This nonfiction companion to Al Capone Does My Shirts explores what life was like for the children and families who lived on Alcatraz in the mid-1930s, taking a closer look at the history of Alcatraz and the criminals housed there.

In Gennifer Choldenko's novel Al Capone Does My Shirts, Moose Flanagan has to figure out how to navigate life on Alcatraz. Not only is the island home to infamous criminals like Al Capone, but Moose also has to help his parents with his sister, who has autism, and learn how to fit in at school. In this nonfiction companion to the popular novel, you'll read about what life was like for real kids who grew up on Alcatraz, prisoner escape attempts, autism in the 1930s, and exactly why Al Capone was so famous.

The Nonfiction Companion series takes popular, grade-appropriate fiction titles and provides a more in-depth understanding of them. What were ration booklets really like? How did barefoot doctors work? Did families really run away to work on farms? Students will love to read about the histories, author backgrounds, and real-life facts surrounding books they already know and love.