Al Capone Shines My Shoes [Paperback]

What do you do when your neighbors are a bunch of hit men, con men, and mad dog murderers? Well, if you're Moose Flanagan, you ask the most notorious convict of them all, Al Capone, for help. But when that convict comes through for youÑand then asks you for a favor in returnÑsuddenly it's a whole different ball game. Picking up where the NewberyÐHonor winningAl Capone Does My Shirtsleft off, this lively second romp featuring Moose, his friends, and some of Alcatraz's finest is just as satisfying as the first. 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 NewsGennifer Choldenko is theNew York Timesbestselling and Newbery Honor Award-winning author of ten children's books, includingNotes From a Liar and Her Dog,If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period,No Passengers Beyond this Point,Al Capone Does My Shirts,Al Capone Shines My Shoes, andAl Capone Does My Homework. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family.

The big question . . .

I don’t know for certain it was Capone who helped us. I mean the guy is locked up in a five-by-nine-foot cell. He’s not allowed to make a phone call or write a letter that isn’t censored word for word. It doesn’t seem possible he could have done anything to help us, even if he wanted to.

But out of desperation, I sent a letter asking Capone for help and Natalie got accepted. Then I got a note in the pocket of my newly laundered shirt. Done, it said.

I haven’t told anyone about this. It’s something I try not to think about, but today, the day Nat’s finally leaving for school, I can’t keep my mind from going over the details againlÓ*