Della A. Yannuzzi (Children's Literature)
Author Choldenko has written a funny and clever middle grade novel about a boy named Matthew (Moose) Flanagan who is living on Alcatraz Island with his family. The family has moved to the Island because Moose's father has found work as an electrician, and because his sister Natalie, who is autistic, can go to a good school nearby. Moose is not happy about living on the island, especially after meeting the Warden's daughter Piper who is bossy and a bit of a troublemaker. Moose's father has warned him to stay out of trouble because he needs this job and Natalie needs to go to the special school. Moose's life becomes miserable when Piper involves him and a few other island kids in a moneymaking scheme to have their schoolmates' clothes laundered by the convicts on Alcatraz Island. Piper tempts her school chums by claiming that Al Capone, the famous gangster, may even wash their shirts. The scheme falls apart when the Warden finds out what his daughter and friends are up to. Then, to make matters worse, the school that Natalie attends doesn't want her and she has to come home. Moose winds up watching her and has to forego his Monday after-school baseball game. This is an amusing book about interesting characters placed in a different and unlikely setting and trying to make the best of their situation. 2004, G. P. Putnam's Sons, $15.99. Ages 10 up.

Susie Wilde (Children's Literature)
It is 1935 and Moose’s family has just moved from Santa Monica to Alcatraz, “a twelve-acre rock covered with cement, topped with bird turd and surrounded by water,” where his father is a guard. As if this were not difficult enough, his sister is autistic and Moose is largely responsible for looking after her. There are more troubles--the warden’s daughter is a brat bent on getting him in trouble, Moose has baseball talent, but cannot play because of his sister, and he is butting heads with his mother constantly. Sound like a problem novel? Problems abound, but the humor, careful historical detailing, tightly woven subplots, and realistically portrayed emotions lift this far above any problem novel. Choldenko has done an incredible job of weaving fact and fiction and she clearly draws the lines between the two in her author’s note. This is an incredibly readable book; its chapters are short, its plot driving, its characters well-rounded and intriguing, and the setting fascinating. 2004, Putnam, $15.99. Ages 10 up.

CCBC (Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices, 2005)
When Moose Flanagan moves to Alcatraz Island so his father can work as a prison guard, he’s concerned about leaving his friends and his baseball team behind. He quickly discovers that living on the same piece of ground that harbors Machine Gun Kelly and Al Capone is a whole new ballgame. Along with the children of the other prison employees, Moose takes a boat to San Francisco each weekday to attend school. There the Island kids milk the mystique of their home for all it’s worth, concocting an ingenious scheme that involves smuggling their classmates’ dirty clothes into the prison laundry system – for a price. The humor of Moose’s escapades is balanced with a more serious issue that his family deals with daily: his older sister Natalie has a condition that keeps her from functioning as a typical teenager. Unidentified in this story set in the 1930s, Natalie’s condition would be diagnosed as autistic today. Desperate to find help for Natalie, Moose’s mother insists that her 16-year-old daughter is only ten, an age when she’s still eligible to attend special schools rather than being relegated to an institution. A concluding author’s note describes life on Alcatraz during its tenure as a working penitentiary from 1934 to 1963, solidly grounding this piece of fiction within fact. In a similar vein, Gennifer Choldenko’s sister served as inspiration for the character of Natalie, who is portrayed with respect and intimacy. The author’s dedication reads, “To my sister, Gina Johnson, and to all of us who loved her – however imperfectly.” CCBC categories: Fiction for Children. 2004, Putnam, 225 pages, $15.99. Ages 10-14.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, March 1, 2004 (Vol. 72, No. 5))
Moose's world is turned upside down when his family moves to Alcatraz Island where his Dad has taken a job as a prison guard. Super-responsible Moose, big for 12, finds himself caught in the social interactions of this odd cut-off world. He cares for his sister who is older, yet acts much younger due to her autism and he finds his life alternating between frustration and growth. His mother focuses all of her attention on ways to cure the sister; his dad works two jobs and meekly accepts the mother's choices; his fellow island-dwellers are a funny mix of oddball characters and good friends. Basing her story on the actual experience of those who supported the prison in the '30s-when Al Capone was an inmate-Choldenko's pacing is exquisite, balancing the tense family dynamics alongside the often-humorous and riveting school story of peer pressure and friendship. Fascinating setting as a metaphor for Moose's own imprisonment and enabling some hysterically funny scenes, but a great read no matter where it takes place. (lengthy author's note with footnotes to sources) 2004, Putnam, 240p, $15.99. Category: Fiction. Ages 11 to 14. Starred Review. © 2004 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Paula Rohrlick (KLIATT Review, March 2004 (Vol. 38, No. 2))
Jobs are hard to come by in 1935, so Moose's father doesn't hesitate to move his family to Alcatraz when he gets work as a guard there. Moose, age 12, is far from pleased, though. His friends and baseball team are back in San Francisco, his father works long hours, and when his mother takes a job too he is put in charge of minding his sister Natalie. Natalie is older than he is, but she is autistic, and she can be very difficult to deal with at times because of her obsessive behavior and temper tantrums. Meanwhile, Moose meets the warden's attractive but trouble-seeking daughter, Piper. He learns about the island and the prisoners, and reluctantly becomes involved in Piper's schemes, such as charging classmates for the opportunity to have their laundry done by the inmates--hence the title. Al Capone features briefly as a minor character, and in desperation Moose writes to him to ask him to use his influence to gain Natalie a place at a special school, a long-held dream of his mother's. Rather than a novel of gangsters, then, as some might think from the title, this is a coming-of-age tale about a boy dealing with his autistic sister, albeit in an unusual setting--YAs hoping for gory details of criminal and prison life will have to go elsewhere. Choldenko, author of Notes From a Liar and Her Dog, offers a sensitive portrait of autism and how it affects a family, and in a author's note at the end she discusses her research about life on Alcatraz and on autism, and mentions that her own sister has autism. An affecting novel. Category: Hardcover Fiction. KLIATT Codes: J--Recommended for junior high school students. 2004, Penguin Putnam, 240p., $15.99. Ages 12 to 15.

Kathryn A. Childs (Library Media Connection, November/December 2004)
Set on the island of Alcatraz in the year 1935, Gennifer Choldenko's book is a fun, as well as educational, young-adult novel. Twelve-year-old Moose and his family have moved to Alcatraz so that Moose's father can work as an electrician and guard. The increased income will allow them to enroll their autistic daughter, 14-year-old Natalie, in a special school in San Francisco. When the school rejects Natalie, Moose must give up his beloved baseball games and come home after school to take care of her while his mother and father work. Although the storyline is somewhat grim, readers will find much to enjoy about this book. The well-developed characters of the children living on Alcatraz, especially the warden's cute and troublesome daughter, Piper, and her schemes for making money and involving the reluctant Moose, lighten the plot. The constant love and attention Moose shows his sister makes this a heartwarming and appealing read. The added attraction of famous criminals such as Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelley will appeal to most middle schoolers. In addition, Choldenko offers some fascinating historical background information on Alcatraz in an afterward. She also addresses the issue of autism, which was really an unidentified disease at that time. Highly Recommended. 2004, G.P. Putnam's Sons (Penguin Putnam), 228pp., $15.99 hc. Ages 11 to 15.

Deborah Stevenson (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, March 2004 (Vol. 57, No. 7))
You get to Alcatraz by being the worst of the worst. Unless you’re me," says twelve-year-old Moose. "I came here because my mother said I had to." Moose’s mother’s dictate is a result of her determination to get Moose’s sister, Natalie, into a special school in San Francisco, in the hope that it can help Natalie shed her compulsive, detached behaviors and become able to interact with the world. To that end, Dad’s taken a job on Alcatraz, so that the family can afford to live in the area, and Moose is now entrusted with the care of his sister and limited to playmates on the island. One of them is troublemaker Piper, the warden’s daughter, who ropes Moose into her plan to charge their classmates for sharing in the islanders’ convict-handled laundry service; though the plan founders when Piper’s father uncovers this serious breach of the rules, the connection between Al Capone and the laundry suggests to Moose a way to pressure the reluctant school to let Natalie in. Choldenko (author of Notes from a Liar and Her Dog, BCCB 7/01) capably evokes the setting of Alcatraz in the 1930s; a detailed note attests to diligent and thoughtful research on the topic, and she’s effectively in touch with the uneasy glamour Moose’s living situation confers on him. The Natalie-centered family dynamics (the note explains Natalie’s behaviors are based on those of the author’s autistic sister) are also credible, with Moose’s mother hanging her heart on each new promising cure and denying her daughter’s blossoming into womanhood, while Moose is both resentful and protective of his challenging sister. The final plot twist--Moose’s private request to Al Capone may have gotten Natalie accepted into school--is superfluous and less convincing than the rest of the story, but the unusual setting and the authentic portrayal of a kid torn between family loyalty and a desire for independence make this a satisfying and compelling read. Review Code: R -- Recommended. (c) Copyright 2004, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2004, Putnam, 225p, $15.99. Grades 6-9.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2004)
When his father gets a job as an electrician at Alcatraz, Moose's family moves to the famous prison island. Against this vividly evoked setting, Moose butts heads with the warden's scheming daughter and gets help from a surprising source for his older sister, who exhibits the symptoms of autism (the book is set in 1935, before the disease was identified). The solid novel concludes with a historical note. Category: Intermediate Fiction. 2004, Putnam, 228pp, $16.99. Ages 9 to 12. Rating: 3: Recommended, satisfactory in style, content, and/or illustration.

Walter Hogan (VOYA, April 2004 (Vol. 27, No. 1))
In 1935, notorious gangster Al Capone is one of three hundred convicts housed in the maximum-security penitentiary on Alcatraz Island. Twelve-year-old Moose Flanagan also lives on the island. His father has taken a position as an electrician and guard at the prison in hopes that Moose's sister, Natalie, will be accepted at a special school in nearby San Francisco. Not only has Moose been forced to leave friends behind and move with his family to a fortress island, but he also cannot play baseball or make new friends now because he is stuck taking care of his sister whenever he is not in school. Natalie is afflicted with the condition now known as autism, and even at age sixteen, she cannot be left unsupervised. Everyone in the family has been under a strain because of Natalie's special needs. Meanwhile Piper, the warden's pretty, spoiled daughter, makes life complicated for Moose. The island's residents have their laundry done by the convicts, and thrill-seeking Piper drags Moose into her wild stunt of marketing Al Capone's laundry services to their middle school classmates in San Francisco. But when his family desperately needs a break in their efforts to get help for Natalie, Moose knows that only Piper has the connections and the audacity to help him pull off a reckless scheme involving the island's most famous inmate. Choldenko, author of Notes from a Liar and Her Dog (Putnam's, 2001/VOYA August 2001), weaves three As--Alcatraz, Al Capone, and autism--into an excellent historical novel for middle-grade readers. A large, annotated 1935 photograph of Alcatraz Island and an informative author's note give substance to the novel's factual sources. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P M J (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2004, G. P. Putnam's Sons, 240p., $16.99. Ages 11 to 15.