Title: Penny From Heaven
Author: Jennifer L. Holm
# of Pages: 288
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
After weeks (okay, months) of reading the Lord of the Rings trilogy, I was in need of something, well, fluffy. Of course, it’s pretty rare that anything I read is TRULY fluffy, but I considered young adult lit the next best thing. Since this book is an award winner AND on one of my to-read book lists, I considered it to be the perfect novel to pick up. And I wasn’t disappointed.
Penny From Heaven is the story of 11-year-old Penny, an Italian-American girl growing up with some pretty typical tween woes: a bad perm (and haircut), an overbearing single mother, and a desire for more excitement in her life. However, when her mother starts dating the milkman and her favorite uncle (who lives in his car) moves away unexpectedly, she has some real woes to start dealing with.
All in all, Penny From Heaven is an endearing read that’s all about appreciating your cultural roots, dealing with the difficulties of growing up, and finding the positive aspects of each trial that comes your way.
And, for a bonus–even though it’s 288 pages, it reads like it has 150.
So, if you’re looking for a lighter read that will remind you of the joys and sorrows of being a little different than the people around you, go ahead and pick up this little winner.
My Rating: 4 Stars (out of 5)
