Chapter Book #1 -- Penny from Heaven -- Newberry Winner

TITLE: Penny From Heaven

  AUTHOR: Jennifer Holm

  GENRE: General Fiction

   THEME: Cultural Diversity and family.

  AWARDS: This book won a Newberry award.

CHARACTERS: The main characters are Penny, her cousin, uncles, mother, Nonny, Aunts, and grandparents.

PUBLISHING DATE AND COMPANY: This book was published in 2006 by the Random House publishing company.

 SUMMARY: The book Penny from Heaven is set in the time shortly after the second World War, and deals with the issues that faced many mixed race families, and those that weren't born in the United States of America (And some that were mixed race that were born here). The book is about a little girl who goes by the name of Penny (taken from the Bing Crosby song her father loved so much) even though her name was Barbra. Her father died when she was younger, and now she lives with her mother and her grandparents (Mother's parents). She still goes and visits with her father's family, but doesn't get to have time with both families at the same time, because they have a feud. Many times in the book Penny is with her cousin, and best friend, who is quite mischievous, and helps her get into lots of trouble. Penny and her cousin get jobs at her uncles butcher/grocery shop. They help deliver groceries to those who place orders but that don't come into the shop. While overhearing their uncles one day they learn that it is possible their grandfather (who died before Penny's dad) may have hidden money in the house. Penny thinks this may be true because of the fact that she knows her Nonny(Grandmother) hides money in the house. While on the search for money, Penny is helping do laundry, but her trouble maker cousin is pulling bricks out of the wall. They think they have found the money, and thats when Penny realizes a terrible accident is in the process of happening. She is in a lot of pain and her uncle Dominque rushes her to the hospital. While there Penny realizes just how deep the feud between her two families are, her mother and her Uncle Dom have an argument while in her room, and she realizes maybe her father didn't die from cancer, or pnuemonia. She over hears nurses talking about her father in a cruel way, when she confronts her mother about it, she finds out exactly what she has wanted to know for years. What happened to her father?