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?

**

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Grade 6–8—Readers who enjoyed Al Capone Does My Shirts (Putnam, 2004) will find this lively novel a worthy sequel. Most of the large cast has returned and, as in the previous book, the 1935 Alcatraz Island setting is well realized through glimpses of its infamous prison, inmates, and island life. The narrator is Moose Flanagan, whose father works as a prison guard. The 12-year-old baseball-loving boy is both naive and wise beyond his years. He loves Natalie, his developmentally disabled older sister, despite her unpredictable behavior; when she has good days, he says, "it feels as if the sun has come out after sixty straight days of rain." Along with the warm family drama, there's the intrigue that comes of living among notorious prison inmates on a tiny island. They are a source of free labor, and, once again, Moose finds terse messages in his laundry. Apparently inmate #85, aka Al Capone, engineered Natalie's acceptance into a special school at the boy's request, and now Moose receives a note saying, "Your turn." How he responds to this menacing correspondence makes for an involving yarn, and Choldenko layers her narrative with comical and poignant plot twists. At times, her canvas feels crowded with less-involving characters and subplots, but her sprightly writing ensures that this novel never loses its grip on readers' imaginations. This is superlative historical fiction, but it will be most appreciated by those familiar with the first book.—Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA END

Review

"Heart-stopping?heartrending?heartwarming." -"San Francisco Chronicle"

"Choldenko seamlessly blends laugh-out-loud humor with high drama in this fast-paced book." -"Sacramento Bee"

"A tender, engaging book that captures both the imagination and the heart." -"San Jose Mercury News"