I received a free copy of, Escape from Alcatraz, by Andy Marino, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is book number four in the Escape From series. The Watcher wants to break out of Alcatraz. Chip who's father works at Alcatraz, wants to stop him. This was an adventurous read.

I have read one other book in this series by Andy Marino and really enjoyed the story and background of Chernobyl. So, starting this book I thought I would have a similar experience and while this book did contain some interesting background on Alcatraz, I was unfortunately let down by the overall story.

I know the author is trying to shorten some of the story to really make it accessible to young readers, which I am very much on boar with, but for myself it was almost too quick. Lots of building up and momentum within the first 100 pages, but then just felt like it all happened way too quick towards the end.

Still worth a read if the history of Alcatraz spikes your interest!

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

A great book for middle age students. I enjoyed the story and like how Marino ties his stories to historical events or places. I think students will enjoy reading and learning about Alcatraz.

Thank you to Scholastic and NetGalley for the E ARC.
Our story takes place on Alcatraz Island in the 1960s, where Chip Carter lives with his father who is a warden at the prison. Chip watches a tv show Jake Hall, where Jake is a private investigator, and Chip would love to be a detective as well. He gets his first case, finding a missing cat which he finds. His next case is to find Maddie's missing raincoats, and while he investigates, he sees Maddie's dad testing them to see if they would float in the dark. Chip, of course becomes suspicious, and when he tells Maddie, she becomes worried her dad is up to no good. They both decide to skip school and investigate further. Unfortunately, they find out he owes the mob money, and is helping some prisoners escape. At the same time in alternating chapters, a prisoner and three other inmates a planning an escape that is going to be happening soon.
What I liked: I enjoyed the alternating chapters, and there were some surprises which I didn't put in the review. Like the author's other books, the book moves along quickly, and is the perfect length for late elementary and middle school readers. I've been to Alcatraz Island, and the author does a great job providing insight into the island, and what is must have been like at the time. His book are very popular in my library so I will definitely be purchasing more than one copy. The cover is super appealing as well.

My ten year old son read this book. He found it to be exciting and a good read. It was about the thirteenth attempted escape from Alcatrax. He enjoyed learning about the history of Alcatrax.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to preview this book.

This is my first book by this author. It was well written, informative and interesting. I am interested in reading mire in this series. I know this will be a hit with many middle grade students.

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Chip Carter lives with his father, a senior prison guard, on Alcatraz Island. He finds it hard to make friends, and longs for the day when he can live in a bigger city, away from the somewhat stifling atmosphere of the close knit community on the island. He also fancies himself something of a private investigator, modeling himself on Jake Hall, of the Hall of Justice television show. Having already solved the mystery of a missing cat (a gateway mystery for many crime obsessed youths), he is approached by Maddie, who wants Chip to figure out where her and her brother's new raincoats have gone. She suspects local bully Albert, who shakes people down for their daily dime of lunch money, so he's a likely candidate. Chip's mother has passed away, and his father is struggling a bit, although his weekly poker game seems to cheer him somewhat. After Chip sees Maddie's father, Mr. Thompson, on the shore with the raincoats, he knows that something nefarious is up. He tells Maddie that he knows about her dad's involvement in the coats' disappearance, and she admits that she is worried that he's involved in something illegal. They skip school, and Chip (wearing a hat and glasses as a disguise) eavesdrops on the men at a diner. He finds out that Jimmy the Hat, aka Mr. Lanza, is involved, as is his own father, but he has also gleaned the information that Zipper, an "associate" of Mr. Lanza's is trying to run how own shakedown. Mr. Thompson and Mr. Carter both owe money to Mr. Lanza, and are driven to helping him arrange a prison break when they also have to pay off Zipper. Mr. Lanza says he'll make things right as long as Chip helps with the prison break he has planned; he wants a fire set in the courtyard as a distraction. No one will be hurt, but the men on the inside will be able to escape. We see, in alternating chapters, how several men are working to dig out of the prison, construct a raft, and are planning on escaping that way. When Zipper shows up dead in a local park, Chip and Maddie know they have to keep their end of the bargain. Several men escape, and the guards are not blamed, and Mr. Lanza lets the kids know that their obligation, as well as their father's, is paid off. Chip and his father talk about how they can improve their lives, and connect more than they have in recent years.
Strengths: I wasn't quite sure how Marino would pull this off, but he does a perfect job of realistically getting a tween embroiled in a real life situation. Tom Sullivan's Unsolved Case Files: Jailbreak at Alcatraz: Frank Morris the Anglin Brothers' Great Escape is a great companion for this book, since it outlines all the details on how the escape was probably planned. I enjoyed the note from Marino, talking about how there were rumors that guards were involved, and he elaborated in an exciting way that made sense. I love Chip, who would have been a contemporary of Donald Sobol's Encyclopedia Brown, and envisions himself a hard boiled gumshoe, chewing on a toothpick. Like this author's Escape From Stalingrad, Escape from Chernobyl, and Escape From East Berlin, this book has plenty of adventures and successfully adds new characters into a historical setting. The details of daily life in this are great, as are the details about life on Alcatraz and in San Francisco. More tweens would read historical fiction if the books had the elements that Marino's work has.
Weaknesses: Chip's mother didn't have to be dead; it would have been more fun if she had been alive and found out about the father's involvement with Jimmy the Hat! Also, Maddie uses the phrase "bee's knees" to describe Nestle's Quik, which sounded more like the 1920s. Small quibble.
What I really think: Definitely purchasing this one, since there are an inordinate number of my students who listen to true crime podcasts and like to read about various criminal hijinks of the past. Chip's adventures were just particularly well done and oddly charming.