Moose Flagan' s family relocated to Alcatraz because his father got a job as an electrician at the Alcatraz prison. Like many people at first he hates most things about the island. While he tries to fit in at school he also makes many visits to the prison where he meets the wardens daughter Piper. Piper was one of Mooses first friends on the island. She one time she tells everyone in school that if you give 5 cents you’ll have your laundry done by the prison. Moose decides its to risky to be working for Piper so he quits . Sure enough Warden Williams catches Piper and even though Piper sells Moose out he manages not to get into much trouble . Soon he realizes that he’s far from los Angeles but it will be all right here on Alcatraz.
William Hubbard
4 out of 5 stars
Al Capone was a great book with very interesting characters. With a boy called Moose who has just moved onto Alcatraz because his father gets a job as an electrician and a guard, a swindler named Piper, and Mosse's mentely challenged sister Natalie. Those are just a couple characters
ReplyDeleteAl Capone is about a boy named Moose who is growing up on Alcatraz what used to be one of the worst prisons that you could be in. It may seem like a bad neighborhood considering it was right next to a prison but his mom and many others told him that it was safer because all the criminals were locked up, Moose does not get very much free time because after school he has to watch his sister Natalie who has mental problems, she isn't stupid she just has a hard time staying with what you are saying. Moose meets many people not exactly all which are friends. The book starts out with moose but in my opinion it ends with Natalie as the center of attention.
ReplyDeleteIn the 1930s Moose Flannigan isn't quite sure what to expect when he moves to Alcatraz. His sister Natalie is going to the Esther P. Marinoff School. Natalie is a little...different. She likes lemon cake and to count the various buttons she collects. Moose's mom and dad want her to go to the Marinoff School because they think it will help her. Moose meets several kids on the island, including Piper, the warden's daughter. When Piper spreads the word that the notorious Al Capone (even though talk about Alcatraz is forbidden outside the island)will wash their clothes for five cents, almost everyone in the school submits something to wash. When the warden finds out, it is Moose and the other kids who get blamed, but not the 'innocent' Piper. This is an incredible story about the life of a boy who moves to Alcatraz. I liked this book a lot and give it four out of five stars.
ReplyDeleteThe Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson
ReplyDeleteIn the bustling city of Paris, there lives a hobo named Armand. He is an old, carefree man accustomed to living on his own. He is walking to his usual spot under a bridge, but when he gets there there are three children ('starlings') already nestled there. Armand does not particularly like the starlings because they can 'steal his heart'. Nonetheless he warms up to them and their mother who could not keep up with the rent, which left them the streets. The children, Susie, the oldest, Paul, the middle, and Evelyn, the youngest, love Armand immediately and think of him as their grandfather. Together, they go all over Paris in the search for a new home, when finally Armand gets a job and they settle down as a family. This book was pretty good, although the story line was a bit confusing. My favorite character in this story was Armand, because I liked the way he looked at life. I would rate this book three out of five stars, but I still enjoyed reading it.
The Heart of a Samurai by Preus
ReplyDeleteIn 1899 Manjiro, a fourteen year old Japanese boy is on a fishing trip when a sudden storm yanks the small boat away from the shores of his homeland and into the Pacific Ocean. When he and his five companions finally hit land, they discover a desolate island that they dub Bird Island because of the thousands of birds that nest there. They are convinced they will die there until a group of barbarians (Americans)on a whaling ship find and rescue them. At first Manjiro fears the whalers like the others but soon starts learning their language and makes friends with the captain of the ship. He finds that he loves America and when the captain offers to adopt him, he readily accepts. Soon the captain marries and Manjiro starts going to school in America, and he learns to be a navigator and signs on another whaling ship. He comes back to find that his baby brother James had died. Finally, Manjiro and two of his companions head back to Japan. This was a great book that I thoroughly enjoyed. I give it a four out of five stars.
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
ReplyDeleteThe main character is a 12 year old boy named Moose Flanagan. The other characters include his sister Natalie, Moose's Mom and Dad, and a few friends he meets. The family moves to Alcatraz island because Moose's father has a job there as a engineer and a guard. His sister goes to a special school there while Moose goes to a regular school. Alcatraz island has a world famous jail, the nickname is Devil's Island. They have the worst of the worst criminals there including murderers, thieves, kidnappers, etc. Piper Williams [the warden's daughter] leads Moose, Natalie, and friends they meet into a lot of mischief. In my opinion, this book should be 3.5 stars because I enjoyed most of the book but the ending was a little disappointing to me, I would have liked more action, and for Moose to meet Al Capone.
- Sean Marcus
Sounder
ReplyDeleteSounder is a sad book about a poor African-American who lives in a cabin with his mom and a great coon dog. Every night the kid and his dog would go out hunting, but every time they would come back empty handed. One morning he woke up and smelled something cooking, he went down stairs and saw that there was a big feast. That night the sherif came and took the boy's dad in a wagon, when he was leaving Sounder went after the wagon, the sherif turned around and shot the dog. The boy's life will never be the same.
I give this 5 stars