Penny From Heaven by Jennifer Holm

1. Bibliography:

Holm, Jennifer. 2006. Penny From Heaven. New York, NY: Random House Books for Young Readers. ISBN 037583687X

2. Plot Summary:

Penny tries to deal with growing up in post WWII America, where fear of polio is rampant and American citizens are still weary of all people of Italian decent. Because her father is dead, her grandparents live with Penny and her mother and refuse to get along with Penny’s father’s Italian family. Dividing her time between two very different families, Penny discovers new things about herself and her father’s death. But when a tragic event happens, both families must come together and face the truth about what happened to her father.

3. Critical Analysis:

The characters in Penny From Heaven are eccentric, conniving, sometimes rude, but always full of love; making each family member unique and believable. Whether Uncle Dominc is driving around town in his slippers or Grandpa is talking to his dead cousin through the radio, the audience is able to feel Penny’s admiration for each of her relatives. The references to polio scares and old, Italian neighborhoods create a vivid setting for the story. Holm’s well researched information and personal family history are woven together, presenting a wonderfully accurate and touching story. The mystery behind her father’s death remains pivotal throughout the book, the only tie binding both families together and provides a touching conclusion.

4. Awards and/or Review Excerpts:

· From Library School Journal: “Penny and her world are clearly drawn and eminently believable, made up of seamlessly interwoven details from everyday life.”

· From Booklist: “Holm impressively wraps pathos with comedy in this coming-of-age story, populated by a cast of vivid characters.”

5. Connections:

· A comparison of Holm’s other works, Baby Mouse for example, would be interesting for students to see how authors can write many different genres and do it well.

· Reading other works of historical fiction around the time of WWII to compare life during that era. Books to possibly include are Janet Taylor’s The Art of Keeping Cool and Lily’s Crossing by Patrica Reilly Giff.

6. Personal Response:

I come from an Italian background, more diluted than Penny’s but some aspects are still there, and so this book was interesting to read because there are some similarities between her family and mine. Both are large, with varying degrees of eccentric relatives and both call pasta or spaghetti “gravy”. The author notes in the back of the book provide background information and make Holm seem very credible with her depictions of Penny and the era in which she lived.