About this item
A Penny for a Hundred is beloved childrens book author Ethel Pockockis timeless tale of culture shock in rural Maine during the Second World War. It is 1944 and nine-year-old Clare will finally be able to help with the potato harvestup until now, she was only able to earn the penny a hundred her father paid her to pick potato bugs off the plants. But this year, with so many local men off fighting the war, German POWs are brought in to help with the harvest. Clares not sure what to expect from the strangers, but it soon becomes clear that these men are not so different from young American soldiersthey are relieved to be out of the fighting, but sad to be so far from home.For Christmas, Clare is determined to recreate at least one familiar tradition for Peter, a POW who has befriended her.
About the Author
Ethel Frances Pochocki was a children's book author living in Brooks, Maine. She developed a passion for books and writing working at the New York City Public Library. While raising eight children, she turned to writing in the early morning hours. Her writing career began when she won an essay writing contest about her experience taking in inner city kids with the Fresh Air Project in New York City. Through the 1960s and 1970s, she contributed numerous essays and poems to the leading Catholic publications of the time. Her award winning books include her collaborations with Maine illustrator Mary Beth Owens, such as and . She also collaborated with award winning illustrator Barry Moser on and Her contributions to children's literature were recognized by the Maine Library Association with the 2008 Katahdin Award for Lifetime Achievement and the 1991 Lupine Award for outstanding childrens literature. Her classic, , was designated a notable book of 1996 by the Smithsonian Magazine.
