Genre 5 (Historical Fiction) Penny from Heaven

Penny from Heaven

By: Jennifer L. Holm

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Holm, Jennifer L.2006. PENNY FROM HEAVEN. New York, NY. Yearling Books. ISBN- 978-0-375-83689-3

SUMMARY

Eleven year old Penny feels her family is off their rocker. Penny dreams of butter pecan ice cream, swimming, and listening to the Brooklyn Dodgers on the radio with her friends over her summer, but her mother is afraid she’ll catch polio at the pool. To make matters worse, Penny’s uncle lives in his 1940 Plymouth Roadking and her grandmother has been an emotional wreck since Penny’s father died. After an unfortunate event and an extended stay in the hospital, Penny finds out the truth about her father’s death and discovers her strange family isn’t really that strange.     

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Inspired by Newbery Honor winner Jennifer Holm’s own Italian American family, Penny from Heaven is an outstanding novel that provides its readers with insight on diversity among families. Holm has created a story with characters to which many of her readers are able to relate. Characters mentioned throughout her novel seem real and believable making it easy for her readers to say, “Hey, I have an odd uncle,” “My mother is also overprotective of me” or “My grandfather also burps so loud the neighbors can hear it.” Holm’s sarcastic and amusing humor gives Penny’s character a youthful vibe staying true to the targeted age range of her readers. Penny and her mother have a conversation that illustrates Penny’s humor and sarcastic wit perfectly. “Are we going out for dinner?” I ask. “We don’t go to restaurants very often and, believe me, it’s a real treat when we do.”  “Actual,” she say, “I’m going out. Me-me’s made hamburger-olive loaf for you.” I groan. Me-me’s hamburger-olive loaf is so bad, it should be in jail.” Holm focuses on the natural curiosity and defiance of young children in her novel also including the peer pressures of everyday life among children. “Don’t get into trouble,” Me-Me calls over her shoulder as they walk to the car. The minute the car disappeared around the corner, Frankie grabs my hand and say’s, “Let’s go!” “Go where?” I ask. He screws up his face. “The pool! Where else?” “But Me-me said I can’t go.” Frankie has a devilish gleam in his eyes. “Just think of all that nice cool water going to waste.” I hesitate. “I don’t know.” “Come on,” Frankie says. “We go now and get back before Me-me and Pop-pop return, see?” I look at him uncertainly. “What if my mother finds out? He winks at me. “She will never know.” Many of Holm’s readers may be able to relate to Penny’s misbehavior and be empathetic of her feeling “trapped” or “babied” by her mother, making the story much more believable and meaningful. Holm also takes into consideration the fact that young readers tend to question their own mortality and are aware of death. Even though death is a sensitive subject for many, Holm has incorporated Penny’s views towards what Heaven is like in a non-religious way that is appropriate for her story. I think about Heaven a lot. Not because of the usual reasons, though. I’m only eleven, and I don’t plan on dying until I’m at least a hundred. It’s just that I’m named after that Bing Crosby song “Pennies from Heaven,” and when you’re named after something, you can’t help but think about it.   

Holm’s novel also focuses on family tradition which helps her readers understand the different values and perspectives that families deem to be important. “It’s Sunday, and that means dinner at Nonny’s house. On Saturdays I have dinner at home, which is usually a dry pot roast and burned potatoes because Me-me leaves it in too long. I don’t know when this started, me going over to my father’s family on Sundays; it’s been this way forever…My Italian family starts their dinner in the afternoon, so I go over after lunch….They put the lemons in the decanters of homemade Chianti. An Italian opera playing on the record player… All the uncles are here.”  The contrast of tradition among Penny’s mother’s family who isn’t Italian and her father’s family who is Italian gives readers an excellent example of diverse characteristics among families.

Holm has done an excellent job not overwhelming her readers with historical details that take away from her reader’s literary experience. Holm has woven significant historical information into the story making it seem natural and vital to the plot of the story. She included historical information in her novel related to polio, which was a disease that people of the 1950’s time period had to be cautious of; the Dodgers losing the World Series multiple times in the 1950’s and then winning the World Series in 1957; and the story of Penny’s father being taken away from his family over a radio that had been given to him by her uncle Dominic. “It all started with radio,” she says in a dull voice. “What radio?” She doesn’t answer. Finally she says, “Your father loved going to ball games. But after you were born, he didn’t want to spend a minute away from you, so Dominic went out and bought this fancy brand new radio so your father could listen to the game. One night your folks were sitting down to dinner, the doorbell rang, and some FBI agents came and took your father away. Took them both away, I should say.” “Both?” “When the FBI came to see Dominic about the radio, he said that your father had it, so they dragged both of them in for questioning.” “Italians weren’t allowed to have this kind of radio. See, after Pearl Harbor, the whole country went crazy. All of a sudden everyone was suspicious of foreigners. They passed this law: If you were Italian and didn’t have your citizenship, you couldn’t travel to certain places, or have radios with a shortwave band, or flashlights, or cameras, or I don’t know what else.”At the conclusion of Holm’s novel she includes an Author’s Notes section where she explains the reasoning behind her novel and from where the characters' stories were derived. Holm mentioned in her notes the story of Penny’s father being a hidden; part of American history during World War II when President Franklin D. Roosevelt was in office. Holm’s notes at the conclusion of the novel help her readers clarify specific historical or family information that she has included in her novel. Holm also includes a Photo Album section at the conclusion of the novel that helps readers understand Holm’s genealogical information, contributing to her readers' knowledge of the characters in the novel.  

Holm has created the ideal image of the 1950’s life style for her readers. She has done an excellent job re-creating the 1950’s time period and making it relevant for today’s readers. Her novel's characters have careers that are iconic of the 1950’s. Mr. Mulligan is the door to door milkman; Penny’s Uncle Ralphie owns a butcher shop and her Uncle Nunzio owns a clothing factory. Holm’s novel includes settings that are outside of “Smoke Shops” and “Sweetie Shops” Holm includes in her writing the names and radio programs that are iconic of the 1950’s, such as the Fibber McGee and Molly radio program, which is Penny’s grandfather’s favorite program; Scarlet O’Hara, who is Penny’s dog; Bing Crosby, who sings a song that Penny got her name from; and makes reference to a woman walking into the butcher shop that looked like Elizabeth Taylor. Including these historical names and economic settings into her writing helps her readers make connections with past economic situations and compare icons of 1950’s to today.    

The cover of the novel, by Michael Frost and Stephanie Moss, shows the image of the back of a young girl with curly dark brown hair who has a yellow bow tied in the back of her hair. The girl is facing in the direction of a baby blue background with pennies falling down around her as if they are falling from heaven. The cover of the novel draws the attention of readers by including the Newbery Honor Book award emblem on the cover and creates a sense of wonder about who is the girl on the cover.        

Holm has created a story, inspired by her own family and including significant historical information about the 1950’s era, for her readers. This novel isn’t filled with action packed excitement or historical characters. It is a “comfortable” read about the importance of tradition and family that all age groups can enjoy.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Booklist- “Holm impressively wraps pathos with comedy in the coming-of-age story populated by a cast of vivid characters.”

School Library Journal- “Penny and her world are clearly drawn and eminently believable, made up of seamless interwoven details from everyday life.”

San Francisco Chronicles- “Holm’s deft storytelling is at once rosy, rounded and realistic.” 

CONNECTIONS

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Web Page

Readers can find more information about Jennifer Holm on her website. She includes a biography, homework help, a list of her books, and contact information for her readers. This is a great way for readers to become more familiar with the author and her work.

Jennifer Holm’s personal website: http://www.jenniferholm.com/ 

Activity

Activity 1: Family Tree Sculpture
Activity 2: Story Scrapbook
Activity 3: Family Migration Map

Detailed information about the ABOVE activities can be found at: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5611232/genealogy_crafts_for_kids.html?cat=25