Al Capone Does My Homework

Al Capone Does My Homework

Young adult fiction
Well I got an early Christmas gift this year. I was shelf
reading at Orono Public Library when I discovered Gennifer Choldenko's
Al Capone Does My Homework, the very promising sequel to her Al Capone
Does My Shirts and Al Capone Shines My Shoes. Yowza! That would be
quite the treat for my New Years Eve Reading Geekfest.
As the story opens, Moose, protagonist of all three books, has a
lot of responsibility for a 13-year-old. His father has been promoted
from electrician to associate warden. It's the number two position on
Alcatraz. This makes him likely to be targeted by the felons who are
his charges--the worst of the worst in America's 1936 criminal
system. They have a point system for rule infractions. Killing a
warden is worth 5,000 points. Moose feels he needs to watch his
father's back but has no idea how.
His family is also under a more subtle pressure. His older
sister, Natalie, has what I think is autism. Much of the time she is
at a residential school. But when she's home her behavior is the
object of scrutiny. With their father's new position putting the
family more in the spotlight, his mother wants him to get her to act
more normally. That is a lot more easily said than done.
One night Moose is watching Natalie while their parents are off
island. He wakes up to find their apartment on fire. He is able to
save his sister, only to find her in another kind of danger. Bea
Trixle is trying to prove that Nat started the fire. She's a woman
with an axe to grind. She believes that her guard husband, Darby,
deserves the promotion Moose's father received. If Nat is found
guilty the whole family will be kicked off the island, leaving the job
open.
Moose is determined to prove his sister innocent. It's a very
daunting challenge, making for a real page turner of a read.
In addition to the plot, the setting in itself is compelling.
Who wouldn't find the lives of children growing up on Alcatraz Island
fascinating? Choldenko has done extensive research. The book is full
of fascinating details. I bet you will never guess what insect
messengers prisoners used to swap cigarettes!
On a personal note, here in Penobscot County 2013 is coming to a very
chilly end with more snow expected later in the week. This is
following on the heels of our recent ice and snow storms.
A great big shout out goes out to the legions of utility workers who
have left homes and families for the holiday season to work around the
clock to restore electricity to the tens of thousands of folks who
lost it.
Julia Emily Hathaway


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