BIBLIOGRAPHY
Holm, Jennifer L. 2006. PENNY FROM HEAVEN. New York: Random House. ISBN 037583687X
PLOT SUMMARY
Penny is an eleven-year-old girl living in New Jersey in 1953. Though her father died mysteriously when she was young, his large Italian family remains close to her. Penny spends the summer working with her favorite cousin Frankie, listening to the Dodger’s games, and dealing with her mother’s new boyfriend.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The main character in this story, Penny, most young adults can relate to as she deals with typical dysfunctional family members, a mother who drives her crazy at times, and the usual qualms of growing up. She seems believable and if they have not already figured out, readers will learn at the end that Penny was a real person who dealt with similar happenings.
The language of the Italian family, the New Jersey location, and the post WWII era can be found throughout the book in phrases like, “how ya doin’ doll?” and “I tell ya, if I ran into a Jap or a Nazi, I’d use a bazooka gun on him! Bam!” Names like Nunzio, Paulie, Dominic, Ralphie, Frankie, Joey, Angelo and others are indicators of the family heritage as well.
Newbery Honor- Winning Author, Jennifer L. Holm, has additional awards to her name. For this story, she gathers information from her own family and Italian community. Holm also consulted associations (National Italian American Foundation and others) and historian Lawrence DiStasi for information for this book.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
Kirkus Review - “Holm has crafted a leisurely, sprawling period piece, set in the 1950s and populated by a large cast of offbeat characters.”
Publisher’s Weekly – “Holm includes telling historical details, including information about WWII Italian internment camps and how Penny's mother will not allow her to swim in a public pool or visit a movie theater because of the risk of polio. Readers will enjoy observing Penny's growth, how she mediates a peace among her family members and offers a glimmer of heaven.”
Newbery Award Book
CONNECTIONS
*In the story we are given a reason for why the character is called Penny and at the end in the Author’s Note we are told the true newly-realized reason. Students could conduct a name study of their own on their own name and find out why they were named that, where the name comes from, what does it mean, and how it would be said in other languages. In a class I took in high school, we had to choose a name other than our own that we would have liked to have been named if our current name was not the choice. This was a lot of fun! Students could do this as well and find a name that is reflective of their own heritage and ethnic roots. It is also fun to illustrate it in some way.
*Create a classroom blog and post critical-thinking questions related to the story and/or your content and have students reply to the questions.
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