A review by jcschildbach
Al Capone Shines My Shoes by Gennifer Choldenko

4.0

I enjoyed this book, but not quite as much as the first--"Al Capone does My Shirts." This book felt less cohesive, like there were a lot of elements vying for attention--some more successfully than others. For instance, Moose's best friend Scout figures prominently in the early part of the book, but then disappears. And Jimmy is working on a fly circus (yes, flies). Aside from just not making much sense, the fly circus is present more heavily in the early part of the book and then becomes a part of the background, mentioned from time to time--but mostly so it will be in reader's minds for a particular (but not particularly important) reason near the end of the story. I give Choldenko points for ambition--she was trying to do a lot of things in terms of coming up with a plausible sequel, and pursuing further character development for almost all the characters--and some of that has emotional heft. It was especially satisfying to see Piper--the Warden's mildly evil daughter--owning up to some of her less pleasant behaviors, and struggling with some frightening family issues. Natalie, Moose's autistic sister, definitely has a pivotal role, but doesn't drive the emotional center and plot of the story as she did in the first book. In fact, nothing really ever stands out as the center. Choldenko definitely has a solid sense of how kids interact and understand themselves and each other, and of the awkward dynamics of early crushes. But it feels like several of the elements didn't auite get enough time and attention to really grow, or to allow the whole book to come together.