The other day at work when I asked for more pennies for my till my manager asked, "From heaven?" with a big grin on her face. I had no idea what that was a reference to, but obviously it was supposed to be funny, so I laughed.
On Tuesday I was downstairs in the juvenile fiction section. I found what I was looking for and was on my way upstairs to check out, when I noticed a colorful book standing up at the end of the H shelf. It was Penny From Heaven, by Jennifer L. Holm. I thought, "Oh, maybe I can find out what that meant!" Still, I wasn't sure if it was worth borrowing because I didn't like the cover and it was large-print. I stood there, putting it back and picking it up again, until I decided it wouldn't hurt to borrow it and not read it, but it would hurt to miss a good book. I didn't know how good!
Penny From Heaven is about an 11-year old New Jersey girl in 1953 who lives with her young widowed mother and her Me-Me and Pop-Pop, plus her Italian grandmother and all her Italian uncles, aunts, and cousins. What a cast of characters (a lot of them are based off of Ms. Holm's family). Penny and her mischievous cousin Freddie remind me of Scout and Jem in To Kill a Mockingbird. I love the occasionally hilarious and always simple yet somehow eloquent and witty narration that makes regular, everyday things sound like an adventure! Even though some things in the story seem idealized, between butter pecan ice cream and doting uncles the author weaves in little known shadows from World War II and very real issues of fear, loss, and family conflict and secrets, plus a glimpse into a culture (and food) that makes you wish you had Italian relatives.
I tried hard two or three times to put this book down and pick up my story, because it was the perfect, quiet environment for writing ...but I just couldn't! There was no comparison between the next chapter and the blank page. I read this all in one sitting (besides snack breaks for me and the guinea pigs). It made me bust out laughing, blink back tears, and remember why I like reading so much. Penny From Heaven is a children's book that's a classic no matter how old you are.
Free photo: courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net
On Tuesday I was downstairs in the juvenile fiction section. I found what I was looking for and was on my way upstairs to check out, when I noticed a colorful book standing up at the end of the H shelf. It was Penny From Heaven, by Jennifer L. Holm. I thought, "Oh, maybe I can find out what that meant!" Still, I wasn't sure if it was worth borrowing because I didn't like the cover and it was large-print. I stood there, putting it back and picking it up again, until I decided it wouldn't hurt to borrow it and not read it, but it would hurt to miss a good book. I didn't know how good!
Penny From Heaven is about an 11-year old New Jersey girl in 1953 who lives with her young widowed mother and her Me-Me and Pop-Pop, plus her Italian grandmother and all her Italian uncles, aunts, and cousins. What a cast of characters (a lot of them are based off of Ms. Holm's family). Penny and her mischievous cousin Freddie remind me of Scout and Jem in To Kill a Mockingbird. I love the occasionally hilarious and always simple yet somehow eloquent and witty narration that makes regular, everyday things sound like an adventure! Even though some things in the story seem idealized, between butter pecan ice cream and doting uncles the author weaves in little known shadows from World War II and very real issues of fear, loss, and family conflict and secrets, plus a glimpse into a culture (and food) that makes you wish you had Italian relatives.I tried hard two or three times to put this book down and pick up my story, because it was the perfect, quiet environment for writing ...but I just couldn't! There was no comparison between the next chapter and the blank page. I read this all in one sitting (besides snack breaks for me and the guinea pigs). It made me bust out laughing, blink back tears, and remember why I like reading so much. Penny From Heaven is a children's book that's a classic no matter how old you are.
Free photo: courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net
That's why I kept hearing occasional bursts of laughter from the corner today. Is this book as Classic as Awl at Home?
ReplyDeleteIn a different way, it is! At least I think so.
Delete