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danne789's review against another edition
3.0
Moose is probably one of the toughest and kindest 10 year olds I know. He is moved to Alcatraz island so that his autistic sister can attend a school. But he also has to take her with him everywhere he goes. So he's on a island of the worst convicts and is suddenly a caretaker for his older sister but still tries to keep up with school and friends. The book is more about this and less about Alcatraz and even less about Capone. Though the two do have their roles in the book.
The book is meant for 6th to 8th grade. I do think it's a little old for 6th grade, but 7th and 8th I would say this would be a good read. It's got action, tension, a fun resolution.
As an adult I thought it was cute. I can see why a middle schooler would like this.
The book is meant for 6th to 8th grade. I do think it's a little old for 6th grade, but 7th and 8th I would say this would be a good read. It's got action, tension, a fun resolution.
As an adult I thought it was cute. I can see why a middle schooler would like this.
breakfastgrey's review against another edition
5.0
This book was awesome. I'm not normally a huge historical fiction fan, but this book uses history as flavoring instead of trying to trick me into a dull lesson. The characters were a blast, but I would've liked a few more hard answers at the end (maybe they're in the sequel?). (student book club)
scwoodyard's review against another edition
2.0
It was ok. Read it with my students. It didn't really engage them as other texts we've read but they liked it well enough.
4saradouglas's review against another edition
4.0
Moose has an altogether abnormal life. He has a sister who is a little different and his mom makes him tell everyone she is 10, though it’s obvious she’s a teenager. He also happens to live on Alcatraz with the worst criminals in America. Moose tries to make the best of his circumstances, making friends at school and getting into shenanigans on the island with the other kids who all want to meet Al Capone. It is a little hard to stay out of trouble on an island of convicts and scheming children, and things get a little messy!
This is both a very fun and yet educational and touching book. Moose has a very good relationship with his autistic sister Natalie, and yet it’s not perfect, which makes it seem very real. This book can help children understand autism while giving them a good story to keep them interested. Once you get past the shock that children lived on Alcatraz, you realize it must have been pretty fun!
This is both a very fun and yet educational and touching book. Moose has a very good relationship with his autistic sister Natalie, and yet it’s not perfect, which makes it seem very real. This book can help children understand autism while giving them a good story to keep them interested. Once you get past the shock that children lived on Alcatraz, you realize it must have been pretty fun!
cmconsidine's review against another edition
4.0
Inspired by one of my cool 5th graders who reads a lot and is enjoying it!
laila4343's review against another edition
3.0
Really touching and funny book about a family living on Alcatraz in 1935. Turns out there really were kids living on the island - the last chapter in the audiobook details the real history. A good listen for middle-grade readers. Kind of heavy in that it deals with a sibling who has autism, which, of course, wasn't a diagnosis made back then.
onceuponacarm's review against another edition
5.0
This was one of those books I didn't have much interest in reading, but it was available in audio at my public library and is a Newbery Honor book, so I figured it was worth a try. I loved it. It was the kind of story that seems too unlikely to be made up, with a realistically complicated family, the discomfort of adolescence, stigmas of the 1930s, the glamor of Alcatraz criminals, and incredible love.