What do you think?
Rate this book
Tales from Alcatraz #4
Al Capone Throws Me a Curve
Return to Al Capone's Alcatraz with Newbery Honor-winning author Gennifer Choldenko in this charming addition to the beloved series about the son of a prison guard.
Moose Flanagan lives on a famous island in California: Alcatraz, home to some of the most dangerous prisoners in the United States in the 1930s. It's the summer before he starts high school, and Moose is going to play a lot of baseball and win a spot on the high school team. But he still needs to watch his special older sister, Natalie--and then the warden asks Moose to look after his two-faced, danger-loving daughter, Piper.
In the cell house there are rumors that the cons will a strike, and that Moose's father might step up to a new job. Moose is worried: What will this mean for their family, especially for Natalie, who's had some scary run-ins with prisoners? Then the unthinkable happens: Natalie winds up someplace she should never, ever go. And Moose has to rescue her.
Moose Flanagan lives on a famous island in California: Alcatraz, home to some of the most dangerous prisoners in the United States in the 1930s. It's the summer before he starts high school, and Moose is going to play a lot of baseball and win a spot on the high school team. But he still needs to watch his special older sister, Natalie--and then the warden asks Moose to look after his two-faced, danger-loving daughter, Piper.
In the cell house there are rumors that the cons will a strike, and that Moose's father might step up to a new job. Moose is worried: What will this mean for their family, especially for Natalie, who's had some scary run-ins with prisoners? Then the unthinkable happens: Natalie winds up someplace she should never, ever go. And Moose has to rescue her.
240 pages, Paperback
First published May 8, 2018
172 people are currently reading
1,352 people want to read
About the author
Gennifer Choldenko
38books721followersThere’s a Lego in my bum which fits with the Lego in my chair and when I sit down to write, I hear the satisfying snap of the two pieces fitting together. I love words, dictionaries, thesauruses, sharp pencils, the smell of book ink and the delicious art of carving out sentences on clean white paper. I love to slip into another person’s skin and feel what it’s like to live another life. I love when characters come to me out of nowhere and make me cry so hard my mascara runs or laugh until my stomach hurts. I love the crazy fun and infinite possibility of storytelling.
What prepared me for a life of writing fiction? Though I have a BA from Brandeis University in English and American Literature and a BFA in illustration from Rhode Island School of Design, the true answer is probably genes. I come from a long line of Irish storytellers on my father’s side and theatre people on my mother’s. I always knew I loved to write, but it took me a long time to summon the courage to chase the dream. I finally went for it when I realized I would prefer to be a failure at something I wanted to do, then a success at something I didn’t.
While I was pretending I wasn’t a writer, trying to be a nice person with a nice quiet job somewhere, I sold lingerie, lipstick and lamp shades. I wrote junk mail. I taught visually and hearing-impaired kids horseback riding. I held a prestigious job in rubbish removal and I worked in a factory wearing a paper gown while wielding a large mallet on small serving packages of ketchup.
One Third Nerd, my funniest novel yet, is due out in January 2019. My most famous novel, Al Capone Does My Shirts, garnered 20 awards, one of which was the Newbery Honor. The Tales of Alcatraz series has sold more than 2 million copies. What will probably be the last book in the series: Al Capone Throws Me a Curve is the best of the fifteen books I’ve written so far.
I am a fitness fanatic; a book-obsessed, tennis-playing woman who thinks like a twelve-year-old. If I ever get the good fortune to meet you, offer me coffee and I will be your friend for life.
What prepared me for a life of writing fiction? Though I have a BA from Brandeis University in English and American Literature and a BFA in illustration from Rhode Island School of Design, the true answer is probably genes. I come from a long line of Irish storytellers on my father’s side and theatre people on my mother’s. I always knew I loved to write, but it took me a long time to summon the courage to chase the dream. I finally went for it when I realized I would prefer to be a failure at something I wanted to do, then a success at something I didn’t.
While I was pretending I wasn’t a writer, trying to be a nice person with a nice quiet job somewhere, I sold lingerie, lipstick and lamp shades. I wrote junk mail. I taught visually and hearing-impaired kids horseback riding. I held a prestigious job in rubbish removal and I worked in a factory wearing a paper gown while wielding a large mallet on small serving packages of ketchup.
One Third Nerd, my funniest novel yet, is due out in January 2019. My most famous novel, Al Capone Does My Shirts, garnered 20 awards, one of which was the Newbery Honor. The Tales of Alcatraz series has sold more than 2 million copies. What will probably be the last book in the series: Al Capone Throws Me a Curve is the best of the fifteen books I’ve written so far.
I am a fitness fanatic; a book-obsessed, tennis-playing woman who thinks like a twelve-year-old. If I ever get the good fortune to meet you, offer me coffee and I will be your friend for life.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 191 reviews
May 19, 2018
What?! I thought the 3rd one was the last! It's exciting to be wrong sometimes...:)
5/17/2018: Once again we have another great story about Moose Flanagan and his life on Alcatraz. It has been some time since I read the last one, Al Capone Does My Homework, so some details were hazy at first but when consequences from previous actions started appearing in the plot, my memory was joggled and I remembered the main points. Similar to its predecessors, this one is about sticking with family, growing up, learning to make wise and difficult choices, and coping with change. I am going to stop predicting what the last book will be (see my very first sentence); regardless of how many books there will be, I have enjoyed each one and recommend the series to historical fiction readers approx. 5th grade+.
5/17/2018: Once again we have another great story about Moose Flanagan and his life on Alcatraz. It has been some time since I read the last one, Al Capone Does My Homework, so some details were hazy at first but when consequences from previous actions started appearing in the plot, my memory was joggled and I remembered the main points. Similar to its predecessors, this one is about sticking with family, growing up, learning to make wise and difficult choices, and coping with change. I am going to stop predicting what the last book will be (see my very first sentence); regardless of how many books there will be, I have enjoyed each one and recommend the series to historical fiction readers approx. 5th grade+.
June 30, 2022
"It's scary that they give baseball bats to felons, but I guess baseball can make any guy behave. My father says baseball is as important inside the prison as it is outside it. He says the prison-game scores get posted right next to the major league scores on the menu every week." (PG. 5)
The last book in the series. This is the first series I have read in order... Yeah, the first, I'm awful at knowing something is a series. Anyway! I freaking loved all the books in the Alcatraz series. Choldenko had just enough of Al Capone to give me curiosity but it was all about the kids on the island. I loved watching Moose grow and have his adventures. This is also the first series that the kids sound their ages and they get in trouble at their level not being into drugs or being little psychos. It is a feel good series with many LOL moments.
Moose has an older autistic sister named Natalie that is learning to socialize and be independent but she seems to also cause much of the trouble on the island. Moose takes the heat for her many times especially now that his father is in line for a promotion of Warden.
I highly recommend this series to YA and adults. I will add to my son's library.
The last book in the series. This is the first series I have read in order... Yeah, the first, I'm awful at knowing something is a series. Anyway! I freaking loved all the books in the Alcatraz series. Choldenko had just enough of Al Capone to give me curiosity but it was all about the kids on the island. I loved watching Moose grow and have his adventures. This is also the first series that the kids sound their ages and they get in trouble at their level not being into drugs or being little psychos. It is a feel good series with many LOL moments.
Moose has an older autistic sister named Natalie that is learning to socialize and be independent but she seems to also cause much of the trouble on the island. Moose takes the heat for her many times especially now that his father is in line for a promotion of Warden.
I highly recommend this series to YA and adults. I will add to my son's library.
January 31, 2019
A perfect, perfect ending. My kids are so sad this is the last book. We love this series so much.
May 25, 2018
It was the title. I saw that title and just had to check this one out. The rest of the blurb had me even more eager to snatch up this middle grade historical fiction. A teen growing up in the mid-thirties... wait for it... on Alcatraz. Yeah, had to give this one a go.
Al Capone Throws Me a Curve is book four in the Al Capone at Alcatraz series. I had no trouble jumping in with this book though I wish I had discovered the series at the get go so I could get them in order. Definitely going back to the beginning for the other three.
Moose Flanagan is near the end of his school year and looking forward to starting high school the next year and hoping he can get on the baseball team. He lives with his parents and sister on Alcatraz where his dad is the assistant warden. Moose just wants to be like the other guys, but living on a prison island taking a ferry to school, having an autistic older sister who's just turned seventeen and having a mom who is not quite up to a daughter like Natalie means normal is a little different in the Flanagan household.
I really enjoyed this story told from young thirteen or fourteen year old Moose's perspective. He's all boy, but has been forced to grow up fast and be responsible with an older autistic sibling and a delicate mother. He just wants to spend his summer playing baseball and being with his friends when first the Warden saddles him with keeping an eye on the Warden's precocious daughter whose around his age and he ends up keeping an eye on Natalie when his parents get preoccupied with a prisoner strike.
A strong element in this book is Natalie and how Moose interacts with her as a sibling. Moose is protective of his sister and struggles with embarrassment and frustration because she might have a disability, but she is also very much a young woman and not a child. He has to keep her out of trouble and its tough on him when he's around his friends and has to bring Natalie along. I also loved how he took responsibility for things she did even if it meant feeling the crushing disapproval of the adults around him. He's very conscious of how to help her with navigating her needs whether it is sticking to her routine, helping her with calm down methods, not putting her in situations where she'll melt down, and also respecting that she is older and not stupid so her choices and happiness are important to him. He's a good guy and works hard to help people and he strives to be a good man like his dad. I totally would have had a crush on Moose if I was a teen girl.
The historical backdrop of Alcatraz in its hey day was not skimped on. I thought the life of the families living there below the actual prison and of the inmates who had some contact with the families through those who worked service jobs was vividly sketched out and felt authentic. Moose has a dangerous situation that was not probable in some ways, but it took things to the heart of the prison and how dangerous it was inside. I thought the baseball, people with special needs, and family life in that era was also nice touches. Oh, and let's not forget the presence of the celebrity prisoner himself. It was neat to see some interaction with Al Capone. Moose is wary and has a healthy fear of the prisoners, but can't help being curious about some famous ones.
I experienced this book on audio and really enjoyed Kirby Heyborne's rendition of Moose and the others. He handled Natalie's awkward vocal parts in a respectful way just as he masterfully handled a cast that included kids to adults of both genders and had a nice way of capturing the era in his voice somehow (maybe I was imagining that). I had no trouble feeling I was right there and that a young teenager was telling the story without an annoying voice. I liked the way he handled the really tense moments so that I felt my heart race with anticipation or suspense. Definitely want to listen to more of his work.
All in all, this was a hit out of the park and I want more of Moose's adventures and life on Alcatraz. This is a book for young teens, but I think adults who like historical fiction would enjoy this one, too.
My thanks to Penguin Random House Audio for the opportunity to listen to this book in exchange for an honest review.
Al Capone Throws Me a Curve is book four in the Al Capone at Alcatraz series. I had no trouble jumping in with this book though I wish I had discovered the series at the get go so I could get them in order. Definitely going back to the beginning for the other three.
Moose Flanagan is near the end of his school year and looking forward to starting high school the next year and hoping he can get on the baseball team. He lives with his parents and sister on Alcatraz where his dad is the assistant warden. Moose just wants to be like the other guys, but living on a prison island taking a ferry to school, having an autistic older sister who's just turned seventeen and having a mom who is not quite up to a daughter like Natalie means normal is a little different in the Flanagan household.
I really enjoyed this story told from young thirteen or fourteen year old Moose's perspective. He's all boy, but has been forced to grow up fast and be responsible with an older autistic sibling and a delicate mother. He just wants to spend his summer playing baseball and being with his friends when first the Warden saddles him with keeping an eye on the Warden's precocious daughter whose around his age and he ends up keeping an eye on Natalie when his parents get preoccupied with a prisoner strike.
A strong element in this book is Natalie and how Moose interacts with her as a sibling. Moose is protective of his sister and struggles with embarrassment and frustration because she might have a disability, but she is also very much a young woman and not a child. He has to keep her out of trouble and its tough on him when he's around his friends and has to bring Natalie along. I also loved how he took responsibility for things she did even if it meant feeling the crushing disapproval of the adults around him. He's very conscious of how to help her with navigating her needs whether it is sticking to her routine, helping her with calm down methods, not putting her in situations where she'll melt down, and also respecting that she is older and not stupid so her choices and happiness are important to him. He's a good guy and works hard to help people and he strives to be a good man like his dad. I totally would have had a crush on Moose if I was a teen girl.
The historical backdrop of Alcatraz in its hey day was not skimped on. I thought the life of the families living there below the actual prison and of the inmates who had some contact with the families through those who worked service jobs was vividly sketched out and felt authentic. Moose has a dangerous situation that was not probable in some ways, but it took things to the heart of the prison and how dangerous it was inside. I thought the baseball, people with special needs, and family life in that era was also nice touches. Oh, and let's not forget the presence of the celebrity prisoner himself. It was neat to see some interaction with Al Capone. Moose is wary and has a healthy fear of the prisoners, but can't help being curious about some famous ones.
I experienced this book on audio and really enjoyed Kirby Heyborne's rendition of Moose and the others. He handled Natalie's awkward vocal parts in a respectful way just as he masterfully handled a cast that included kids to adults of both genders and had a nice way of capturing the era in his voice somehow (maybe I was imagining that). I had no trouble feeling I was right there and that a young teenager was telling the story without an annoying voice. I liked the way he handled the really tense moments so that I felt my heart race with anticipation or suspense. Definitely want to listen to more of his work.
All in all, this was a hit out of the park and I want more of Moose's adventures and life on Alcatraz. This is a book for young teens, but I think adults who like historical fiction would enjoy this one, too.
My thanks to Penguin Random House Audio for the opportunity to listen to this book in exchange for an honest review.
February 4, 2019
One of the best Middle-Grade series ever written. Gennifer Choldenko gets my highest praise for creating a series that will stand the test of time and appeals to all ages. Wrapping up the series with a book that darn near brought me to tears. I’ll miss Moose and the gang as they are growing up and moving in different directions.
August 2, 2018
In the fourth book in this engaging series, Moose will be entering high school soon and wants to be on the varsity baseball team, but dealing with his autistic older sister is very challenging. In the intense last quarter of the novel, Natalie is tricked into entering the prison and Moose must try to save her; this part of the book is very cinematic! In fact, the action, characters, and historical setting all blend well and would make a great film. Often, entries in a series get less interesting, but this is just as good as the previous books and highly recommended for middle schoolers.
July 31, 2023
Actual rating: 4.5
This series was really fun, and informative. I’ve been trying to find books about Alcatraz and San Francisco because I’m taking a trip there this summer. This series was just the books I was looking for. I learned a lot about Alcatraz, but the things I never thought about, like how the guards and there families live on the island, were the most interesting. The characters were very well developed and they all came such a far way. I know this book was written more for younger readers, but I really enjoyed it. There were little plot twists, and mysteries, and I loved going along with Moose, as he solved them. He came such a far way in this series. He started off as hating the island, and wishing he was back in San Francisco, but ended calling the island his home. I really liked reading about Moose’s autistic sister, Natalie, and how people learned more about autism back in the 30’s. It was very interesting how the doctors didn’t know what Nat had, and I never thought about it like I did now. I think the author added the perfect amount of sub plots, and it went well with the book. Lastly, I loved the little bits of romance she added. It was cute and sweet.
4.5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨Would recommend 👍🏼Age rating: 11+ (some violence)
Happy reading! ⚾️👮🏽♂️🫎🦅🍞🔪�
This series was really fun, and informative. I’ve been trying to find books about Alcatraz and San Francisco because I’m taking a trip there this summer. This series was just the books I was looking for. I learned a lot about Alcatraz, but the things I never thought about, like how the guards and there families live on the island, were the most interesting. The characters were very well developed and they all came such a far way. I know this book was written more for younger readers, but I really enjoyed it. There were little plot twists, and mysteries, and I loved going along with Moose, as he solved them. He came such a far way in this series. He started off as hating the island, and wishing he was back in San Francisco, but ended calling the island his home. I really liked reading about Moose’s autistic sister, Natalie, and how people learned more about autism back in the 30’s. It was very interesting how the doctors didn’t know what Nat had, and I never thought about it like I did now. I think the author added the perfect amount of sub plots, and it went well with the book. Lastly, I loved the little bits of romance she added. It was cute and sweet.
4.5/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨Would recommend 👍🏼Age rating: 11+ (some violence)
Happy reading! ⚾️👮🏽♂️🫎🦅🍞🔪�
December 30, 2018
Such an outstanding series, and the audio version is so well done!
January 1, 2019
I am so sad . . . The last book in this series! What will I do without a little more Moose!?!? Please write another one!!!!
May 30, 2022
It's summer 1936 and changes are in the air on Alcatraz Island, home to the notorious Al Capone, or 85. 13-and-a-half year old Moose Flanagan can't wait for school to get out so he can play baseball all summer in training for the high school team next year. Freshmen aren't usually allowed but he KNOWS he has what it takes. Unfortunately, the warden has other ideas. He wants Moose to watch Piper all summer! Moose knows Piper is trouble with a capital T! She may be pretty but watching her will take too much time and end with him getting into trouble. Plus he also has to keep an eye on his sister Natalie who is home from her special school for the summer. Natalie is turning 17 and growing up quickly. When Bea Trixel takes an interest in Natalie Moose is suspicious. He doesn't like seeing his sister fall prey to what he fears it some kind of trick. Or it could be that the Trixels are trying to get in good with Dad because rumor has it, Mr. Flanagan is up for a promotion to warden! His potential promotion comes at a difficult time when the prison workers are about to declare a strike. Moose discovers a mysterious note from Al Capone in his dad's uniform pocket and wonders what the prisoner wants now! Can Moose make the baseball team and keep everyone out of trouble?
I picked this up a long time ago but couldn't get into it. The plots of all 4 books all have the same outline. The dramatic, heart-pounding ending was really unbelievable. The author's notes at the end are always interesting, especially when she reveals a bit about her sister's struggles with autism in more recent times than the 1930s but long enough ago that understanding and treatment were barely available. Natalie's story comes to a conclusion at the end of this book and I'd like to think there's hop for her future.
In this one Moose is still trying to suck up to a kid he shouldn't be friends with for the sake of joining a baseball team. Piper calls Moose a doormat and even Natalie can see what's going on! I don't think Moose is a doormat but he takes ALL the drama on himself and it's killing him. Trying to make friends with a mean boy is pretty typical for that age but Moose is also being pressured by his best school friend who REALLY REALLY wants to make the team. Moose ties himself in knots trying to make everyone happy and it backfires. He's a good kid but sometimes makes dumb decisions and sometimes things just happen to him. What happens to him at the end is not his fault but stuff like that happens ALL THE TIME! This time it's magnified and the stakes are higher. Every book pretty much ends the same way.
I love Natalie. She's really grown up a lot. Even though she's 17, her mother keeps persisting in pushing Natalie into fitting into a mold of a much younger child. Mrs. F seems to think Natalie is a perpetual child and has some kind of intellectual impairment. I know they didn't even have a name for autism yet let alone understand it but it really, really makes me angry at Mrs. F that she never even TRIES to understand her daughter or treat her daughter like she's a normal teenager. She may not understand everything you say but in this book it becomes clear that she has normal teenage thoughts and feelings about growing up and even has her first crush on a boy. Way to go Natalie! Of course her growing up causes problems because she's a young woman on an island full of criminals and lacks the understanding that they're a)dangerous and b)haven't seen/been with a woman in a long time and that makes them a threat. Poor Natalie just wants to be normal. Like Moose, I was uncomfortable with Bea Trixel giving Natalie a makeover without Mrs. F's approval and pushing Natalie to believe marriage at 17 is acceptable. (For the most poor who don't have the money to finish high school and go to college, maybe but would Bea Trixel be that giddy and excited if it was Piper?) I think Bea is trying to get rid of Natalie any way she can and if marriage is the answer, so be it.
Natalie proves herself more intelligent and wise than everyone gives her credit for. SHE sees what's going on with Moose , really for the first time, and wants to help. Of course she doesn't realize her help gets them into a whole heap of trouble. I think Moose's resentment of his sister is very realistic and valid at times. He's frustrated because his mother is awful and unable to cope with having a special needs child. He's frustrated because the adults never see what's going on with Natalie. Natalie now makes a new BFF and that has Moose and this reader worried! Never fear, Natalie does indeed know what she's doing and proves that she is more than her "problem". She'll always struggle for acceptance and understanding but she's making great strides and trying hard.
Piper is trying to make amends for what she did. I don't trust her any more than Moose does but as an adult reader I can read between the lines and see a girl on the cusp of young womanhood who desperately wants her father's unconditional love. He seemed to give it to her when she was younger but now she feels her baby brother has usurped her place in the family and her father doesn't love her. I doubt that's the case but she's older now and he has to hold her accountable for her actions. What she did affects the other kids, her dad and the convicts too. She says she's sorry but the other kids don't believe it. Only Jimmy feels sorry for her. Piper also reaches out to Natalie when previously she had always been mean to Natalie. Does Piper have a new trick up her sleeve? Does she wants to date Moose now Annie is off island for the summer and that couple is split? Does she think befriending his sister will help her chances? Does she have some evil plan in mind? Or is Piper just a lonely teenage girl who finds a kindred spirit in another lonely teenage girl. With Annie gone, they're the only teen girls left.
There's not enough Theresa in the story. She usually provides a lot of comic relief and I think she's cute. She's too young to hang out with the teenagers now they're growing older. She also doesn't trust Piper anymore. Theresa and Jimmy are sadly only in one scene.
Moose's best school friend Scout takes the place of the Alcatraz kids. I don't like him. He keeps getting Moose into trouble. This time he knows better but he's too eager to join the high school kids in playing baseball. The boys don't seem to care that an older boy is jerking them around, manipulating them and probably has no intentions of letting the freshmen on the team. Beck is a nasty kid. He's so eager to see proof that Moose lives on Alcatraz but I bet he will end up there some day. Why does this kid have so much power? Passerini is a good kid. He's kind and knows just what to say. I like his solution to the problem.
The cons are either good or evil- with Moose's dad or against him. Most of the cons like Moose's dad because he advocates for better treatment. Mr. Flannagan is moral and uncorruptable and those who have a chance to get out appreciate that. Al Capone wants better treatment- a fancier cell and thinks he deserves it. He wants whoever will be on his side to be the warden. Fastball, on the other hand, is eligible for parole soon and he's aware that one corrupt guard can keep Fastball in prison if Nose so much as sets a toenail out of line. Fastball seems to have repented his crime. He's adopted a kitten, against the rules, and is kind and protective of the children too. He won't last a minute on the outside! Moose ponders the fate of Fastball and nothing has really changed since then for convinced criminals. I hope Fastball has a family or someone to help him out.
I enjoyed this series and getting to know Alcatraz. My niece may visit there this summer and I'm hoping she will so I can push this series on her and so I can see pictures of Moose's home! Any ideas on how to convince an "I only read graphic novels or very short books" kid to read this series? I'm going to see if she'll let me download the audiobook on her iPad or phone.
I picked this up a long time ago but couldn't get into it. The plots of all 4 books all have the same outline. The dramatic, heart-pounding ending was really unbelievable. The author's notes at the end are always interesting, especially when she reveals a bit about her sister's struggles with autism in more recent times than the 1930s but long enough ago that understanding and treatment were barely available. Natalie's story comes to a conclusion at the end of this book and I'd like to think there's hop for her future.
In this one Moose is still trying to suck up to a kid he shouldn't be friends with for the sake of joining a baseball team. Piper calls Moose a doormat and even Natalie can see what's going on! I don't think Moose is a doormat but he takes ALL the drama on himself and it's killing him. Trying to make friends with a mean boy is pretty typical for that age but Moose is also being pressured by his best school friend who REALLY REALLY wants to make the team. Moose ties himself in knots trying to make everyone happy and it backfires. He's a good kid but sometimes makes dumb decisions and sometimes things just happen to him. What happens to him at the end is not his fault but stuff like that happens ALL THE TIME! This time it's magnified and the stakes are higher. Every book pretty much ends the same way.
I love Natalie. She's really grown up a lot. Even though she's 17, her mother keeps persisting in pushing Natalie into fitting into a mold of a much younger child. Mrs. F seems to think Natalie is a perpetual child and has some kind of intellectual impairment. I know they didn't even have a name for autism yet let alone understand it but it really, really makes me angry at Mrs. F that she never even TRIES to understand her daughter or treat her daughter like she's a normal teenager. She may not understand everything you say but in this book it becomes clear that she has normal teenage thoughts and feelings about growing up and even has her first crush on a boy. Way to go Natalie! Of course her growing up causes problems because she's a young woman on an island full of criminals and lacks the understanding that they're a)dangerous and b)haven't seen/been with a woman in a long time and that makes them a threat. Poor Natalie just wants to be normal. Like Moose, I was uncomfortable with Bea Trixel giving Natalie a makeover without Mrs. F's approval and pushing Natalie to believe marriage at 17 is acceptable. (For the most poor who don't have the money to finish high school and go to college, maybe but would Bea Trixel be that giddy and excited if it was Piper?) I think Bea is trying to get rid of Natalie any way she can and if marriage is the answer, so be it.
Natalie proves herself more intelligent and wise than everyone gives her credit for. SHE sees what's going on with Moose , really for the first time, and wants to help. Of course she doesn't realize her help gets them into a whole heap of trouble. I think Moose's resentment of his sister is very realistic and valid at times. He's frustrated because his mother is awful and unable to cope with having a special needs child. He's frustrated because the adults never see what's going on with Natalie. Natalie now makes a new BFF and that has Moose and this reader worried! Never fear, Natalie does indeed know what she's doing and proves that she is more than her "problem". She'll always struggle for acceptance and understanding but she's making great strides and trying hard.
Piper is trying to make amends for what she did. I don't trust her any more than Moose does but as an adult reader I can read between the lines and see a girl on the cusp of young womanhood who desperately wants her father's unconditional love. He seemed to give it to her when she was younger but now she feels her baby brother has usurped her place in the family and her father doesn't love her. I doubt that's the case but she's older now and he has to hold her accountable for her actions. What she did affects the other kids, her dad and the convicts too. She says she's sorry but the other kids don't believe it. Only Jimmy feels sorry for her. Piper also reaches out to Natalie when previously she had always been mean to Natalie. Does Piper have a new trick up her sleeve? Does she wants to date Moose now Annie is off island for the summer and that couple is split? Does she think befriending his sister will help her chances? Does she have some evil plan in mind? Or is Piper just a lonely teenage girl who finds a kindred spirit in another lonely teenage girl. With Annie gone, they're the only teen girls left.
There's not enough Theresa in the story. She usually provides a lot of comic relief and I think she's cute. She's too young to hang out with the teenagers now they're growing older. She also doesn't trust Piper anymore. Theresa and Jimmy are sadly only in one scene.
Moose's best school friend Scout takes the place of the Alcatraz kids. I don't like him. He keeps getting Moose into trouble. This time he knows better but he's too eager to join the high school kids in playing baseball. The boys don't seem to care that an older boy is jerking them around, manipulating them and probably has no intentions of letting the freshmen on the team. Beck is a nasty kid. He's so eager to see proof that Moose lives on Alcatraz but I bet he will end up there some day. Why does this kid have so much power? Passerini is a good kid. He's kind and knows just what to say. I like his solution to the problem.
The cons are either good or evil- with Moose's dad or against him. Most of the cons like Moose's dad because he advocates for better treatment. Mr. Flannagan is moral and uncorruptable and those who have a chance to get out appreciate that. Al Capone wants better treatment- a fancier cell and thinks he deserves it. He wants whoever will be on his side to be the warden. Fastball, on the other hand, is eligible for parole soon and he's aware that one corrupt guard can keep Fastball in prison if Nose so much as sets a toenail out of line. Fastball seems to have repented his crime. He's adopted a kitten, against the rules, and is kind and protective of the children too. He won't last a minute on the outside! Moose ponders the fate of Fastball and nothing has really changed since then for convinced criminals. I hope Fastball has a family or someone to help him out.
I enjoyed this series and getting to know Alcatraz. My niece may visit there this summer and I'm hoping she will so I can push this series on her and so I can see pictures of Moose's home! Any ideas on how to convince an "I only read graphic novels or very short books" kid to read this series? I'm going to see if she'll let me download the audiobook on her iPad or phone.
June 16, 2023
4.5. Moose is still on Alcatraz Island, finishing up 8th grade and getting ready for high school and their baseball team. But the convicts are striking, his dad is up for Warden, he's been tasked with taking care of both Piper and Natalie, and there is someone on the island who is willing to use Natalie to hurt their father, even if Nat gets hurt, too.
Completely as enjoyable and interesting as the first three. I enjoyed seeing Moose and Nat and friends slightly older--Nat is turning 17 now, despite their mother dressing her as if she's still 10. I worried a bit when the flap copy referred to her as "fragile," but she remains the strong character she's always been. The stakes feel higher in this one, with them being older. And even though Natalie is manipulated by another (adult) character, she isn't blamed for this because it could have happened to any of them.
What I love best about these books is how Natalie is clearly autistic, and has behaviors and actions that are associated with autism. But those behaviors and actions are never dismissed as being weird or bad. They have purpose. At one point, following her breadcrumbs for the birds routine revitalizes her and she's able to work with Moose because she was given the space to self-care. Her anxieties and meltdowns are given purpose and understanding. SHE is given purpose and understanding, and the same respect afforded to every other character in the book. She's a fully fleshed out character. I compare her and her rules to Cynthia Lord's Rules, and dislike Rules even more. I wish there were more characters like Natalie, and more sibling relationships like hers and Moose's. There really aren't any other out there that reflect the relationship I have with my brother, or what I see my friends having with their sibs.
Completely as enjoyable and interesting as the first three. I enjoyed seeing Moose and Nat and friends slightly older--Nat is turning 17 now, despite their mother dressing her as if she's still 10. I worried a bit when the flap copy referred to her as "fragile," but she remains the strong character she's always been. The stakes feel higher in this one, with them being older. And even though Natalie is manipulated by another (adult) character, she isn't blamed for this because it could have happened to any of them.
What I love best about these books is how Natalie is clearly autistic, and has behaviors and actions that are associated with autism. But those behaviors and actions are never dismissed as being weird or bad. They have purpose. At one point, following her breadcrumbs for the birds routine revitalizes her and she's able to work with Moose because she was given the space to self-care. Her anxieties and meltdowns are given purpose and understanding. SHE is given purpose and understanding, and the same respect afforded to every other character in the book. She's a fully fleshed out character. I compare her and her rules to Cynthia Lord's Rules, and dislike Rules even more. I wish there were more characters like Natalie, and more sibling relationships like hers and Moose's. There really aren't any other out there that reflect the relationship I have with my brother, or what I see my friends having with their sibs.
January 31, 2018
Before beginning high school, Moose struggles to join the baseball team and care for a sister with autism, all while living on Alcatraz Island.
Moose is the son of the assistant warden on Alcatraz. He encounters many obstacles in his quest join a baseball team during the summer before his freshman year. Moose must look after Piper, the warden's troublesome daughter. He must convince an unreasonable baseball captain who wants Alcatraz souvenirs to let him play. And above all, Moose must care for Natalie, his sister with autism who turns 17.
Heart-pounding action and authentic characters grab the reader and don't let go until the end. The real strength of Al Capone Throws Me a Curve is Moose and Natalie's relationship. Moose loves his sister dearly, becomes exasperated at times with her behavior, and balances their individual goals. Natalie, meanwhile, asserts herself as a young lady and develops many new social skills. Readers with siblings who have differences, be they social, mental, or physical, can identify with Moose's feelings, thoughts, and reactions to his sister. I read this book at every opportunity over the past few days, and I cried when it ended. The other children's books that made me cry were Wonder and Island of the Blue Dolphins .
I received a copy of this through a GoodReads giveaway.
Moose is the son of the assistant warden on Alcatraz. He encounters many obstacles in his quest join a baseball team during the summer before his freshman year. Moose must look after Piper, the warden's troublesome daughter. He must convince an unreasonable baseball captain who wants Alcatraz souvenirs to let him play. And above all, Moose must care for Natalie, his sister with autism who turns 17.
Heart-pounding action and authentic characters grab the reader and don't let go until the end. The real strength of Al Capone Throws Me a Curve is Moose and Natalie's relationship. Moose loves his sister dearly, becomes exasperated at times with her behavior, and balances their individual goals. Natalie, meanwhile, asserts herself as a young lady and develops many new social skills. Readers with siblings who have differences, be they social, mental, or physical, can identify with Moose's feelings, thoughts, and reactions to his sister. I read this book at every opportunity over the past few days, and I cried when it ended. The other children's books that made me cry were Wonder and Island of the Blue Dolphins .
I received a copy of this through a GoodReads giveaway.
August 12, 2018
Another winner! I have really enjoyed this series and this 4th book was as good as the others. Moose is 13 (and a half) in this book and he is really growing up. His family is suffering growing pains as his mom is freaking out about Natalie becoming a young woman and getting a crush. His dad is up for a promotion and the whole island is acting crazy because the prison oversight is coming to inspect the place. Plots from the Trixles and well-meaning activities from Natalie are threatening the well-being of the Flanagan family again, but Moose saves the day as always.
One of my favorite things is the way Choldenko sums up characters so succinctly. Scout, Moose's friend is described:
And Moose's dad:
One of my favorite things is the way Choldenko sums up characters so succinctly. Scout, Moose's friend is described:
He can charm a tree stump. He can befriend a highway divider. He can convince a pen to become a pencil for the day.
And Moose's dad:
My father's voice is warm. He doesn't fake being nice; he finds something he genuinely likes about everyone.
January 21, 2019
Such a wonderful series! It wraps up very nicely! Full of hope for the characters you come to learn and care about.
January 12, 2023
If you think the first book was a good ending this is even better.
April 4, 2018
This was by far the most tense and action packed book in the series. After reading, I feel doubtful that another book will come out, but with all my heart I hope for another one. This is a series that combines both funny and serious elements all in one to create a seemingly flawless mix of the two. I enjoy baseball, but that is not the reason this book was my favorite, it seemed to contain more elements and conflict which made it less predictable than most books which was a twist out of the normality you usually expect in books. Anyone with a brother or sister with autism will completely understand what Moose is feeling, and even those without will feel as Moose does.
April 5, 2018
When I saw the Advance Reader's Copy of the fourth book in the Al Capone series I immediately got in line for the give-away. I enjoyed all the books, but I think this one tugged at my heartstrings the most.
Moose desperately wants to get on the high school baseball team as a freshman and has the chance if he will produce something that has a connection to Al Capone and Alcatraz. In the meantime, Moose is given the responsibility of watching over the warden's trouble making daughter, Piper, and Moose's older sister, Natalie, needs even more attention. She's seventeen now and even though she's autistic, she's learning to be more independent, and is attracted to one of the baseball players, which makes it hard for Moose to take her to his ball practices. When her life is endangered Moose makes a powerful stand, even if it doesn't benefit him.
Growing up in a prison town, we saw prison trustees in the community, but like Moose, I wouldn't have known what to do on their turf. I feared for the prisoner who was trying to get paroled and for Moose and Natalie, but had to keep turning the pages.
Moose desperately wants to get on the high school baseball team as a freshman and has the chance if he will produce something that has a connection to Al Capone and Alcatraz. In the meantime, Moose is given the responsibility of watching over the warden's trouble making daughter, Piper, and Moose's older sister, Natalie, needs even more attention. She's seventeen now and even though she's autistic, she's learning to be more independent, and is attracted to one of the baseball players, which makes it hard for Moose to take her to his ball practices. When her life is endangered Moose makes a powerful stand, even if it doesn't benefit him.
Growing up in a prison town, we saw prison trustees in the community, but like Moose, I wouldn't have known what to do on their turf. I feared for the prisoner who was trying to get paroled and for Moose and Natalie, but had to keep turning the pages.
September 23, 2018
The faithful will be happy to see a new installment in this series, with its unique setting and appealing main man, Moose. My son, who was a devotee of this series in his younger teen years, was now uninterested in reading book 4, however, so it does pay for authors not to wait too long between books. Moose struggles with the idea of his sister Natalie as a maturing young woman, and feels that his mother has given up dealing with the issue. His father is in line for the job of warden, and is preoccupied with work. It falls to Moose in his usual responsible way to watch over Natalie, but how can he, when the warden has personally asked him to spend all the time he can with Piper, newly returned from boarding school and considered a volatile and unpredictable force. All Moose really wants is to get on the baseball team over in the city, but since he's younger, it will take some negotiating. Well written as usual, with familiar characters beginning to evolve into young adulthood, and Choldenko's sensitive observations of special needs resources and perceptions in the 30s. YA.
June 16, 2022
It’s been a while since my daughter and I were able to blaze through a series with such enthusiasm. Things change when kids become teenagers (as they should) but I’ve mourned the loss of our car listening time. It was fun to find something that we were equally into and each wanted to listen to as often as possible. Thank you, Gennifer Choldenko for providing these moments.
November 25, 2018
Another home run for the Al Capone series! I love these stories and Moose and his friends/family are outstanding characters too! Gennifer Choldenko you are a fabulous writer!
October 3, 2018
First sentence: Even when you live on a prison island with crafty criminals plotting ways to knock you off, summer is the best time of the year.
Premise/plot: Al Capone Throws Me a Curve is the fourth book in Gennifer Choldenko's series. The first three are Al Capone Does My Shirts, Al Capone Shines My Shoes and Al Capone Does My Homework.
Moose Flanagan has worries--worries big and small. He's worried about having to "babysit" the warden's daughter, Piper. She's back for the summer, and, if you've read the series you know she is TROUBLE. Whether Piper ever means to get into trouble is up for debate. But Piper and Moose have history. (If you remember, Piper got into BIG, BIG trouble in the last book for circulating counterfeit money.) He's worried about not getting on a baseball team. Scout really wants to play with the older kids--ninth graders, I think?--and he's wanting MOOSE to help him--help them--get on the team. How?! Using his prison connections to celebrity criminals like Al Capone. Moose loves, loves, loves baseball. He does. But he really doesn't like how Scout is always pressuring him about one thing or another. Nothing ever seems enough for Scout. (If Moose didn't live on Alcatraz, would Scout want to be his friend?) Moose is still worried--at times--about his father. After all, it hasn't been all that long since an attempt was made on his life. Will his father be promoted to warden? What will it mean if he is?
But first and foremost Moose is worried about his sister, Natalie. She's turning SEVENTEEN. Their mom may have given up the pretense of her turning ten every year, but, she's far from at peace with Natalie's real age. How does Natalie fit in the real world? How does she fit into their family? How does she fit into their life on the island?
My thoughts: These books are so good. I'm so glad I decided to reread the whole series in preparation for this new one. I came into the book ATTACHED to the characters. For better or worse, reading all the books so close together makes them weightier somehow. I feel like I've been living in Moose's shoes and carrying his burdens.
Premise/plot: Al Capone Throws Me a Curve is the fourth book in Gennifer Choldenko's series. The first three are Al Capone Does My Shirts, Al Capone Shines My Shoes and Al Capone Does My Homework.
Moose Flanagan has worries--worries big and small. He's worried about having to "babysit" the warden's daughter, Piper. She's back for the summer, and, if you've read the series you know she is TROUBLE. Whether Piper ever means to get into trouble is up for debate. But Piper and Moose have history. (If you remember, Piper got into BIG, BIG trouble in the last book for circulating counterfeit money.) He's worried about not getting on a baseball team. Scout really wants to play with the older kids--ninth graders, I think?--and he's wanting MOOSE to help him--help them--get on the team. How?! Using his prison connections to celebrity criminals like Al Capone. Moose loves, loves, loves baseball. He does. But he really doesn't like how Scout is always pressuring him about one thing or another. Nothing ever seems enough for Scout. (If Moose didn't live on Alcatraz, would Scout want to be his friend?) Moose is still worried--at times--about his father. After all, it hasn't been all that long since an attempt was made on his life. Will his father be promoted to warden? What will it mean if he is?
But first and foremost Moose is worried about his sister, Natalie. She's turning SEVENTEEN. Their mom may have given up the pretense of her turning ten every year, but, she's far from at peace with Natalie's real age. How does Natalie fit in the real world? How does she fit into their family? How does she fit into their life on the island?
My thoughts: These books are so good. I'm so glad I decided to reread the whole series in preparation for this new one. I came into the book ATTACHED to the characters. For better or worse, reading all the books so close together makes them weightier somehow. I feel like I've been living in Moose's shoes and carrying his burdens.
June 25, 2018
4.5. Moose is wrapping up eighth grade, and desperately wants to join the high school baseball team as a freshman, which is unheard of. Back on Alcatraz, his dad is up for promotion to warden, the prisoners are striking, and in addition to taking care of his sister Natalie (now 17, despite the fact that their mother insists that she never aged past ten), he's been tasked with keeping the warden's sneaky daughter, Piper, out of trouble while she's home from boarding school on summer vacation. Meanwhile, there's someone on the island who wants to hurt Moose's dad, and doesn't care who else gets hurt in the process.
I continue to love this series, especially the portrayal of Natalie, who, though clearly autistic, is never "othered" for it--her needs and her uniqueness are given sensitive, tender, respectful treatment. In short, Natalie is clearly just another Alcatraz kid and the kids and grown-ups alike accept her as such. This is so refreshing to see.
I continue to love this series, especially the portrayal of Natalie, who, though clearly autistic, is never "othered" for it--her needs and her uniqueness are given sensitive, tender, respectful treatment. In short, Natalie is clearly just another Alcatraz kid and the kids and grown-ups alike accept her as such. This is so refreshing to see.
February 18, 2019
The fourth and final book in the Al Capone middle grade series, and boy will I miss spending time with Moose, Natalie, and the Alcatraz gang. In this novel, the author does a fantastic job of portraying how teens, whether autistic or not, grow up, become interested in, and confused by, the opposite sex, and cope with a lot of situations that the grown-ups in their lives don't realize they face, and probably would think are too adult for them to handle. I'm thrilled about Natalie's realistically happy ending, even though she doesn't get to marry Passerini. I've been looking in the past two Al Capone books for the Trixles to get what is coming to them, but I guess some things are best left up to destiny. (Watch out, Bea, Karma is a bitch!) And Moose is my hero. For being the brother Natalie needs, and for always stepping up to the plate.
May 7, 2018
I love good historical middle grade series and Choldenko's Al Capone series is excellent. This newest installment is no exception. It's interesting, it's entertaining, it's funny, and it's heartfelt. Moose is an understated but irresistible hero—it's impossible not to root for his success. With a rich setting, a colorful cast, and several intriguing conflicts at its center, this book will appeal to both kids and adults. I highly recommend the whole series to historical fiction lovers of all ages.
June 6, 2018
I don’t know whether it is correct to compare this series to the Joey Pigza series. I’d never connected them before but it came strongly to mind as I read this one. I think the differing treatment of different characters� arcs across the books are comparable: some characters hardly changing and thus having difficulty adjusting to the ones who do, some changing subtly while retaining their essential character, and then there’s Natalie whose arc is the emotional center of the series, even though it’s not her POV—she is an indelible character, moreso than Joey Pigza in my personal opinion.
July 20, 2018
This is the fourth in this series about Moose and his sister, Natalie. Moose is a teen now and having a sister on the autism spectrum, trying to get on the high school baseball team as a freshman, and playing bodyguard to the warden's duplicitous daughter are all making his life very complicated. But the complications turn to danger when Natalie needs to be rescued and there's nobody to do it but Moose. Well-read by Kirby Heybourne and a great story.
May 26, 2021
Like all the books in this series, this one is lovely and heartfelt. It will make you smile and will tear your heart out simultaneously. One of the realest depictions of life with an autistic child that I have encountered in literature. There is SOME degree of implausibility here, and plenty of times when I wanted both of the parents to be better and do better by their children, but maybe that's a metaphor for life.
July 3, 2018
I've enjoyed every installment of this series. There is a lot going on but all the threads matter to the characters and the story but never feel overly inserted.
I grew up as the older sister to a delightful and, at times, consuming developmentally disabled sister; Moose's frustration and protectiveness for Natalie feels completely genuine.
I grew up as the older sister to a delightful and, at times, consuming developmentally disabled sister; Moose's frustration and protectiveness for Natalie feels completely genuine.
July 17, 2018
Loved this sequel! Book 4 of the series. It’s been years since I’ve read one of these books. I felt like I just read a book recently and wasn’t that lost to remember the characters and previous stories. A great addition to any library. I liked reading about some facts regarding Alcatraz Island and Al Capone at the end of the book.
April 12, 2022
I really enjoyed this series a lot. The storyline is really engaging, the characters were super loveable. I think the premise for this story is so creative and Gennifer Choldenko executed it well! I'm a bit sad it's over, but happy the series isn't overly long.
Thanks for 4 great reads Gennifer! I truly enjoyed each book of this series.
Thanks for 4 great reads Gennifer! I truly enjoyed each book of this series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 191 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.