Synopsis
FRESH, FEISTY, FUNNY.
In this Hanukkah story, Penina fi nds that a glass of cold milk and a hot potato pancake go a long way. Penina Levine is the only member of her family who isn’t looking forward to Hanukkah. Not only is it another chance for her annoying sister to steal the spotlight, but her favorite teacher is taking a mysterious leave of absence, and her best friend is deserting her to go on a dream vacation to Aruba. Then Penina discovers why Mrs. Brown must go away and hears that a snowstorm may ruin Zozo’s trip, and Penina knows she’s the one who must bring some holiday spirit to her friends. Readers of all backgrounds will relate to Penina as she turns a pile of problems into a Hanukkah to remember.
Children's Literature
Poor Penina. It is the first night of Hanukkah, and her gifts for Mom, Dad, and Little Sister Mimsy are not ready yet. Instead of explaining or apologizing, she yells at Mimsy and ruins the celebration for everybody. Things do not go any better after she wears her snow boots to school and leaves her shoes at home. When Mimsy brings the forgotten shoes to Penina's class, everyone fawns all over sis, and Penina gets more upset. Things go from bad to worse when Penina learns that her favorite teacher is leaving to care for her own sick sister, and Penina's best friend, Zozo, is leaving for winter break. As the story continues, so does Penina's complaining; in fact, as Zozo points out, "It's been Whiny Wednesday with you all week." Penina's likeability—or lack thereof—is the biggest problem in this book. Another is the seemingly endless explanations of Hanukkah's origins. A third weakness is the offensive portrayals of Zozo and her mom as clueless about Hanukkah: Zozo has never heard of latkes, yet instantly becomes an expert at creating innovative flavors; her mom refers to dreidls as "doodles." Perhaps the worst mistake is the lost opportunity for Penina's teacher's relationship with her own sister to make Penina appreciate Mimsy more. As for the illustrations, the teacher looks so similar to Penina's grandmother, I did a double-take. There are just too many Hanukkah books out there to spend time or money on this one. Reviewer: Naomi Milliner