The Hundred Penny Box/ Newbery

Plot Summary:

            Michael lives with his parents and his great-great-aunt, Aunt Dew. Aunt Dew is getting older (100 years), and is having problems distinguishing past from present. Aunt Dew keeps an old box with a hundred pennies in it, one for each year of her life, and she and Michael go through and count the pennies as she tells him stories for each year. Having an older relative in the household is frustrating for Michael’s mother, and she wants to throw away Aunt Dew’s box. Michael tries to get Aunt Dew to let him hide it, but she insists that the box is tied to her life force and would rather die than not have it to look at. Michael argues with his mother and gets her to leave Aunt Dew’s box alone before she goes to sleep.

Personal Reaction:            

            This is a very warm story about a young man protecting his older aunt. I really enjoyed the well-developed characters and the relationship between Michael and the rest of his family members. The book reveals universal truths about how memories are all we have in the end (particularly if we live to be as old as Aunt Dew). In addition, the author used symbolism in a way that is unique, with the mother not understanding that the box and the pennies stood for Aunt Dew’s memories. The illustations were plain. They did not particularly add to the story or the reader’s comprehension. They do remind me of old photographs, and that is appropriate. They also give the book a warm feel.

Mathis, S. B., Dillon, L., & Dillon, D. (1975). The hundred penny box. New York: Viking Press.