Al Capone Does My Shirts: Chapters 13-20

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 663 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. corduroys
    trousers made of cotton fabric with vertical ribs
    My gut tightens. I come out with the brown corduroys on. “Mom.” I squeeze the word out of my throat.
  2. inmate
    a person serving a sentence in a jail or prison
    You know how your dad’s always saying the ratio of inmate to guard is three to one here compared to ten to one at San Quentin, which makes Alcatraz a much safer prison.
  3. barbed
    having or covered with protective points, spines, or thorns
    The fence is maybe twelve or fourteen feet high with three strands of barbed wire run across the top.
  4. coordinated
    dexterous in using more than one set of muscle movements
    “Hey, Moose,” Piper says. “Scout here has just been telling me you’re quite the baseball player. He says you’re a lot more coordinated than you look.”
  5. preposterous
    inviting ridicule
    But when he explained the details of the operation, I began to see that the idea was simply too preposterous to have been made up.
  6. indignity
    an affront to one's self-esteem
    It’s bad enough that the great city of San Francisco should suffer the indignity of a maximum security federal penitentiary in its midst without being subject to these sorts of sick and dangerous shenanigans.
  7. penitentiary
    a correctional institution for those convicted of crimes
    It’s bad enough that the great city of San Francisco should suffer the indignity of a maximum security federal penitentiary in its midst without being subject to these sorts of sick and dangerous shenanigans.
  8. shenanigan
    reckless or malicious behavior that causes annoyance
    It’s bad enough that the great city of San Francisco should suffer the indignity of a maximum security federal penitentiary in its midst without being subject to these sorts of sick and dangerous shenanigans.
  9. unseemly
    not in keeping with accepted standards of what is proper
    I am appalled by the extremely poor taste and unseemly behavior of your daughter and her friends.
  10. respectively
    in the order given
    But if I should hear anything of this nature again, my next letter will go directly to the San Francisco Chronicle and the mayor’s office, respectively.
  11. culpability
    a state of guilt
    “The one thing I’ve never had patience for is a person who blames someone else to lessen her own culpability. I can’t tell you how disappointed I am to see you behave this way, young lady.”
  12. uprising
    organized opposition to authority
    “Apparently I can’t trust you children any more than I can hardened criminals. Well, fine. I’ll handle this like I would an uprising in the cell house. All of you will be punished without exception.”
  13. quavering
    (of the voice) shaking as from weakness or fear
    “Even me?” Theresa’s voice is quavering.
    “Theresa didn’t do anything, sir,” Jimmy mumbles.
    “Neither did Moose,” Theresa says.
  14. motivate
    give an incentive for action
    “They, uh..." I swallow hard. “Broke the laws.”
    The warden ignores me. He waits. “That’s right. Money motivated most of ’em. Is that how you want to end up?”
    “No, sir,” Annie and I say in unison.
  15. unison
    the act of occurring together or simultaneously
    “They, uh..." I swallow hard. “Broke the laws.”
    The warden ignores me. He waits. “That’s right. Money motivated most of ’em. Is that how you want to end up?”
    “No, sir,” Annie and I say in unison.
Created on Tue Nov 21 17:26:25 EST 2017 (updated Thu Jul 24 12:00:19 EDT 2025)

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