For other kids, growing up on a high security prison island might be a dream or a nightmare, but for Moose Flanagan, it is just his everyday life. As the offspring of a guard, Moose and his autistic sister Natalie make their home on Alcatraz Island off the coast of San Francisco. At first, the news that their father has been promoted to Associate Warden seems like an unmixed blessing. Only later does the family realize that Moose's dad new job makes him a prime target for angry cons. Nevertheless, when a fire breaks out at their apartment, Natalie is singled out wrongfully as the prime suspect. To catch the real culprit, Moose and his school buddies search for clues. Then they receive unexpected help from an unlikely source: "Scarface" Al Capone. The capstone volume in a refreshingly original trilogy set in the 1930s.
Publishers Weekly
This final installment in the life of Moose Flanagan, a boy who lives on Alcatraz Island during the 1930s, brings Choldenko’s trilogy to a satisfying conclusion. The story opens with good news: Moose’s father, Cam, has been promoted to associate warden of the island’s infamous prison. But the new job makes Cam a target, and the family feels the backlash immediately when a suspicious fire breaks out at their apartment while Moose and his developmentally disabled sister, Natalie, are home alone. A malicious neighbor suggests Natalie started the blaze, inciting problems with the special boarding school Natalie attends. Mean-while, money is changing hands in odd ways around the island, and inmate No. 85 (Capone) sends Moose another cryptic note, written on Moose’s homework (“Luckily, he wrote in pencil”), which helps Moose and his affable gang sort the good guys from the bad. Choldenko continues to infuse the Alcatraz community with warmth and originality (the kids play “rock, newspapers, shiv”). Despite being “the roughest hard-time prison in America,” by the end of this winning series, it’s also a place Moose comes to proudly call home. Ages 10–up. (Aug.)
Newsday
"Choldenko's storytelling is compelling, portraying human decency as a force more powerful than heroism."
The Horn Book
"Choldenko's multifaceted novel offers something for everyone-history, mystery, intrigue, and humor. Ultimately, though, it's this extremely likable boy working through friendships and crushes, on the one hand, and wrestling with family and community problems, on the other, that has held our attention through three books."
starred review Booklist
"Rich characterization, tender drama, and sleuthworthy clues, this poignant mystery makes for a thoroughly satisfying conclusion to the landmark historical trilogy."
Horn Book
Choldenko's multifaceted novel offers something for everyone-history, mystery, intrigue, and humor. Ultimately, though, it's this extremely likable boy working through friendships and crushes, on the one hand, and wrestling with family and community problems, on the other, that has held our attention through three books.
Booklist (starred review)
". . .baseballs, bottle caps, and carrier-cockroaches, [Moose] and the other island kids take on gambling debts, missing knives, a murder plot, a counterfeit ring, even pixie secrets . . . . Especially noteworthy is the author's sensitive ability to humanize heroes and villains alike, grounding the tense action in palpable reality. With rich characterization, tender drama, and sleuth-worthy clues, this poignant mystery makes for a thoroughly satisfying conclusion to the landmark historical trilogy."
Children's Literature - Peg Glisson
Moose is very proud that his father is now the Assistant Warden of Alcatraz, but he quickly learns that with that title comes some danger from cons and guards alike. When a suspicious fire ruins their apartment, some on Alcatraz accuse Moose's developmentally-disabled sister Natalie, now 16 of causing it. Moose fiercely defends and protects his sister. Other strange things are happening on the island as well—gambling, cockroach messengers, theft, a missing knife, and counterfeiting. Moose and his friends piece together enough of the various puzzles to straighten things out. Capone plays a very minor role in the story, but it is one of his clues that helps Moose solve part of the mystery. Choldenko once again does a terrific job with her characters, especially Moose and his family. She captures their different ways of handling Natalie and her disability, their weariness, embarrassment, and worry, and their established roles within the family. Moose is wise and responsible beyond his age, partly because of Natalie. He is often responsible for her and has an understanding of her abilities and behaviors that the adults don't. Yet his feelings about her are complicated, and Choldenko allows the reader to see some of his resentment. While a strong conclusion to this trilogy (see also Al Capone Does My Shirts, Al Capone Shines My Shoes), the book does stand alone. Reviewer: Peg Glisson
School Library Journal
Gr 6–8—This conclusion to the trilogy picks up four months after Al Capone Shines My Shoes (Dial, 2009). Moose still feels the burden of looking out for his loved ones: protecting his father, newly promoted to Associate Warden; and caring for sister, whose latest challenge is learning to make eye contact with people. One night when he is babysitting Natalie, a fire breaks out in the family's apartment. Moose fears it's his fault because he fell asleep, and the resentful Trixle family blames Natalie. Moose and the Alcatraz kids (Piper, Annie, Jimmy, and Theresa) band together to find out what really caused the fire. Adding to the mystery, island residents are suddenly receiving anonymous gifts. Multiple reveals keep the pages turning quickly. Choldenko is unsurpassed at interweaving plot with historical detail, drawing a touching parallel between Natalie and first-term President Franklin Roosevelt. She uses Capone's celebrity status as a foil to Moose's father, which helps the 13-year-old appreciate his father's understated strengths. The trilogy ends on an uplifting note for Moose and Natalie. Choldenko hints that Natalie's math skills could lead to a meaningful life for her and Moose won't always have the weight of the world on his shoulders. His dad reassures him: "All you can do is try to inspire each person to be their best self." While the book ably stands alone, it delivers a satisfying conclusion to readers who've grown fond of this cast of characters.—M. Kozikowski, Sachem Public Library, Holbrook, NY
Kirkus Reviews
Newbery Honoree Choldenko brings her trilogy about a boy and his unusual life on Alcatraz Island to a bittersweet end. Now 13, Moose feels more responsible than ever for his autistic older sister, Natalie. So when a fire starts in his family's apartment one evening while his parents are out, he's sure it's somehow his fault. Did Natalie start the fire after he nodded off? Moose and the other Alcatraz kids don't think so, but they find it's not so easy to prove when Natalie is unable to explain herself. Meanwhile, jealous prison guard Darby Trixle keeps giving Moose's dad a hard time for landing the job Darby believes he deserved, and mysterious wads of cash are showing up in the prison laundry. When Moose recovers a lost piece of his homework from the burned-out apartment covered in Al Capone's handwriting, it provides him with clues to the source of the random money and the motivation to clear Natalie's name. Choldenko consistently excels at penning pitch-perfect dialogue and balancing a large cast of original characters, and this title is no exception. But new readers will want to start with the series opener, as this is a true concluding volume. A satisfying finale to what has become a cornerstone series in contemporary children's literature. (author's note) (Historical fiction. 10-14)
