10. Al Capone Does My Shirts

Choldenko, Gennifer. Al Capone Does My Shirts. New York: Puffin Books, 2004. Text
Annotation: "Come on Nat. It's not everybody who gets to live down the street from thieves and murderers, you know."

Recommendation: The book Al Capone Does My Shirts was a great read!  It was funny, had great characters and was really well written.  It also dealt with an issue that many fiction books do not cover, autism.  The characters in the story are well developed.  The main character, Moose, has a unique voice full of wit and great dialogue.  His biggest strength is his love for his sister.  He spends much of his time with her and it is clear that he truly cares about her well-being.  Moose's sister Natalie has autism.  As a character, Natalie shines as a girl living with autism.  Her actions and dialogue are spot on for that of some children in real-life who have autism.
The novel is relevant for teens today because many kids in school are probably aware of someone who has autism.  This book allows the chance for students to read about the disease in a fiction form.  By doing this, they are able to learn about the disease and hopefully gain some insight into what it means to have autism as well as to live with someone who has autism.  There are times when students may not fully understand what autism is and this book gives them a chance to learn.  I think this is an extremely awesome part of the story.
The book has an overall great style.  It is written in a way that flows across the page, so most students who pick it up will have no time reading through it.  The words are easier and more in-line with YA readers today, which helps to make readers understand it better. 
Genre: Humor