Penny Pollard’s Letters by Robin Klein Illustrated by Ann James

 

I was first introduced to the Penny Pollard book series when I was in the third grade. The teacher librarian read the first book to the class. I bought Penny Pollard’s Letters at a fete that a local school was having, they had a book stall where they sold off a lot of their old books.

Penny Pollard is a fictional 12 year old Australian girl. She’s horse mad, feisty, tomboyish, and independent. She’s quite unusual too; Penny does things differently from everyone else and sometimes that gets her into trouble. For example, she had a secret pet rat who died, so she put it in the freezer to await for burial when she returns on holiday.

There are 6 books in the Penny Pollard series:

1.      Penny Pollard's Diary (Oxford University Press, 1983)

2.      Penny Pollard's Letters (Oxford University Press, 1984)

3.      Penny Pollard in Print (Oxford University Press, 1986)

4.      Penny Pollard's Passport (Oxford University Press, 1988)

5.      Penny Pollard's Guide to Modern Manners (Oxford University Press, 1989)

6.      Penny Pollard's Scrapbook (Hodder Children's Books Australia, 1999)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Klein

Each book has little illustrations and photographs of things that Penny sees. The books are easy for children to read and long enough for more competent younger readers.

 

In Penny Pollard’s Letters, Penny has to stay with her aunt Winifred during the school holidays while her mum stays in hospital awaiting the birth of her second child. The book consists of Penny writing letters to her friends, her other aunt and uncle, her dad and her enemy who owes her $2.75 for the rat she bought off him who later died.

Penny doesn’t like staying with her aunt Winifred, a former music teacher who wants Penny to have an interest in classical music which Penny finds boring. Penny is a wild child who fidgets and gets up to mischief so it’s not that fun for Winifred to have Penny stay over.

Penny finds staying at her aunt’s house boring because there isn’t much to do. There are two little kids next door who only have interests in preschool stuff like playing dress ups. Penny also meets another 12 year old named Alistair who at first she thinks is a “four eyes nerd” but later grows to respect and like him. She also comes to terms with getting a new brother or sister.

I think I may collect the book series or at least collect the other two that I liked which were Penny Pollard’s Diary (the first book that I read) and Penny Pollard goes to Europe. I like Penny; I think she’s funny and unusual. The only flaw that I don’t like is that I think she’s a little gross at times.

So that’s another five dollars added to my MS Readathon fund! I estimate that I have raised about $60ish dollars now and my goal is $100.