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--high schoolers, 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.
© 2018 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
1 comment:
I had one https://usabookreviewers.com/ reader contact me directly on Goodreads saying she wanted to read my book but that they rejected her, which was interesting to hear about the "behind the scenes." I sent a MOBI to her, and she reviewed it pretty quickly, so I count that as a win.
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