Author: Gennifer Choldenko
Book Series: Tales From Alcatraz (Book 1 of 4)
Reading Level: Middle-Grade (I'd recommend for upper)
My Rating: 5/5 stars
Content Rating: PG
Tidbit: Twelve-year old Moose Flanagan's family has just moved to Alcatraz Island where his dad is now a prison guard and electrician. Moose will have to come to terms with all the growing up which will come along with the move.
"Now I understand. When you love someone, you have to try things even if they don't make sense to anyone else."
The
Flanagan family has moved to Alcatraz Island, home (though not by
choice) of the infamous Al Capone who is a resident of the prison. Moose
Flanagan, whose father has taken on employment as a prison guard, is
12. He misses his old home and his old friends, and nothing about this
new situation seems ideal. But it's 1935, good jobs are scarce, and
Moose's parents are desperate to get his older sister Natalie (who loves
lemon cake and counting things) into the Esther P. Marinoff school in
San Francisco, a school that specializes in children with special needs.
Though none of this is what Moose wants, he will learn that he can make
new friends (even if one of them is the warden's daughter Piper, with
whom Moose has a confusing relationship), and he'll learn a lot about
love and what you might do for those you love.
I
love this book. I first read it when I was in library school, and the
ending just gave me all the warm fuzzies. It's a beautiful coming-of-age
story about a boy who comes to terms with being the younger brother of
an autistic sister (though at the time the story is set, there was no
term or diagnosis for Natalie's behaviors).
We
read this as a family read-aloud. My kids really enjoyed it, and I love
that it gave us opportunities to talk about autism and how important it
is for us to be loving and kind when others act differently. And the
ending gave me just as many warm fuzzies this time as it did 15 years
ago.
That said, there
are some mature themes in the book, which also led to some important
conversations (like protecting our bodies and recognizing if someone is
doing something wrong and what to do). And some puberty-related aspects
of boyhood. I would definitely recommend parents be aware of the themes.
And I would recommend for solo reading for 12+. I personally did some censoring while reading aloud to my 4 kids.
This is book 1 of the series of 4. I've read them all, but this one is my favorite.
