Recommended Age:
10
+
Ideal for independent readers who engage with character-driven, humorous narratives and social observations.
About the Book
In 1935, twelve-year-old Moose Flanagan moves to Alcatraz Island when his father takes a job as a guard and his family hopes the island's proximity to San Francisco will allow his older sister Natalie—who has severe developmental differences—to attend a special school. A warm, funny, and moving historical novel about family, difference, and what it means to be a good sibling. A Newbery Honor book.
Content Ratings
💡
Mild Themes
The book deals with a sister's developmental differences — depicted in ways consistent with autism — and the emotional toll on a family, the meaning of belonging, and sibling devotion, handled with honesty and compassion.
⚔️
No Violence
No direct violence. Dangerous figures exist only as backdrop.
