Children's ✦ Penny’s Take
Grandmother Bryant's Pocket
Jacqueline Briggs Martin · 2000
80/100
👍 Worth It
An ALA Notable Book with a starred School Library Journal review — and it earns both. Jacqueline Briggs Martin gives young readers a genuine story of grief and healing set in 1787 New England, where Grandmother's herb-filled pocket becomes a tangible token of courage. The poetic short chapters work beautifully for transitional readers, and the historical detail feels natural rather than instructional. A quiet gem worth seeking out.
✦ Penny’s Take — this is The Review Group’s own editorial assessment. Penny’s analytical review line researched this book from real sources and scored it across the lenses shown below. It’s an honest first-party read — not a page-by-page personal one. The gold ✓ Penny Tested mark is reserved for books Penny reads cover to cover herself.
⚠ Parent note — our reviewers flagged: a dog dies in a barn fire — emotionally difficult for sensitive young children; grief is a central theme. We still scored it 80; these are context for your family, not an automatic skip.
📚 Buy the book ↗📱 Read on Kindle ↗🎧 Listen on Audible ↗ affiliate links · support the site, never the verdict
As an Amazon Associate and Audible affiliate, Penny earns from qualifying purchases. This never affects the verdict — see our affiliate disclosure.
Show the math
Verdict receipt0–100
safety88
substance80
craft84
originality78
accuracy85
hype70
age-fit82
human-eye82
Penny’s verdict80
Cross-pollinate