Things on Alcatraz are heating up in this wonderful conclusion to Gennifer Choldenko's A Tale from Alcatraz series, begun with the Newbery Honor–winning Al Capone Does My Shirts.
Moose Flannigan's father has been promoted, but it turns out that being the associate warden's kid is no picnic. The rules seem to apply doubly to Moose now, and Darby Trixle--angry for being passed over for the promotion--is determined to give the Flannigan family a hard time. If that weren't bad enough, the cons have a game running against the higher-ups on the island: "Spitting on a guard = 5 [points] / Spitting on a warden = 20 / Making a shiv = 40 / Stealing a knife = 50 / Stabbing a guard = 250 / Stabbing a warden = 500 / Death Bonus: guard = 1,000 / Death Bonus: warden = 5,000."
Though he's only 13, Moose feels it is up to him to keep his father safe and look out for his older sister, Natalie. When a fire breaks out in the Flannigans' apartment, Moose and his friends are determined to figure out who started the blaze. But with accusations flying and tempers rising, this proves easier said than done.
Choldenko does not shy away from putting characters in tough predicaments or danger, yet never leaves them alone to face these challenges. The inventive plot and memorable characters tell a story of friendship, growing up and, every now and then, getting a hand from Al Capone. --Julia Smith, blogger and former children's bookseller