Customer Rating:  
Summary: Worth more than a penny!
Comment: An exciting book that makes you stop and wonder about various situations Penny goes through. It's not really adventurous, however, which seemed to dissapoint me. In the long run, it's worth reading.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Just OK
Comment: I guess I'm the odd-ball out on this one. I'm not sure why but this was just ok for me. I liked the characters and such but it just wasnt that interesting to me. It wasn't easy staying tuned into this book. I'd end up putting it down and/or reading something else. I ended up taking it back before I finished it.
Customer Rating:
Summary: PENNY FROM HEAVEN!
Comment: Penny from heaven was exciting and thrilling! Every sentence and character sparkled with creativity and originality! With an amazing story and bright, interesting characters, this book will definitely have you hooked!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Food for a Young Girl's Soul
Comment: A wonderful period piece about a girl facing several challenges. Jennifer Holm does a beautiful job creating characters that you come to love and drawing the type of story you can't pull away from. This is a great book for girls in upper elementary or middle school grades. It also is a fabulous book for its ability to create a world that you can literally be drawn into and not want to leave-in this case an Italian American culture that is portrayed in such a vivid way that I didn't want the book to ever end. This is the type of book that is food for the young girl's soul!
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Gem of a Book
Comment: Being a Newbery Honor book, I had to give this book a read. I definitely wasn't disappointed! This was a beautifully written coming-of-age story that children and young adults will be able to enjoy for years to come. Jennifer Holm, author of the Newbery Award winning book, Our May Amelia, is back with another lovely book about children growing up faster than they should have too, but enjoying themselves on the journey.
Penny, a half-Italian girl living with her mother and grandparents in New Jersey, longs to know more about what happened to her father. Her died when she was very young and her mother never speaks of him. The only time Penny is able to hear his name mentioned is when she is over at her Italian grandparents house, where her myriad of Aunts, Uncles, and cousins never fail to talk about her dad. Penny loves spending time in this boisterous household where food is always delicious and her best friend and cousin Frankie spends most of his time.
Unfortunately, Penny's mother doesn't get along with her in-laws and doesn't like Penny spending all of her time over there. As her mother begins dating, Penny tries to break up the dates in order to matchmake between her mother and her father's brother, Dominic. Penny, more than anything, wants her two families to love each other as she loves them. After a tragic accident that puts the use of Penny's arm in jeopardy, the true colors of her family members really begin to shine.
Set in the 1950's this book is so much more than family problems. It has exciting baseball games, friendships, and a mystery of buried treasure. The characters are incredibly real and lovable. Uncle Dominic was probably my favorite of the cast, because of his quirkiness and mystery. This is a true gem of a book.
|
