Bibliographic Information:
Holm, J. L. (2006). Penny from heaven. New York: Random House Children's Books.
Readability Level: 4.0
Audience Level: Grades 5-7
Suggested Delivery: independent or group read
Summary: "Take a trip back to 1953 in Jennifer L. Holm's charming story (Random, 2006). Eleven-year-old Penny lives in New Jersey and walks a tightrope between two families. On one side are her widowed mother, her irascible grandfather, and her cooking-disabled grandmother with whom she lives. On the other side are her deceased father's Italian family with an abundance of loving aunts and uncles and a Nonny who makes the best cannoli around. The two families don't interact and Penny understands it has something to do with her father's death, but nobody will talk about it. Penny's biggest problems this summer are convincing her mother she won't catch polio from the community pool, keeping her cousin Frankie from scrapes with the law, and discouraging the milkman from courting her mother. Told in vignette style, Amber Sealey's narration enhances the telling. She effortlessly slips in and out of voices ranging from a young girl, a mischievous boy, a sobbing Italian grandmother, and a Brooklyn inflection that would make Tony Soprano proud. Inspired by the author's Italian-American family, the plot is a bit weak, but warmth and humor abound."
–Tricia Melgaard, Centennial Middle School, Broken Arrow, OK
Holm, J. L. (2006). Penny from heaven. New York: Random House Children's Books.
Readability Level: 4.0
Audience Level: Grades 5-7
Suggested Delivery: independent or group read
Summary: "Take a trip back to 1953 in Jennifer L. Holm's charming story (Random, 2006). Eleven-year-old Penny lives in New Jersey and walks a tightrope between two families. On one side are her widowed mother, her irascible grandfather, and her cooking-disabled grandmother with whom she lives. On the other side are her deceased father's Italian family with an abundance of loving aunts and uncles and a Nonny who makes the best cannoli around. The two families don't interact and Penny understands it has something to do with her father's death, but nobody will talk about it. Penny's biggest problems this summer are convincing her mother she won't catch polio from the community pool, keeping her cousin Frankie from scrapes with the law, and discouraging the milkman from courting her mother. Told in vignette style, Amber Sealey's narration enhances the telling. She effortlessly slips in and out of voices ranging from a young girl, a mischievous boy, a sobbing Italian grandmother, and a Brooklyn inflection that would make Tony Soprano proud. Inspired by the author's Italian-American family, the plot is a bit weak, but warmth and humor abound."
–Tricia Melgaard, Centennial Middle School, Broken Arrow, OK
Curriculum Connections:
Take from Leslie Preddy
Take from Leslie Preddy
- Read the lyrics to “Pennies from Heaven” (on the page following the Table of Contents). These lyrics have several examples of literal and figurative meanings for words and phrases. 1. Write down 3 reasons why these lyrics represent Penny’s life, using specific examples from the story 2. Write a paragraph explaining why these lyrics represent Penny’s life, using your examples, and examples of the figurative language in the lyrics.
- a) "Alien” refers to an immigrant who is in America legally, but who is not a citizen. Why do you think our government was so concerned about these citizens? b) Describe how the Italian “enemy aliens” were treated. c) Do you think it was fair how they were treated? Explain. d) Ethnocentrism is the attitude that ones’ own culture is superior to any other culture. In what way would ethnocentrism affect: i) The way the enemy aliens were treated ii) The way Penny’s parents’ families interacted
- The last chapter in Penny from Heaven is titled “A Regular Norman Rockwell Family”. At last, Penny believes her family is normal. Make a list of at least 10 adjectives that Penny would use to describe in family in the last chapter • Spend at least 5 minutes looking at Norman Rockwell’s “Freedom from Want” print, thinking about the characters, mood and setting • Write a paragraph explaining why this picture could illustrate Penny’s family.