Al Capone Does My Shirts: Chapters 7-12

by Gennifer Choldenko
In 1935, twelve-year-old Moose moves to Alcatraz Island with his parents and his autistic sister Natalie. With a little help from his new friend Piper, Moose learns to adapt to life at the notorious prison.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1-6, Chapters 7-12, Chapters 13-20, Chapters 21-32, Chapters 33-40
15 words 934 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. stance
    standing posture
    I get into my ready stance. My head clears. No Natalie. No Mom. No Alcatraz. There’s nothing but me and the ball.
  2. deliberately
    in a careful unhurried manner
    Slowly and deliberately she folds down a corner of her book and closes it.
  3. remedial
    tending or intended to rectify or improve
    "Where is Piper, anyway?” I can’t keep myself from asking.
    “Charm school.”
    “Charm school? That’s a laugh. Is it remedial charm or what?”
  4. headmaster
    presiding officer of a school
    “Oh, yes, Moose. We met yesterday. This is Mr. Purdy, the headmaster at the Esther P. Marinoff School where your sister, Natalie, is enrolled. Is your mom or dad available?”
  5. radiant
    emanating or as if emanating light
    “How do I look?” She whirls around, her whole face radiant.
  6. reflex
    an automatic instinctive unlearned reaction to a stimulus
    They tested allergies, reflexes, muscle strength.
  7. unresponsive
    not reacting to some influence or stimulus
    “Of course.” Mr. Purdy nods. He looks around his cluttered office as if he’s searching for a way out. “Natalie is, I would say, unresponsive.” He peeks at my mother to see if this will do. My mother doesn’t blink.
  8. residential
    of or relating to the act of dwelling in a place
    Mr. Purdy looks at me, then back at my mom. “As you can see, we are located in Presidio Heights. It’s a fine residential neighborhood, but perhaps not an ideal spot for someone like your daughter...” His voice trails off.
  9. brocade
    thick expensive material with a raised pattern
    She is seated on a needlepoint brocade chair and I see by the way her finger is moving that she is counting the stitches in the seat.
  10. facility
    a building or place that provides a particular service
    All clothes cleaned on Alcatraz
    at the only laundry facility in the world
    run by convicted felons including the notorious
    Scarface Al and Machine Gun Kelly.

    Only costs 5 cents.
  11. notorious
    known widely and usually unfavorably
    All clothes cleaned on Alcatraz
    at the only laundry facility in the world
    run by convicted felons including the notorious
    Scarface Al and Machine Gun Kelly.

    Only costs 5 cents.
  12. solitary
    single and isolated from others
    “Books are overdue,” I explain, “they lock you up. They have a special cell for it. Overdue library book cell. If it’s more than ten days overdue, they put you in the hole. Solitary confinement.”
  13. confinement
    the act of restraining a person's liberty
    “Books are overdue,” I explain, “they lock you up. They have a special cell for it. Overdue library book cell. If it’s more than ten days overdue, they put you in the hole. Solitary confinement.”
  14. cultivated
    marked by refinement in taste and manners
    When we are all settled in our seats, Miss Bimp starts rattling on about the importance of good posture and how no cultivated lady or gentleman would dream of slumping during oral reports the way certain members of this class are doing.
  15. cursive
    handwriting in which letters are connected within words
    How about tomorrow? one pencil-rolled scrap of paper asks.
    No. Only today, Piper writes back in her back-slanted cursive.
Created on Tue Nov 21 17:15:54 EST 2017 (updated Thu Jul 24 11:47:14 EDT 2025)

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