Illustrator: none
Genre: Historical Fiction
Subgenre:
Themes: family and siblings, childhood and growing up, special needs and disabilities
Characters:
~Primary: Moose Flanagan
~Secondary: Natalie Flanagan, Mr. and Mrs. Flanagan, Piper Williams, Theresa Mattaman, Jimmy Mattaman, Annie, Warden Williams, Prisoner 105, Scout,
Awards:
~Newbery Honor Book
~NYPL’s 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
~ALA Best Book for Young Adults
~ALA Notable Book Award
Date of Publication: 2004
Publication Company: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Summary: Alcatraz Island does not sound like the most welcoming place to live, but it is the new home of Moose Flanagan and his family. And although he will be living among convicted thieves, murders, and kidnappers, Moose does not plan on getting in any trouble. All he wants to do is take care of his sister Natalie and play a little baseball. When he meets the warden’s daughter Piper, however, all his grand plans go out the window. Moose must deal with the rejection of his sister from his mother’s dream school, the school that will give her the help that she needs, and work to keep his family from being kicked off the island. But when dreams of normalcy for his sister seem out of reach, Moose turns to an unlikely source for help.
Recommendation: As a future special education teacher, I would recommend this book to everyone. It shows the difficulties and the joys that families of children with autism go through. I would especially encourage people who know siblings of children with autism to read this book to get a better perspective on family dynamics and struggles of those caring for individuals with special needs.
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