Fourth Grader Reads Al Capone Shines My Shoes

If you don’t read Al Capone Shines My Shoes by Gennifer Choldenko before you leave fourth grade, I will track you down and shove it into your hand. It has a humorous tone throughout the action-packed plot, and has many new and old problems that Moose solves in an interesting way. BEWARE: this book involves Moose getting a note from the notorious Al Capone himself. There are many more reasons to read this book, but I chose just three. My first reason is the book has a humorous tone, even in tight places. An example of where the book has a humorous tone is “Nothing is the way it’s supposed to be when you live on an island with a billion birds, a ton of bird crap, a few dozen rifles, and 278 of America’s worst criminals.” This is humorous because it shows that Moose doesn’t like where he lives yet he’s making the most of it. Next, the book has a fast-paced action plot. A time where the action is fast-paced is “Something cracks, a sound like splitting wood. The world spins, the boat deck is slipping out from under me. My legs buckle, a sharp pain rips my skull.” This is fast-paced because it’s packed with lots of tension and some of America’s worst criminals. Finally, there are many problems in the book. An example of a problem is “She’s standing over Rocky, who isn’t crying now. He isn’t making a sound. His eyes are panicky and his skin is almost blue. Why isn’t he moving?” This is a problem because Rocky is Moose’s best friend’s brother, and he’s choking. All in all, Al Capone Shines My Shoes is a humorous, fast paced book with multiple problems.
It’s an amazing book!