It’s the begin­ning of Hanukkah, and Pen­i­na is hav­ing a hard time. Her best friend is going to Aru­ba for win­ter vaca­tion, her favorite teacher is on extend­ed leave, her par­ents are upset with her for not being nicer to her annoy­ing lit­tle sis­ter Mim­sy, and she feels like no one in her fam­i­ly pays her any atten­tion. When Penina’s grand­par­ents vis­it, get­ting some TLC from Grand­ma helps her feel less alone. A bliz­zard can­cels her friend’s trip, and an impromp­tu Hanukkah par­ty helps restore her equi­lib­ri­um. This pre­quel to Pen­i­na Levine Is a Hard-Boiled Egg, a Syd­ney Tay­lor Notable Book, presents a sixth-grade girl more real­is­ti­cal­ly por­trayed than most in children’s lit­er­a­ture. She has lit­tle patience for her sis­ter and occa­sion­al­ly snaps at her par­ents, though she is tru­ly a kind and car­ing per­son. Com­pas­sion from her grand­moth­er, along with the tid­bit that her moth­er was a tem­pera­men­tal child, helps her feel less adrift. Mid­dle grade read­ers, espe­cial­ly girls, will appre­ci­ate her spunk, and those with younger sib­lings will sym­pa­thize with Penina’s sit­u­a­tion. High­ly rec­om­mend­ed for grades 3 – 6.