The Hundred Penny Box

by Sharon Bell Mathis

Other authorsLeo Dillon (Illustrator), Diane Dillon (Illustrator)
Paperback, 1986

Status

Check shelf

Call number

J MA

Publication

Puffin Books (1986), Edition: Rep, 48 pages

Description

Michael's love for his great-great-aunt who lives with them leads him to intercede with his mother who wants to toss out all her old things.

Local notes

2401-054

User reviews

LibraryThing member Whisper1
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
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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 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.
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LibraryThing member mrsarey
A lovely story about a young boy and his 100 year old great aunt and how she remembers her life through a penny for each year she has lived.
LibraryThing member JillianWilliams
The Hundred Penny Box is about a boy named Michael and a box that his Great Aunt Dew keeps her 100 pennies in. Great Aunt Dew has a penny for each year of her life. Michael’s favorite game is to take out all the pennies and count them with Great Aunt Dew. While he counts out the pennies Great
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Aunt Dew has a story for each one. The box is very special to Great Aunt Dew, but she is very old and Michael’s mother wants to throw it in the furnace, because she thinks Great Aunt Dew does not need so much stuff. Michael argues with his mom and tells Great Aunt Dew that he will protect her box and hide it from his mom.

This is a very interesting book. In this book it is easy to identify how the different ages of people mix. The young boy Michael and very old Aunt Dew side together to protect all of Aunt Dews stuff from Michael’s mom. This book shows how people devalue others possession and the elderly. Although Michael’s mom is being kind in taking care of Aunt Dew, she thinks she knows what is best for everyone without considering anyone else’s feelings.

This would be a good book to read to children to introduce elderly people, and talk to them about compassion. This would be a great book to send home to a child that is having to adjust to a grandparent or close relative that might live with them who has developed Dementia or Alzheimer’s.
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LibraryThing member sdbookhound
Aunt Dew is 100 years old and has come to live with Michael. She has a box with 100 pennies in it for all the years she has lived. Michael loves her and loves the stories she tells when they count the pennies, but his mother wants to replace the box with a newer one.
A Newbery Honor book. Nicely
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written and beautiful illustrations.
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LibraryThing member DaisyWoods
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
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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 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.
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LibraryThing member SunshyneBuckarma
Mathis, Sharon Bell., Leo Dillon, and Diane Dillon. The Hundred Penny Box. New York: Viking, 1975. Print.
LibraryThing member rainyday2003
Summary:
The story is about Michael and his 100 year old grandma who lives with Michael and his family. His grandma has memories for each year of her life by saving a penny for each year of her life and placing them in a box. Michael’s mother wants to get rid of the box but Michael knows the true
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meaning of the box and will protect the box for his grandma.

Personal Reaction:
I enjoyed this book because it shows that two people can have interest in common no matter their age difference. It also includes a tradition that will continue from one generation to another; like many traditions many families have.

Classroom Extension Ideas:
1. I would include a class discussion and then a family activity by figuring out the students own family traditions. A writing assignment could be included in the activity.
2. I would have each of the students write in their journals about starting their own memory collections; something like a memory box. Then I would let the students share their ideas.
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LibraryThing member JanaRose1
Michael and his great-great-aunt Dew spend time together counting the pennies in her box. As Michael counts, Dew tells him stories about the hundred years of her life. I remember reading this book as a child and immediately starting my own penny box. Re-reading it as an adult, I still found myself
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captivated by the idea and found myself pulling out my old collection of pennies to add more to it. I highly recommend this book to children and adults alike.
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LibraryThing member GayWard
Michael's love for his great-great-aunt, who lives with them, leads him to intercede with his mother who wants to toss out all her old things.
LibraryThing member bettybealis
The Hundred Penny Box
By Sharon Bell Mathis, illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon
This book is about a little boy named Michael and his great- great-aunt Dew. His parents have brought her to live with them and she shares a room with Michael. She has a box she calls the hundred penny box that holds a
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penny for each year of her life. With each penny Michael counts she tells the story of her life. This book is a little weird at times but it is great for its connections to history. I would use this book in my history class for the history connections that it provides. One activity that I would use is to have my students make their own penny box and write down a story from each year of their lives. They can get their parents help with the early stories.
I rated this book with four stars. I liked this book because of the connection to the past. This is why I chose it.
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LibraryThing member MaggieLizz
In this book, it is about a family and a great great aunt who puts a penny in a box for year she is alive. After awhile, her age is catching up to her and her grandson is around to help her.
I really liked this book because it shows tradition and tradition does not seem to be around as much
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anymore. It will also show children, that if you really want something in life, you have to go for it.
A good extension for this book would be having the students make their own box and imagine what they would put in it for each birthday. Another one would be having the students write their own life experience about a tradition their family keeps.
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LibraryThing member bell7
Michael's great-aunt Dew is one hundred years old, and has a box in which she keeps pennies - one for every year of her life. Michael's mother wants to get rid of it, but Michael realizes the importance of the memories that make Aunt Dew the special woman she is.

This is more of a short story than a
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picture book. It is 47 pages long, and heavier on text than illustration. The illustrations are sepia-toned and quite striking; I kept thinking this sort of story would have been perfect during my early elementary years, that transition between books with pictures on every page and chapter books with almost none at all. Though it is short, this is a well-told story with characters that you really sympathize with. Even Michael's mother, Ruth, though she wants to discard the box, has taken her husband's aunt in and wants what is best for her, even if she and Michael (and Aunt Dew herself) don't agree on what "best" is.
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LibraryThing member zeebreez
Mathis, Sharon Bell. The Hundred Penny Box. New York: Scholatic Inc., 1975. This story is about an Afican American family that has taken in their 100 year old grand aunt to live with them. I thought this story was precious. Her great-great nephew is fascinated with a collection of 100 pennies that
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she has in an old beat up box. His mother, who is the aunt's caretaker, is determined to get rid of the box but the little boy enjoys listening to his aunt's "penny stories." He knows that the pennies are tied to his aunt's life memories and tries to stop his mother from throwing them out. The boy learns to treasure his aunt's pennies and as aresult he begins to treasure his aunt. This story deals with the challenges of caring for the elderly in the family and the treasures of sharing intheir memories. Age group: 7-10 years.
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LibraryThing member marsap
A lovely book about the relationship between a young boy and his 100 year old great aunt. She shares the history of her life with him through her 100 penny box-one penny for each year of her life. The illustrations are beautiful "sepia toned" watercolors. 5 out of 5 stars.
LibraryThing member lorren.jackson
Summary:
This book is about a young boy named Michael who has an aunt who is 100 years old. She has a box filled with pennies one for each year she has been born. His mother wanted to get rid of the box but Michael knew how much the box meant to his aunt and he becomes caught in the middle between
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his mother and the family.

Personal Reaction:
I enjoyed this book because it symbolizes how important the box is to Micheal and his aunt. I thought this book was really heart warming and touching and I liked how the young boy and the aunt work together to save the box.

Classroom Extension:
1. In the classroom, the teacher could have their student's create their own box.
2. In the classroom, the teacher could have their student's talk about their feelings toward the story and create a literature circle.
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LibraryThing member nmhale
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
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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 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.
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LibraryThing member electrascaife
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,
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but the story is too staid for me, and the ending is more frustrating than poetic.
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LibraryThing member fonsecaelib530A
Mathis, S.B., Dillon, L, & Dillon, D. (1975). The hundred penny box. New York: The Viking Press.
Grades 3 through 5

Tensions have been running high at Michael’s home. Since his great-great-aunt came to live with the family, his mother has been upset. Aunt Dew raised John, Michael’s brother, when
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his parents died. Now, Aunt Dew needs someone to look after her; John moved her from Atlanta to live with the family. Ruth, Michael’s mother, is having a hard time adjusting to the change. Her relationship with Aunt Dew is difficult. The old woman is cold and distant toward Ruth, and Ruth infantilizes the old woman. Michael is caught in the middle. He is fascinated by Aunt Dew’s penny box, where the old woman has kept a penny for each year of her life. Each penny is a story, and whenever Aunt Dew is willing to share, Michael spends hours with her, attentively listening to each word she has to say. Ruth believes the box is nothing more than something old and useless; she plans on getting rid of it. Ruth does not know that the box is dear to Aunt Dew, who sees the box as her own self. Only Michael knows how much the old woman cherishes the box, and he does his best to protect it from his mother. Unable to convince his mother not to destroy the box, the boy consoles his great-great-aunt as she cries herself to sleep.

Winner of a Newbery Honor, The hundred penny box is a very real portrayal of the difficulties that arise when different generations must share the same roof. Aunt Dew mourns leaving her home and her life, and she resents Ruth for treating her like a child. Ruth does her best to make sure that the old woman is well taken care of, but she takes away her independence and choice. Michael is caught in the middle, the only one if the family who truly knows how Aunt Dew feels. The box is a symbol of Aunt Dew’s life and a repository of her memories. Like the old woman, the box is old and weathered. From the outside, it looks useless, but inside it keeps the essence of what makes the old woman who she is. Some may consider the story too dark and depressing, but a closer look will uncover a beautiful story of generations coming together through the power of storytelling. The characters are realistic and compelling despite their flaws. The illustrations in coppery tones help develop the mood of the story—dark as well as dreamy, as with something worn out by age. The book shows readers that memories help make us who we are, and if we lose them, we lose our identity. This is a great book to spark discussions about family, aging, generation clashes, and tolerance.
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LibraryThing member thornton37814
Now 100 years old, Michael's great great aunt Dew comes to live with them. Aunt Dew cared for Michael's father John after his parents died. She often calls Michael "John" because he resembles his father. Michael's mother wants to burn Aunt Dew's hundred penny box in the furnace as she burned many
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other things Aunt Dew brought with her. The box was a gift to Aunt Dew. Each penny represents a year in her life and helps her recall what happened that year. Michael realizes the importance of that box and wants to save it from destruction. The book does not work as well for today's readers as it did for those in the 1970s. The book does, however, help young readers understand aging. It also helps them understand the value of tradition. The illustrations are all brown tones and underwhelming.
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Awards

Nebraska Golden Sower Award (Nominee — 1981)
Young Hoosier Book Award (Nominee — 1977)
Sequoyah Book Award (Nominee — Children's — 1978)
Utah Beehive Book Award (Nominee — Children's Fiction — 1980)

Language

Original language

English

ISBN

0140321691 / 9780140321692

Barcode

1433
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