Hey there!
And now for my December Day 20 pick…
AL CAPONE DOES MY SHIRTS by Gennifer Choldenko!
From the publisher:
Moose Flannagan moves with his family to Alcatraz so his dad can work as a prison guard and his sister, Natalie, can attend a special school. But Natalie has autism, and when she’s denied admittance to the school, the stark setting of Alcatraz begins to unravel the tenuous coping mechanisms Moose’s family has used for dealing with her disorder. When Moose meets Piper, the cute daughter of the Warden, he knows right off she’s trouble. But she’s also strangely irresistible. All Moose wants to do is protect Natalie, live up to his parents’ expectations, and stay out of trouble. But on Alcatraz, trouble is never very far away.
From me:
I had to highlight this book…It’s celebrating its 10th anniversary of winning the Newberry medal! And what a well deserved honor…I was ultra impressed by the voice and the original plot. Having toured Alcatraz in San Francisco, I thought I’d love this historical fiction story, but I actually loved it even more than I thought. So if you have a young reader on your list, don’t forget this one. Boys, girls, adults…everyone will adore this one!
swirl and spark 