Al Capone Does My Shirts: Chapters 21-32

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 500 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. whit
    a tiny or scarcely detectable amount
    But with no one to play with, it hasn’t done me a whit of good.
  2. smug
    marked by excessive complacency or self-satisfaction
    Piper has a big smug smile on her face.
  3. flashy
    (used especially of clothes) marked by conspicuous display
    I thought she’d be blonde, wearing expensive furs, or flashy like her son in a canary yellow cape.
  4. abacus
    a manual calculator with counters on rods or in grooves
    Natalie isn’t following. She’s sitting down on the side of the hill with a pile of pebbles. She’s setting them up, almost like an abacus.
  5. verge
    the limit beyond which something happens or changes
    I feel happy, as if I’m on the verge of something wonderful.
  6. diligent
    quietly and steadily persevering in detail or exactness
    Natalie breaks her graham cracker sandwiches carefully along the dotted lines, eats half and throws the other half to the birds. Then she gets busy gathering her stones. She’s very diligent about this, like it’s her job.
  7. octave
    a musical interval of eight tones
    The con’s voice is scratchy and an octave too high, like a girl’s almost.
  8. balk
    refuse to proceed or comply
    I grip Natalie’s arm so tight, it feels as if I’m holding bone. She tries to twist her arm away, but I’m not about to let go. Ever. She balks. Stops. Refuses to be half-dragged when we both know she follows just fine without this.
  9. intently
    with strained or eager attention
    “105 what?” Piper asks. She pushes the brim of her hat back, as if to see better. She is staring intently at Natalie.
    Natalie says nothing. Good Natalie.
  10. frilly
    having decorative ruffles or similar ornamentation
    Her hands are crossed in front of her and the frilly blouse she wore to school is tucked inside her overalls.
  11. deficiency
    the state of needing something that is absent or unavailable
    When my father walks in the door, my mother rushes to meet him. “Cam, look!” She hands NEW HOPE FOR KIDS WITH MENTAL DEFICIENCIES to my father.
  12. jeopardize
    put at risk
    They figure he wouldn’t run with six months to go. It wouldn’t be worth it to jeopardize that.
  13. slew
    a large number or amount or extent
    Plus, the guy — they call him Onion because the way his hair is greased down makes his head look like an onion — he’s put together a whole slew of good time. He’s like some kind of Boy Scout choir boy.
  14. repel
    cause to move back by force or influence
    We both keep our space, never passing close to one another, like magnets set to repel.
  15. flail
    thrash about
    She’s near the windows now, twisting, banging feet, hands flailing on the floor.
Created on Tue Nov 21 17:35:38 EST 2017 (updated Thu Jul 24 12:14:13 EDT 2025)

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