Children's ✦ Penny’s Take
United Tates of America
Paula Danziger · 2003
80/100
👍 Worth It
Paula Danziger's scrapbook format is a genuine delight — stickers, cut-outs, photos, and captions turn this into something that feels like it was made by the narrator herself, not just written about her. Underneath the clever packaging is a warm story about grief, family, and the messy transition into middle school that Danziger handles with her signature lightness. A memorable and inventive middle-grade read.
✦ 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.
📚 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
safety95
substance76
craft84
originality86
accuracy82
hype76
age-fit86
human-eye82
Penny’s verdict80
Cross-pollinate