Sharon Bell Mathis

Destined to be one of my favorite Newbery books, this small book is quite remarkable.

It is a poignant tale of aging and the lessons passed along to those who want to learn.

When Michael's Great Aunt Dew comes to live with his family, he is drawn to the 100 year old woman who seems at times forgetful and other instances spot on with her observations.

Increasingly spending time with her nets a plethora of knowledge for Michael as systematically he and his Great Aunt play a game with her most show more precious possession -- a box of 100 pennies.

As Michael counts the pennies, a story results for each year a penny was added. Weaving wonderful tales, Aunt Dew shares a history rich in value and tradition. Michael grows to love his Aunt deeply.

While the tension between his mother and his Great Aunt mounts, Michael realizes his mother wants to thrown away the 100 penny box. Desperately trying to make his mother appreciate the history and the significance of Aunt Dew's memories becomes quite a task for Michael.

The writing is wonderful and the images of Michael and his Aunt are as precious as the 100 penny box.

Highly recommended. show less

A glimpse into the relationship between a young boy and his great-great aunt, and the tense emotions that come when an older family member comes to live with her descendents.
I wanted to like this one more than I did. I appreciate the care with which the relationship between boy and aunt is crafted, but the story is too staid for me, and the ending is more frustrating than poetic.

A poignant story about a boy and his great aunt, and the power of memory, family, and loss and oppression. Three generations of African Americans are living under one roof after Michael's parents take in Aunt Dew, his father's aunt. Aunt Dew raised Michael's father after the tragic early death of his parents, and she is almost as much a mother as she is a grandmother to Michael. Now she is too infirm to care for herself, so the family has moved her to their house so Michael's mother can tend show more to Aunt Dew. Unfortunately, his mother and his aunt don't mix well. His mother doesn't understand Aunt Dew's sadness, her frustration at not being able to take care of herself, and thinks that Aunt Dew dislikes her. Most importantly, Michael's mother doesn't understand the hundred penny box.

Aunt Dew began her collection when her husband gave her thirty-one pennies on her birthday, to represent each year of her life. From then on, Aunt Dew's husband or she herself added one new penny to her box on each birthday, and as Michael pulls them from the box, she can recount the significant events connected to that year and that penny. The hundred penny box is the secret to Aunt Dew's very identity, but Michael's mom doesn't know that. She wants to get rid of the box and replace it with a new, smaller one. Michael can't bear letting that happen. He will do anything to save the box, even defy his parents and hide it.

The book doesn't give us resolution on the fate of the penny box. Rather, it ends with Michael comforting a tearful Aunt Dew in her room, after his mother forced her to take a nap. He lays his head on her chest and listens to her sing her favorite song. The ending shows that the importance of the book isn't about the box, after all, but the relationship between Michael and his aunt. The old traditions and history are thus passed across the generations, through Michael's devotion and his aunt's stories. For such a small story, it holds a great deal of complexity. Michael's mother is a good woman, and has some valid points about pulling Aunt Dew into the future, because she is clutching the past. Yet she doesn't really understand the old woman. Michael is just a child, and truly naive about the situation, but he possesses a wisdom his mother does not. The characters and their relationships realistically depict how our relations to others can be both messy and deeply affectionate. Subtle messages about oppression and how the world has changed for African Americans are reflected in Aunt Dew's personal history. This is an intimate story, that teaches children about the universal dynamics of family and a particular moment in our history. The book allows readers to come to their own conclusions about the fate of the penny box. The story is well worth reading and discussing. show less

This is a story about a young boy named Michael. His great-great aunt Dew came from her home in Atlanta to stay with Michael and his parents. She is a hundred years old. She took care of Michael's father after his parents died. Michael liked to spend time with her. He thinks his Aunt Dew doesn't remember him or other things most of the time. Michael loved to count her pennies from her hundred penny box. He would count and she would tell stories about her life. Her box stood for her life and show more had a penny for every year of her life. Michael's mother wanted to throw her box away. Michael knew what Aunt Dew's box meant to her, so he was trying to come up with ways to hide it. The story ended with Michael laying by his Aunt Dew. He loved his Aunt Dew.

I thought this was a touching story. I think the story was about Michael and his new relationship with a woman that was like his grandmother. He seems young but still understands more complex things. He understands what his Aunt Dew's box means to her, that if it is taken away, a piece of her will go with it. Also, although Aunt Dew is old she remembers more than what everyone thinks she does. I enjoyed the pictures. They reminded me of old photos. They went along with the story well.

We would read this together as a class and make our own penny box. We would fill the box with pennies for our age. I think this would also be a great book to keep to help the students understand about family members who are older and perhaps it can help them relate and understand they aren't the only children that go through that with a loved one. show less