A review by emromc
Penny from Heaven by Jennifer L. Holm

3.0

It was a nice read for a long car drive...took me a little over two hours, probably, and it kept me turning pages. I'm not sure if I would have read it so fast if I hadn't been stuck in a car for six hours, but it was cute and well done. I loved the Italian family members and the little bit of mystery surrounding Penny's father's disappearance. She's a likable protagonist, and the book moved along nicely despite being one of those that doesn't really have a plot, per-say. Her character develops nicely, and the story doesn't ever drag except for maybe a little in the beginning when I was wondering if there was going to be a "plottable" story line. As soon as I realized there wasn't going to be I settled down to enjoy the coming-of-age mini-stories. Worthy of the newbery honor, in my opinion.