Books › Al Capone shines my shoes
Al Capone shines my shoes
First published 2009 · 274 pages
A warm, high-stakes historical romp where the anxiety of keeping dangerous secrets collides with fierce sibling devotion.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like stepping into a sunlit but shadowed 1930s island, where the salty breeze carries both childhood innocence and the looming threat of the adult world. The narrative moves at a brisk, engaging clip, driven by the protagonist's wry, conversational voice that perfectly masks a deep well of anxiety and fierce loyalty. It balances the quirky, claustrophobic atmosphere of a prison island with the universal growing pains of adolescence. The emotional texture is rich with moral ambiguity, asking heavy questions about right and wrong without ever losing its sense of humor or warmth. It will thoroughly delight readers who crave historical fiction that feels immediate, funny, and grounded in the messy, beautiful reality of family life.
- Mood
- atmospheric
- tense
- nostalgic
- warm
- Tone
- wry
- earnest
- anxious
- humorous
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- sibling loyalty · moral ambiguity · coming of age · neurodiversity · weight of secrets
- The writing
- Conversational and highly accessible, the narrative voice is infused with the authentic, slightly sarcastic, yet deeply empathetic perspective of a 1930s teenager.
- The arc
- The protagonist navigates a web of anxious obligations and hidden secrets, ultimately arriving at a profound realization about courage and the lengths we go to for family.
- Who it's for
- Middle-grade readers who love historical fiction that balances quirky humor with genuine emotional stakes and complex family dynamics.
Content notes
- historical ableism
- prison setting
- mild peril
About the book
Moose and the cons are about to get a lot closer in this much-anticipated sequel.It's 1935. Moose Flanagan lives on Alcatraz with his family, the other families of the guards, and a few hundred no-name hit men, con men, mad dog murderers and a handful of bank robbers too. And one of those cons has just done him a big favor.You see, Moose has never met Al Capone, but a few weeks ago Moose wrote a letter to him asking him to use his influence to get his sister, Natalie, into a school she desperately needs in San Francisco. After Natalie got accepted, a note appeared in Moose's freshly laundered shirt that said: Done.As this book begins, Moose discovers a new note. This one says: Your turn. Is it really from Capone? What does it mean? Moose can't risk anything that might get his dad fired. But how can he ignore Al Capone?
Description from Open Library.
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