OK, OK, I know this is not a Bluebonnet book, but I just had to read it. You see, Mrs. Flores has this fascination with mobsters from "back in the day." Very interesting stuff.Just so you know, I am not promoting this behavior at all!
Anyways, this is a historical ficiton novel set in 1935 on the island of Alcatraz. You had to take a ferry to get across to get to San Francisco, California. Alcatraz was the home of the most dangerous of all criminals. The people who worked in the jail such as the warden, guards, and caretakers lived on the island as well. Even their families and kids lived on the island WITH THE INMATES! WOW! There is a cool map of Alcatraz island in the book.
The story is about a young boy, Moose Flanagan. Moose's dad is an electrician on Alcatraz. Moose meets all kinds of new friends on the island. One is a little girl named Piper, the warden's daughter, who does nothing but cause trouble. She even starts a laundry business at school telling all her friends that the famous gangster, Al Capone will wash their shirts and shorts for 5 cents each!
The story is also about Moose's older sister, Natalie, who has autism. Autism affects many people. Basically, people with autism have trouble expressing their feelings and emotions. They are often very smart. In the book, Natalie is a whiz at math! Moose's family is trying to get Natalie into a special school, but no schools will accept her. This is very discouraging to his family, but Moose comes up with a plan! It's up to you to read the book to find out his plan.
I enjoyed reading this book. It's humorous, sad, and made me want to cry all at the same time. There is a sequel, Al Capone Shines My Shoes. I think I will read that next!
