The convicts on Alcatraz Island are the kind other prisons don't want. In 1935, Moose Flanagan moves with his sister Natalie and his parents to the Island. Alcatraz is a 12-acre rock covered with cement, topped with bird turd, and surrounded by water. Moose and his sister are not the only kids who live here. There are 23 others on the island because their dads work as guards, cooks, doctors, or electricians for the prison. In addition to their families, there are a ton of murderers, hit men, con men, embezzlers, connivers, burglars, and kidnappers. There may even be an innocent man or two, but that's highly unlikely. 'You get to Alcatraz by being the worst of the worst. Unless you're me. I came here because my mother said I had to.'

Similar books: Bandits Moon by Sid Fleischman; Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 4/13/2009

ISBN-10: 0399238611

ISBN-13: 9780399238611

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With a name like Meggy Swann everything in life should be lovely. Unfortunately, that is very far from the truth when your legs are crippled, your mother finds you a bother, and everyone in London shuns the unfortunate. However, it is Meggy's high spirit and determination that carry her through the difficult daily tasks. Sent to her father, Meggy arrives with not much more than her goose. With his alchemy experiments failing, money is scarce and her father's needs are quite demanding. Soon she finds herself caught up in her father's dark schemes and she is determined that things do not go as planned.

Similar books: Catherine Called Birdy by Karen Cushman; The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman

Reviewed by: adf

Date read: 8/2/2010

ISBN-10: 0547231849

ISBN-13: 9780547231846

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Alice Paul spent her whole life working for women's rights. She was born in 1885, when women could not vote, and most girls did not go to college. However, her parents thought education was important. Alice got a college degree in social work, and eventually went back to college for two law degrees. While Alice was studying in England, she started working with the suffragists, women who were fighting for a woman's right to vote. She continued her work for voting rights after she returned home to the United States. She was put in jail several times while marching for voting rights. Finally, in 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment, giving women the right to vote, was passed! After 1920, Alice worked for equal rights for all women around the world. She made sure that the charter for the United Nations included equal rights for all people. Part of the American Lives series.

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 4/14/2009

ISBN-10: 1403457034

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Twelve-year-old Matt is the son of a Vietnamese woman and an American solider. His father ends up leaving his family. In despair about what Matt's life would be like in Vietnam, his mother gives him to an American solider. Matt's adoptive family adore him but Matt is haunted by what he saw in war-torn Vietnam. This powerful story is told in verse. Root on Matt as all the broken pieces of his life come together.

Similar books: Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse

Awards nominated: Rebecca Caudill Award Nominee 2012

Reviewed by: JB

Date read: 5/10/2011

ISBN-10: 0545080924

ISBN-13: 9780545080927

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Ten-year-old Connie Ives lives in the Brooklyn neighborhood called The Alley. The Alley is full great characters, fun games, and adventures. One of these adventures has Connie, her best friend, Billy Maloon, and the rest of the neigborhood kids playing detective, after Connie's house is burglarized. Will they collect enough clues, and put them together like puzzle pieces to solve the mystery? For another story about the kids from The Alley, read The Tunnel of Hugsy Goode.

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 4/13/2009

ISBN-10: 0152049185

ISBN-13: 9780152049188

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