Book Reviews by Jamie Morris: Genre 5, Book 1: PENNY FROM HEAVEN by Jennifer L. Holm

Genre 5 is about historical fictions. Unbeknownst to me, I accidentally picked out three books to read all set in war time, and I didn't have time to read others after I realized my mistake. I've never liked reading about wars, so that dampened my enjoyment of these well-written books. So while I won't be raving about any of the books in this genre, you should still consider them if you have kids who enjoy or don't mind stories set during war time.

Image: Google Images

Bibliographic Data

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

Plot Summary

Penny Falucci lives in two worlds, one consisting of her mother and maternal grandparents, and the other of her father’s large Italian family. Her mother’s side is small, quiet, poor cooks, and overly cautious about everything. Her father’s side is large, loud and boisterous, always eating great food, and enjoying life as much as possible. Her uncle Dominic lives in his car. Her best friend is her cousin Frankie, who’s always encouraging her to do things they know they shouldn’t be doing. Her mother starts dating again – the milkman! Her father’s death is never spoken about, but Penny is old enough now to wonder how he died. She asks, but receives conflicting reports. After an accident that almost costs Penny her arm, the secret of her father’s death is revealed, and her life changes in unexpected ways.

Critical Analysis

Written for ages 9-12, this novel is set in New Jersey during the summer of 1953, the summer when the Korean War ended. The author is careful to recreate the time period accurately, using appropriate slang from the time and referencing popular clothes, cars, and other items commonly used then. Told from the perspective of Penny, the story unfolds as a tale of family love, secrets, and healing. Her favorite uncle is Dominic, an unusual but handsome man who lives in his car and loves Dem Bums (the Brooklyn Dodgers) as much as she does. The mystery of how Penny’s father, Freddy, died is always in the background of her life, and when it is revealed how he died, it changes her life.

After injuring her arm in a clothes wringer while doing laundry, Penny has to recover in the hospital. During this time, she gets to know the milkman better, and learns to accept him dating her mom. One night she overhears staff gossiping about her father, the spy who died in prison. When she confronts her mother about who her father really was, she finally learns the truth of how he died.

Penny learns that her father had emigrated from Italy as a toddler, and his father never filed the paperwork to make Freddy or his mother a citizen. When he got married, he started the process to become a full citizen, but because Italy was fighting on the side of the Nazis during World War II, he was forced to file as an “enemy alien.” As such, there were restrictions on things he was allowed to own until he became an American citizen for security reasons. Dominic, who was born in America after his parents arrived, was a natural citizen and didn’t know all the restrictions. He bought his brother a radio for his home, and in so doing got his brother and himself arrested as spies. Dominic was released; Freddy was detained. He died in a detention prison in Oklahoma, alone. This fictional tragedy reflects the struggles some real Italians living in America faced during World War II.

Knowing that his actions led to his brother’s death wrecks Dominic, and he stops playing baseball in the minor leagues and lives in his car thereafter. At first Penny is angry with Dominic, but comes to realize how much this event has hurt him over the years. He can’t move past Freddy’s death, so Penny decides to give him the one gift he can’t give himself – forgiveness. Penny’s mom remarries. The milkman moves into their house, and Dominic moves back into his mother’s and brother Nunzio’s house. The two sides of her life finally talk to each other and share a meal together for the first time in her life, and her life is pretty great. This story is well told with distinct characters and a good tempo. Many wonderful events happen that will delight children to read.

Awards

2007 Newbery Honor Book
2007 ALA Notable Children's Book
NOMINEE 2009 Illinois Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Award

Reviews

From School Library Journal: “Penny Falucci, 11, lives with her widowed mother and maternal grandparents, but her father's large, Italian family is tremendously important to her, too. … The period is lovingly re-created, from the fear of catching polio to Penny's use of the word swell. An author's note with photos is included. Recommend this novel to readers who enjoyed Ann M. Martin's A Corner of the Universe (Scholastic, 2002) for another intricate picture of a girl with knotty ties to an imperfect family in a not-too-distant past.”

From Booklist: “Holm impressively wraps pathos with comedy in this coming-of-age story, populated by a cast of vivid characters (a burping, farting grandpa; an eccentric uncle who lives in his car--"not exactly normal for people in New Jersey"). Concluding with a photo-illustrated endnote explaining Holm's inspirations in family history, this languidly paced novel will appeal most to readers who appreciate gentle, episodic tales with a nostalgic flavor. Hand selling may be necessary to overcome the staid jacket illustration.”

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books: "Holm uses bits and pieces of her own history to craft this portrait of everyday life in the 1950s: drawing from a store of eccentric relatives and family legends, she zeroes in on the concerns and preoccupations of the times, from the fate of ‘Dem Bums’ (the Brooklyn Dodgers) to fears of polio to the troubling history of Italian Americans as their parent country went from allies in the first world war to enemies in the second. It's undeniably a nostalgic and highly personal piece, but it is readable and appealing nostalgia; Penny's family is quirky, big-hearted, and lively, and her adventures will have broad appeal for preadolescents, as well as bringing to light a largely neglected piece of American history."

Connections

Enrichment Activities

This book opens up the opportunity to learn more about World War II, the Korean War, the Brooklyn Dodgers and its players, and the history of Italian Americans. Here is a website that provides enrichment activities for this book: http://www.lesliepreddy.com/yhba/08-09/Middle/PennyFromHeaven-Hult.pdf

To learn more about the Brooklyn Dodgers, go to:

http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nl/bdodgers/brooklynimages.html

To learn about one of the Dodgers mentioned in the book, Jackie Robinson, visit:

http://www.ehow.com/info_8416956_art-do-students-jackie-robinson.html

This website provides more information about the history of Italian Americans:

https://sites.google.com/a/iahfsj.org/italian-american-heritage-foundation/Activities-Programs