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Gennifer Choldenko

Goodreads Author

Born

Santa Monica, CA, The United States

Website

http://www.choldenko.com/

Member Since

January 2009

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/alcatrazgirl

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There’s a Lego in my bum which fits with the Lego in my chair and when I sit down to write, I hear the satisfying snap of the two pieces fitting together. I love words, dictionaries, thesauruses, sharp pencils, the smell of book ink and the delicious art of carving out sentences on clean white paper. I love to slip into another person’s skin and feel what it’s like to live another life. I love when characters come to me out of nowhere and make me cry so hard my mascara runs or laugh until my stomach hurts. I love the crazy fun and infinite possibility of storytelling.

What prepared me for a life of writing fiction? Though I have a BA from Brandeis University in English and American Literature and a BFA in illustration from Rhode Island Schoo There’s a Lego in my bum which fits with the Lego in my chair and when I sit down to write, I hear the satisfying snap of the two pieces fitting together. I love words, dictionaries, thesauruses, sharp pencils, the smell of book ink and the delicious art of carving out sentences on clean white paper. I love to slip into another person’s skin and feel what it’s like to live another life. I love when characters come to me out of nowhere and make me cry so hard my mascara runs or laugh until my stomach hurts. I love the crazy fun and infinite possibility of storytelling.

What prepared me for a life of writing fiction? Though I have a BA from Brandeis University in English and American Literature and a BFA in illustration from Rhode Island School of Design, the true answer is probably genes. I come from a long line of Irish storytellers on my father’s side and theatre people on my mother’s. I always knew I loved to write, but it took me a long time to summon the courage to chase the dream. I finally went for it when I realized I would prefer to be a failure at something I wanted to do, then a success at something I didn’t.

While I was pretending I wasn’t a writer, trying to be a nice person with a nice quiet job somewhere, I sold lingerie, lipstick and lamp shades. I wrote junk mail. I taught visually and hearing-impaired kids horseback riding. I held a prestigious job in rubbish removal and I worked in a factory wearing a paper gown while wielding a large mallet on small serving packages of ketchup.

One Third Nerd, my funniest novel yet, is due out in January 2019. My most famous novel, Al Capone Does My Shirts, garnered 20 awards, one of which was the Newbery Honor. The Tales of Alcatraz series has sold more than 2 million copies. What will probably be the last book in the series: Al Capone Throws Me a Curve is the best of the fifteen books I’ve written so far.

I am a fitness fanatic; a book-obsessed, tennis-playing woman who thinks like a twelve-year-old. If I ever get the good fortune to meet you, offer me coffee and I will be your friend for life.
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Gennifer Choldenko’s books

Average rating: 3.86 · 72,717 ratings · 8,650 reviews · 30 distinct works • Similar authors

	Al Capone Does My Shirts (Tales from Alcatraz, #1) 3.85 avg rating — 44,822 ratings — published 2004 — 70 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Al Capone Shines My Shoes (Tales from Alcatraz, #2) 4.01 avg rating — 8,325 ratings — published 2009 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Al Capone Does My Homework (Tales from Alcatraz, #3) 4.12 avg rating — 3,847 ratings — published 2013 — 20 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	No Passengers Beyond This Point 3.48 avg rating — 2,918 ratings — published 2010 — 20 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period 3.51 avg rating — 2,796 ratings — published 2007 — 22 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Chasing Secrets 3.81 avg rating — 2,372 ratings — published 2015 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Dad and the Dinosaur by Gennifer Choldenko (Goodreads Author), Dan Santat (Goodreads Author) (Illustrator) 3.77 avg rating — 1,398 ratings — published 2017 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Al Capone Throws Me a Curve (Tales from Alcatraz, #4) 4.27 avg rating — 1,201 ratings — published 2018 — 9 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Notes from a Liar and Her Dog 3.70 avg rating — 1,379 ratings — published 2001 — 21 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman 4.57 avg rating — 557 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Series by Gennifer Choldenko

Tales from Alcatraz (4 books)
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Gennifer Choldenko (Goodreads Author)

3.90 avg rating — 58,190 ratings

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Gennifer’s Recent Updates

Gennifer Choldenko is now friends with Gab Tha Bookdragon
Jul 14, 2024 06:57PM · like
Gennifer Choldenko made a comment on her review of Dogtown (Dogtown, #1) " Lovely to hear that Traci. Thank you! "
Jan 19, 2024 10:03PM · see review
Gennifer Choldenko rated a book it was amazing Dogtown (Dogtown, #1) by Katherine Applegate	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Full disclosure here: I am a coauthor of this book. It was a hoot getting to collaborate with Katherine Applegate on Dogtown. Definitely a high point of my career. And not surprisingly I adore the characters we created. Chance, Metal Head, Geraldine, ...more
Jun 14, 2023 07:44AM · 5 likes · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Dogtown by Katherine Applegate. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Dogtown by Katherine Applegate <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">

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Quotes by Gennifer Choldenko (?)

“Nobody knows how things will turn out, that's why they go ahead and play the game...You give it your all and sometimes amazing things happen, but it's hardly ever what you expect.”
― Gennifer Choldenko, Al Capone Does My Shirts

tags: live-in-the-moment, optimism, possibility, uncertainty

144 likes

“Now I understand. When you love someone, you have to try things even if they don't make sense to anyone else.”
― Gennifer Choldenko, Al Capone Does My Shirts

57 likes

“Life is amazing, isn't it? You can't ever tell what will happen. Nobody knows until they go ahead and play the game.”
― Gennifer Choldenko, Al Capone Does My Shirts

32 likes

See all Gennifer Choldenko's quotes »

Polls

What Book Shall We Read in November

I have chosen books that are getting a lot of attention and were published in September and October. Please let me know if you think a book should be added to the list.

If you get the chance, check and see what your library has before you vote.

A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck

8 votes 23.5%

Forest Born by Shannon Hale

8 votes 23.5%

Al Capone Shines My Shoes by Gennifer Choldenko

5 votes 14.7%

The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo

4 votes 11.8%

The Unfinished Angel by Sharon Creech

4 votes 11.8%

The Dream Stealer by Sid Fleischman

3 votes 8.8%

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

1 vote 2.9%

Fire by Kristin Cashore

1 vote 2.9%

34 total votes

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The Seasonal Read...: * READERBOARD	10	608	Oct 17, 2010 10:08AM
The Seasonal Read...: Fall Challenge 2010 Completed Tasks (do NOT delete any posts in this thread)	2785	1190	Nov 30, 2010 09:03PM

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