Gennifer CholdenkoCritiques

I was trying to show someone how to use the audiobook feature at our library so, after selecting "historical fiction", I randomly selected this book. Initially I wondered if I'd made a mistake when the narrator said he liked something about as much as ... poison ivy(? not sure that was it, but that was the gist of it) on his privates. But that was the last off color remark and I was very soon really enjoying the book. I'd just finished reading "A Friend Like Henry" also about an autistic child, so while this story itself never diagnoses Moose's older sister (until the Epilogue when it explains that no one understood this malady in the 1930's), I recognized the behaviors and found the story very believable, and hope a brother really would be this loving and patient with such a sister.

I read this book aloud to my class. I let them vote and averaged it... 3.68 stars!
Students were asked to give one or two sentence reviews:
"I like the book a lot"
"I would recommend this book because it was very exciting...I always wanted to find out what happened next ... It left me on the edge of my seat".
"I did not like it because I did not really understand it..."
"I loved all the characters. I thought it was interesting and it made me laugh sometimes"
"I didn't understand any of it, but keep trying Mrs. Pacinello!"

I enjoyed reading to my class.

The title threw me off, I expected a book about a jerk kid(since those seem to be painfully popular) but instead this is a sweet story of a boy trying to take care of himself an his older sister who is autistic.

I love Dan Santat's illustrations. They are so simple and beautiful.

I read this back when it came out. I'm not sure why I didn't review it then, but I can't stop thinking about it now. A deadly disease. Mandatory quarantine. Racism against Chinese immigrants. Sound familiar? This book is set in 1900, but so many aspects of it are relevant today with COVID-19.

The third (and probably final) book about Moose Flanagan is solid middle grade historical fiction. Moose and his Alcatraz community of guards, families, and convicts are still compelling--when you share an island with America's most famous criminals, there's bound to be some drama! In this book, we see Moose's dad has been promoted to Associate Warden. There's a mysterious fire. Moose tries to be everything to everyone (a character trait that was less and less endearing to me as the book progressed), including his friends Annie and Piper (the other two points of a mild tween love triangle) and his big sister Natalie (who most likely has undiagnosed autism), and of course his dad who is now a target because he's a warden. The bad guys, Mr. and Mrs. Trixle, were one-dimensional, that dimensional being terrible. I had more sympathy for the cons.

I enjoyed this book and would gladly recommend this series to pretty much any middle grade reader. I was expecting a bit more of a wow factor that I didn't get, but I'm not complaining. I hope Ms. Choldenko has lots more books left to write. She's good at it.

Independent Reading level: 4th-7th grade.
Awards: Los Angeles Public Library FOCAL (Friends of Children and Literature) Award

First sentence: I know what you're thinking: That poor dog only has three legs. But don't go there. It's not that bad, okay? So, I'm not American Kennel Club material. Big deal. My eyes are sharp, my nose is wet, my coat puppy soft, and the white patch over my eye? It's a charmer, I don't mind saying. My name is Chance. I'm pleased to meet you.

ETA: I first reviewed Dogtown in July 2023. Yes, it's only been a few months. Barely two months. But I loved it so much. The first time I read a review copy. The second time I checked it out from the library. I loved it just as much--if not more.

Premise/plot: Dogtown is an animal shelter (dog shelter). It features dog-dogs and robot-dogs. (Presumably, this animal fantasy is futuristic animal fantasy). It stars Chance, our LOVABLE, adorable, super-kind hero. He's long been a resident at Dogtown. This is the story of his friendships at Dogtown. In particular, how he made [close] friendships with two unlikely residents: a mouse (named Mouse) and a robot dog, Metal Head. The book contains their adventures/misadventures.

My thoughts: Does this one feature a dog in peril? Yes and no. No, in that it isn't just one dog in peril. It is DOGS (plural) in peril. Though this one doesn't feature direct-direct sads, it features plenty of potential peril. Does it have heart and substance? A thousand times yes. I loved, loved, loved, loved this one so much. I LOVE the emotional journey of this one. Very feel-good. Very warm-and-cozy. Yet not instant. Do I see myself rereading it? YES. I already want to reread it. I could reread it a million times and still be moved by how awesome it is.

I loved the story. I loved the characters. I loved EVERYTHING.
My favorite, favorite, favorite element of this one is the inclusion of the BOOK BUDDY program. Pairing school-age children with shelter-dogs for reading time. These scenes were HEART-MELTING.

Quotes:

I learned something important that day: Never say something about a dog that you wouldn't want him to hear. "I like the moniker," Metel Head said. I didn't know if he'd burned out his bulbs or somebody had adjusted his settings, but the blue flashing had stopped. I could look at him without getting a headache. "Why do you want to escape?" I asked. "I want to go home," he said.

Here's another thing humans are sadly misguided about: Luck is not a winnin ghand of cards. Luck is making a new friend.

It wasn't the way it was supposed to be, with the kid reading and the dog listening. But one look at Metal Head and Quinn, scooted up close to each other, and it was pretty clear something had happened. Something big.

"What about your humans, Chance? Don't you want to go home?" This was not the kind of question Dogtown dogs asked each other. If a dog wanted to talk about how she ended up at Dogtown, that was fine. But you didn't ask a question that broke a dog's heart to answer. How do you explain kindness to a a machine with a hunk of metal where his heart should've been? I really didn't know.

"Your heart is a muscle," I told Mouse at dinner that night. "It grows stronger the more you use it."

I can't say that Metal Head was a friend, then,. He was more of a friend of a friend. Quinn liked him and I liked Quinn. But yeah, I did want to see if everything worked out for him. But wasn't the real reason I said yes. The real reason was something I didn't want to admit...there were a lot of phone poles up ahead. And maybe they had signs, too.

The smell of cheese is simply divine. The taste of it is even better.

Once hope gets inside you, you want your wishes to come true so badly, you just can't imagine that they won't.

Would be a great read aloud for 2nd, 3rd and maybe beginning of 4th grade.
Audio was well done (other than the long pauses between chapters). Chapters are very short, I want to look at the book format, which might encourage some reluctant readers!

The problem sometimes is that I fall so in love with a title, that the book cannot possibly compare. This is one of those books. It was good - a cute YA book about dealing with a sibling with severe autism. Alcatraz loosely features as a supporting character, mostly in cameo.

Twelve-year-old Moose Flanagan lives on Alcatraz Island, home of the famous prison where his Dad is a guard and where Al Capone is being held. Moose's sister, Natalie, has a condition that implies autism and their parents have had difficulty finding a school for her. in the first book of the series Moose asked Capone for help which leads to a clandestine correspondence continued in this story where Capone expects a return of the favour. Choldenko has created a terrific plot, fantastic characters and a wonderful glimpse of depression-era California.

First sentence: I know what you're thinking: That poor dog only has three legs. But don't go there. It's not that bad, okay? So, I'm not American Kennel Club material. Big deal. My eyes are sharp, my nose is wet, my coat puppy soft, and the white patch over my eye? It's a charmer, I don't mind saying. My name is Chance. I'm pleased to meet you.

Premise/plot: Dogtown is an animal shelter (dog shelter). It features dog-dogs and robot-dogs. (Presumably, this animal fantasy is futuristic animal fantasy). It stars Chance, our LOVABLE, adorable, super-kind hero. He's long been a resident at Dogtown. This is the story of his friendships at Dogtown. In particular, how he made [close] friendships with two unlikely residents: a mouse (named Mouse) and a robot dog, Metal Head. The book contains their adventures/misadventures.

My thoughts: Does this one feature a dog in peril? Yes and no. No, in that it isn't just one dog in peril. It is DOGS (plural) in peril. Though this one doesn't feature direct-direct sads, it features plenty of potential peril. Does it have heart and substance? A thousand times yes. I loved, loved, loved, loved this one so much. I LOVE the emotional journey of this one. Very feel-good. Very warm-and-cozy. Yet not instant. Do I see myself rereading it? YES. I already want to reread it. I could reread it a million times and still be moved by how awesome it is.

I loved the story. I loved the characters. I loved EVERYTHING.

My favorite, favorite, favorite element of this one is the inclusion of the BOOK BUDDY program. Pairing school-age children with shelter-dogs for reading time. These scenes were HEART-MELTING.

I love historical fiction that gives us a glimpse of portions of history we haven't heard a lot about. In this new adventure/mystery set in 1900 San Francisco, a medical mystery highlights the tension between Chinese Americans and white San Francisco residents. Issues of class, race, and gender are everywhere, not to mention the pretty scary state of medical knowledge at the time!

Good YA novel with insights into autism and the history of Alcatraz prison.

This is one of those middle grade books that doesn't translate well for older readers. Which is fine. I'm not the target audience. I don't want to read about how much mucus a nose makes or "farts in a jar". But a middle grade reader would probably delight is such silliness.
Just not for me.

Well, it was like a really long, disjointed nightmare. I kinda figured it out about 3/4 of the way through. Interesting and scary idea. I'd pass on this one.

In the last book of the "Tales from Alcatraz" series, Moose is now thirteen and his autistic sister Natalie turns seventeen. Their mother is forced to face the fact that Natalie is maturing and wants to look her age, and she has a crush on a boy. But when Moose is forced to keep watch over both Natalie and the prison warden's bratty daughter one afternoon, Moose and all the other kids on the baseball field discover that Natalie picks up on bits of conversation that make Moose's life as her brother even harder.
I like this series a whole lot as it's written with historical accuracy and realism. It's partly about growing up on Alcatraz and following the many rules for safety and dealing with the prisoners, but it's also placed during the Depression, and Moose's family also has the issue of Natalie's autism in a time when the understanding about this was rare.

Recommended Ages: Gr. 3-5

Plot Summary: When Liam's parents got divorced not too long ago, his mom got a dog for her and the kids shortly after. Then, they had to move into an apartment, and now the dog is peeing everywhere. Between the pee and Dakota's science experiments, their landlord is threatening to kick them out. Finally, he gives them three weeks to solve the dog pee problem or the dog will have to go. Will Liam and his sisters be able to solve this problem to keep their beloved dog?

Setting:

Characters:
Liam - 5th grade
Dakota - 8 yo, scientist, bold and brave
Izzy - has down syndrome, loves to hug
Cupcake - dog
Mom - Australian
Will Rose - dad
Torpse the Corpse - landlord
Dodge - Liam's best friend, doesn't talk much
Crash - Dodge's grandpa, primary guardian to Dodge

Recurring Themes: family, divorce, friendship, science, dog

Controversial Issues: none

Personal Thoughts: The writing in this book is different. There's almost no description so it seems to move faster, even though not that much is actually happening. It also means character development is learned through conversations so it was a little hard to keep track of everyone at first. I thought it was interesting that we didn't find out Izzy has down syndrome until about one-third through the book. I would describe this book as a quirky portrayal of real life.

Genre: realistic fiction

Pacing: medium fast (see personal thoughts)
Characters: sisters blended together at first
Frame:
Storyline:

Activity:½

In the 1930s, Moose Flanagan moves with his family from Santa Monica to Alcatraz Island, where his father has gotten a job as an electrician and a guard; the family moved, in part, in the hopes of Moose's sister Natalie getting into the Esther P. Maranoff school for disabled children. But Natalie doesn't get in, and she becomes Moose's responsibility after school when their mother goes to San Francisco to teach piano lessons. Moose loves Natalie and doesn't always agree with his mom about what's best for her; he's also frustrated that he isn't able to play baseball with his friends after school. There aren't many other kids his age on the island, and the one who is - Piper - is the warden's daughter. Piper is sweet-faced but full of schemes and mischief; ultimately, though, Moose takes a leaf out of Piper's book and sends a letter to Al Capone to ask for his help getting Natalie admitted to the school.

Autographed.

A companion book to Choldenko’s other Alcatraz stories, this book continues to develop the relationships between siblings, friends, neighbors, and criminals. A group of kids work to solve a mystery that hits too close to home.

What an interesting book to read during a pandemic! The discussions of the role of competing financial interests and racial and class biases in crafting public health policy, distribution of treatment, and dissemination of information are very relevant, as is the issue of vaccine hesitancy. Aside from the timeliness, this is quite an enjoyable read about a young woman trying to find her way in the world. Another from Build Your Library, level 6.

I remember liking this when I was in middle school, it doesn't seem to have held up well now that I'm an adult.

I remember liking this when I was in middle school, it doesn't seem to have held up well now that I'm an adult.

Another book that makes me wish Goodreads allowed half-stars--it would be two and a half. While there were parts of the book I really enjoyed, many transitions left me confused, and the ending was supremely unsatisfying. I don't know this author's other work but I felt she made some classic non-fantasy-writer trying fantasy types of mistakes. Many fun parts but I don't think young readers will be impressed by the ending.