Al Capone Does My Shirts

The Story:  Moose Flanagan isn't exactly thrilled when his family has to move to Alcatraz.  The year is 1935 and Alcatraz Prison holds the worst of the worst criminals.  Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly, and Roy Gardner are a few of the many notorious inmates there.  Moose and his family move here because of his, um, special, older sister, Natalie.  His mother believes that the Esther P. Marinoff School is the best school to help Natalie with her... special needs (called autism now).  Moose is sometimes embarassed by Natalie when he has to act like the older brother, since he's 12 and Natalie's 16.  His mom's attention always belongs to Natalie, in the process, neglecting Moose.  On Alcatraz, Moose's dad works as an electrician and a guard.  Every family that lives on the island has their father as a guard.  On Alcatraz, Moose makes friends with an incredible cast of characters.  There's Theresa, the 7 year old, I meant, 7 and THREE QUARTERS year old that insists that her mother's baby is hers, Annie, the girl with the killer throwing arm (well, for a GIRL), Jimmy, and his rock flinging contraptions, and Piper.  Piper.  The cute but dangerous warden's daughter that always has a scheme in mind.  They all have their adventures trying to meet some criminals while Natalie is trying to get into the Esther P. Marinoff.  One rejection after another, Natalie still can't get into the school.  So what happens when Moose asks Al Capone to get her in?

Chloe's Critique:  Al Capone Does My Shirts was a fun, quick read.  While all the schemes mentioned in the book weren't true, the book still gave you a detailed look into the life of people living on Alcatraz.  The book also gives you an idea of how autistic children act and think by Natalie's actions and dialogue.  While this book doesn't have a lot of driving action, it has a lot of heart.  It centers on a family's love for their child.  Every thing they do is to try to help Natalie with her condition.  Witty and clever, Al Capone Does My Shirts will please young readers (8 up?)

Rating:  3.5/5 stars

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

*This will be a spoiler-free review for Mockingjay, minor spoilers for Catching Fire*

The Story:   Katniss Everdeen has made it out of the arena twice.  It wasn't by accident that she was rescued out of the Quarter Quell instead of her fellow tribute, Peeta Mellark.  After those last hectic moments in the Quell, Katniss learns that Peeta has been taken by the Capitol, and the whole country is in rebellion.  She is the face of the rebellion, ever since she pulled out those berries in the arena.  But now, will she be able to become the Mockingjay and lead the whole country of Panem to revolution?  Can she bring unity to all the districts and overthrow the Capitol?

*Sorry, I take my word back :)  This part will have a lot of spoilers and angry rants... don't say you haven't been warned :)*
Chloe's Critique:  This has been one wild ride.  It's hard to believe that the series is over already!  Mockingjay is the darkest of the trilogy, yet it's full of hope.  Hope that the rebels will win.  Hope that Peeta's okay.  Hope that life will be better.    By the end of the book, I was an emotional wreck, crying uncontrollably.    But it still didn't live up to my expectations.  Really? Did she really need to kill Prim?  I mean really?????  That was totally unnecessary!  And Katniss wasn't Katniss at all in this book!  I mean, shes' an emotional wreck and just gives up.  And the biggest upset: Gale.  For all the fans out there, I'm team Gale.  Even though Gale didn't win Katniss' heart, I hated how Suzanne made it seem like they never talked again.  He was her best friend!  And technically, even though it was his bomb design that killed Prim, he didn't drop the bomb!  Katniss doesn't deserve Gale and I hope she's happy with Peeta Mellark- "Today, we let him feed himself pudding! Plutarch says".  Peeta = epic fail. Even though I didn't like it that much, Mockingjay will be sure to delight Hunger Game fans around the world.

Rating: 4.999999991/5 stars :)