
Al Capone Does My Shirts
by Gennifer Choldenko · Grades 3–8 · Children's
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko is on US reading lists at grades 3–8. It appears on 2 lists: 2 book-award lists, across 1 state. Every citation below links to the primary source.
Before you buy: Grades 3–8 · 242 pages. The button opens the paperback edition (ISBN 9781408850398). If the class uses a set edition or translation, match its ISBN first.
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Assigned across 2 curriculum lists · 1 state
Grade placement varies by school — the median assigned book spans 4 grade levels (83% span three or more, across 13,258 source-cited assignments).
This page shows where Al Capone Does My Shirts is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.
Reading level at a glance
- Grade range
- Grades 3–8
- Pages
- 242
- Reading time
- about 4h 25m (est.)
- First published
- 2006
- Genre
- Children's
- ISBN-13
- 9781408850398
Sources: grade range from the cited lists below, last checked 2026-09-24; pages and year from our catalog record (sources); reading time is an estimate at 250 words a minute.
Good fit for grade 3?
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About this book
Book facts and sources (2)
- On award reading lists
- California Young Reader Medal (source: californiayoungreadermedal.org)
- Golden Kite Award (source: Wikipedia)
- Catalog record
- First published 2006 · 242 pages (edition lengths vary) (source: how we source book data)
Similar grade-level books
To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee · 870L
Of Mice and MenJohn Steinbeck · 630L
The GiverLois Lowry · 760L
The OutsidersS.E. Hinton · 750L
See all books like Al Capone Does My Shirts→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Why it is assigned
This children's title is typically read at grades 3–8. Written in the 2000s; cited on 2 lists: 2 book-award lists.
Where this book is recommended
California Young Reader Medal
- recommended·3rd grade · Californiasource: California Young Reader Medal past winners, 2007 winner (Middle School/Junior High)
- recommended·4th grade · Californiasource: California Young Reader Medal past winners, 2007 winner (Middle School/Junior High)
- recommended·5th grade · Californiasource: California Young Reader Medal past winners, 2007 winner (Middle School/Junior High)
- recommended·6th grade · Californiasource: California Young Reader Medal past winners, 2007 winner (Middle School/Junior High)
- recommended·7th grade · Californiasource: California Young Reader Medal past winners, 2007 winner (Middle School/Junior High)
- recommended·8th grade · Californiasource: California Young Reader Medal past winners, 2007 winner (Middle School/Junior High)
Golden Kite Award
- recommended·3rd gradesource: Golden Kite Award (SCBWI) winners, via Wikipedia — 2005 Winner
- recommended·4th gradesource: Golden Kite Award (SCBWI) winners, via Wikipedia — 2005 Winner
- recommended·5th gradesource: Golden Kite Award (SCBWI) winners, via Wikipedia — 2005 Winner
- recommended·6th gradesource: Golden Kite Award (SCBWI) winners, via Wikipedia — 2005 Winner
- recommended·7th gradesource: Golden Kite Award (SCBWI) winners, via Wikipedia — 2005 Winner
- recommended·8th gradesource: Golden Kite Award (SCBWI) winners, via Wikipedia — 2005 Winner
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Common questions
- What grade level is Al Capone Does My Shirts?
- Al Capone Does My Shirts is listed for grades 3–8. It appears on 2 book-award lists across 1 state. Exact placement varies by school and district.
- How long does it take to read Al Capone Does My Shirts?
- It takes about 4h 25m to read Al Capone Does My Shirts (242 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 265 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- What curricula assign Al Capone Does My Shirts?
- Al Capone Does My Shirts appears on reading lists for California Young Reader Medal, Golden Kite Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is Al Capone Does My Shirts banned in schools?
- Al Capone Does My Shirts has documented removals from at least one public-school district in 1 state (FL) per PEN America's Index of School Book Bans 2022-2024. Policies vary by district.
Why this book is on this list
How we classifyHide
Each dimension below is sourced from a public reference. The full framework is documented on the classification standard page.
- Lexile measure
- Not classified — this book has no published Lexile measure.
- Grade band
- Grades 3–8 — drawn from the book-award lists citing this book.
- Curriculum alignment
- Cited in 2 curricula on this site (see “Where recommended” above for primary-source links).
- State-level evidence
- On state book-award lists in 1 state (see citations above).
- Removal / banning records
- Documented as challenged or removed in 1 state per PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans — see the full banned & challenged books list.
- Seasonal / contextual tags
- Tagged for: book-club, read-aloud.