Al Capone Shines My Shoes
Moose Flanagan is back, and you don鈥檛 have to have read 鈥�Al Capone Does My Shirts,鈥� Gennifer Choldenko鈥檚 Newbery Honor-winning first book, to appreciate the sequel, Al Capone Shines My Shoes. This second book about Moose and his hapless adventures on Alcatraz Island may be even more fun than the first.
It鈥檚 the summer of 1935 and all is not well for a 12-year-old boy whose toilet is regularly unstopped by an ax murderer aka Seven Fingers. Seven Fingers is the plumber for the families living on Alcatraz, where Moose鈥檚 father works as a prison guard and Al Capone still does laundry, ably assisted by Machine Gun Kelly.
In fact, as fans will remember from 鈥淎l Capone Does My Shirts,鈥� Capone probably had a hand in Moose鈥檚 sister鈥檚 acceptance at the Esther P. Marinoff School. But things didn鈥檛 work out as planned for Natalie at the boarding school. Now she鈥檚 returned, just as a worrisome new note appears in the family鈥檚 laundry. Two words are written on a scrap of paper tucked into Moose鈥檚 shirt pocket: 鈥淵our turn.鈥�
Told in perfect historical context, the story deftly moves from one exploit to the next. Baseball games continue on the parade grounds. Moose鈥檚 friend Jimmy trains flies for his menagerie. Officer Darby Trixle is as ornery and hateful as some of the prisoners he watches. The mean-spirited warden鈥檚 daughter Piper again intrigues and infuriates, adding a slight love interest that confounds Moose.
Although 鈥淎l Capone Shines My Shoes鈥� is a fast-paced adventure story, the subtle underlying messages are worth hearing. Moose recognizes his ambivalence about his relationship with his sister, who has undiagnosed autism, and he struggles to accept the degree to which she depends on him. Again, as in the first book, strong ties develop among the kids whose parents guard the bank robbers, murderers, and hit men. Living at Alcatraz teaches Moose an important lesson: Friendships are difficult, but worth the effort.
Choldenko鈥檚 new novel will be as admired and appreciated as was her earlier story of the kids living on Alcatraz Island. Let鈥檚 hope this isn鈥檛 the end of Moose Flanagan and his cohorts. After all, they鈥檙e the good guys. They鈥檙e just growing up in a place where the 鈥渕ost notorious gangster in America鈥� might be shining your shoes one day and filing down metal bars in an escape attempt the next.
Which makes for a very exciting, can鈥檛-wait-to-see-what-happens-next story. Kids and their grown-ups are going to love this one.
Augusta Scattergood is a freelance writer in Madison, N.J.
