal relationships.
Grade: 6,7,8
Description: MSFCS6-CF1 Students will identify and discuss social and financial skills needed to develop personal independence and interpersonal relationships.
Activities
With help from Scholastic's Teaching Extensions. Students create a poster of Piper's money-making laundry plan (p. 75). Students then break into small groups, come up with their own money-making idea, and create a poster to advertise the plan. Each group presents their plan to the rest of the class. The class discusses whether the plan is viable, if it will damage personal relationships (as Piper's did), and whether the plan would be long-term or short-term.
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Jennifer Choldenko
New York : G.P. Putnam's sons, c2004
New York : G.P. Putnam's sons, c2004
Copy from Atlanta Fulton County Library
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