Al Capone Does My Shirts: Chapters 33-40

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 415 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. vulnerable
    capable of being wounded or hurt
    I shiver. I wish I’d remembered our jackets, but I’m afraid to stop her now. She looks too vulnerable. Teetering on the edge.
  2. abruptly
    quickly and without warning
    Out on the parade grounds we circle the cement once. Twice. If she wants to walk in circles all afternoon, that’s okay with me. Then abruptly on the third rotation Natalie breaks off and heads to the west stairs.
  3. obnoxious
    causing disapproval or protest
    The smile on her face is the one she uses when parents of an obnoxious piano student ask how he is doing.
  4. wolf down
    eat quickly
    I go in my room and don’t come out until supper, which I wolf down without saying a word and then return to my room.
  5. scour
    clean with hard rubbing
    My mother looks up from the pot she’s scouring.
  6. wince
    draw back, as with fear or pain
    My mother winces and turns away. “Yes, she is,” she says in a tough voice.
  7. understatement
    something said in a restrained way for ironic contrast
    This has to be the biggest understatement in the world.
  8. seething
    in constant agitation
    My mom’s voice is strangely calm. She isn’t angry, but I am. I am seething inside. I open my mouth to tell her how wrong she is, how unfair she’s being.
  9. barge
    a flatbottom boat for carrying heavy loads
    I take another swallow of air and pretend interest in a big barge moving slowly past Angel Island.
  10. bias
    a partiality preventing objective consideration of an issue
    There’s a real bias against older children.
  11. stammer
    speak haltingly
    “W-W-Well, I, uh,” I stammer, my forehead suddenly sweaty.
  12. labored
    lacking natural ease
    He sighs a long and labored sigh.
  13. precedent
    an example that is used to justify similar occurrences
    If I were to ask Al Capone to do me a favor, what kind of precedent would that be setting?
  14. crabby
    annoyed and irritable
    “Yes, I did. You think I wanted two months with my grandma? She’s always crabby and everything she eats is boiled. Boiled cabbage. Boiled turnips. She even boils hamburger.”
  15. spontaneous
    said or done without having been planned in advance
    I wrap my arms around her in a spontaneous bear hug.
Created on Tue Nov 21 17:46:02 EST 2017 (updated Thu Jul 24 12:27:32 EDT 2025)

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