Al Capone Does My Shirts: General Impressions
Post your general feelings about the book in the comments to this post.
posted by Mr Talbot at 6:47 PM
A Blog for NYC elementary school librarians to discuss novels and other literature for upper elementary students.
posted by Mr Talbot at 6:47 PM
3 Comments:
I liked the book, but wonder if students will relate to such a "period piece." Have any of you gotten reactions from kids? Do they like it? Are the boys' reactions different from the girls'?
I agree that the book needs to be kid tested. But I would say that I have students who really liked the kind of books that Jon Scieszka was kind of making fun of...stuff like Sarah Plain and Tall. Part of the reason they took to books like that was because of teacher recommendations. Compared to some of the other historical fiction that kids have liked, I think Al Capone is packaged in a more appealing way and also has a more irreverant voice that will appeal to students.
I looked on unitedstreaming and there are clips of Al Capone. I think that would be a very engaging "in" for my students...
It's funny--I didn't even think of it as a period piece... In fact, in the very beginning I had to re-read the date heading, because I tend to overlook small beginning things..
I think the baseball backdrop is smart--makes the 1930s feel contemporary & identifiable/relevant... also it isn't so baseball-heavy that it would lose baseball-haters. I LOVE the family story set inside this.
I've not read it with kids yet...but I've been trying to push it on every kid who walks by desk. I think kids who start it won't be set back by the time-period at all. I can't think of any story details that would seem foreign or drastically outdated. There's a nice background mention of the Depression (I think?)(that the jobs in SanFrancisco are scarce?)--and then the basic Alcatraz/Capone/gangstery lore is sort of intriguing/exciting.
I think the Notes at the end are perfect.
Post a Comment
<< Home