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You get to Alcatraz by being the worst of the worst. Unless you're me. I came here because my mother said I had to.
Moose Flannagan moves with his family to Alcatraz so his dad can work as a prison guard and his sister, Natalie, can attend a special school. But Natalie has autism, and when she's denied admittance to the school, the stark setting of Alcatraz begins to unravel the tenuous coping mechanisms Moose's family has used for dealing with her disorder.
When Moose meets Piper, the cute daughter of the Warden, he knows right off she's trouble. But she's also strangely irresistible. All Moose wants to do is protect Natalie, live up to his parents' expectations, and stay out of trouble. But on Alcatraz, trouble is never very far away.
Set in 1935, when guards actually lived on Alcatraz Island with their families. Choldenko's second novel brings humor to the complexities of family dynamics and illuminates the real struggle of a kid trying to free himself from the "good boy" stance he's taken his whole life.
"In this appealing novel set in 1935, 12-year-old Moose Flanagan and his family move from Santa Monica to Alcatraz Island.... The story, told with humor and skill, will fascinate readers with an interest in what it was like for the children of prison guards and other workers to actually grow up on Alcatraz Island." —School Library Journal, starred review
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Paperback: $6.99 |
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Newbery Honor
NYPL's 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
Publishers Weekly Best Book 2004
ALA Best Book for Young Adults 2005
ALA Notable Book 2005
New York Public Library Best Book for Teen Age 2005
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