Eleven-year-old Copper Daniels is homeless and alone. She spends her nights sleeping beneath the cemetery’s Warrior Angel statue for protection, and her days battling the mean streets of Remington, Texas, hell-bent on discovering what happened the night her Mama disappeared. While Copper and her rag-tag group of friends find danger at every corner, two horror are certain: her Mama’s really … missing and someone’s after Copper, too.
In the tradition of The Lovely Bones and Room, Pennies from Burger Heaven tells a dark story through the eyes of a child. With wit and wisdom, Copper Daniels will steal your heart, then break it in two.
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Debut novelist McKay infuses Pennies from Burger Heaven with wit, charm and moxie, so much so that the achingly beautifulness of Copper Daniels’ life sneaks up on you. All of this wrapped around a mystery that is fast-paced and rife with tension, with a satisfying series of twists. Can’t wait for the next Lost Souls novel by Marcy McKay.
Both powerful and brilliant, this book grabs you and doesn’t let go until the very end. It tells the tale of a gutsy young homeless girl searching for her missing mother on mean streets. The tight plot and skillful writing propel you through a story filled with believable, well-developed characters. Highly recommended!
An amazing story about Cope Daniels, eleven years old, a brave and fierceless teenage. She is been homeless all her life. Living in the streets with her drug-addict mother, who sells her body for money while Coper hides under the bed. One morning, her mother is missing and Cooper starts a journey around the town in order to find her only to discover the real truth about herself and her past. She also find friendship, love and family all at one. She will never be alone again.
i truly loved reading this book. i had no idea what the book was about, but i took a chance reading it and fell in love with the characters and the book. it widened my favorite author list to include marcy mckay. it was a wonderful read.
I’ve just read the last page and closed the book and my emotions are in an uproar. This book will break your heart and have you cheering on Copper as she struggles to find her mom and survive life on the street as an 11-year-old. You will find tears rolling down your cheeks and then chuckling at Copper’s attitude and quirky nature. There are a couple of twists and turns that will have you shaking your head and muttering, “I didn’t see that coming!”
This was an amazing look at homelessness and gang violence through the eyes of a naive, though street savvy, young girl. The relationships between the characters are rich and full of lack of trust, competition, but also a sense of supporting each other when push comes to shove.
Thank you to the author, Marcy McKay, for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will stay with me for a long time. I look forward to continuing the Copper Daniels adventure in future books!
Dear Readers,
No spoilers here, but you do need to be prepared with some tissue/kleenex to get through this book. I love the main character (well, to me she’s a person) for her persistence and power…plus her name is “Copper” which was one of my nicknames as a redhead growing up. Young Copper has a voice, and boy does she use it. She was coping with limited circumstances bordering on dire and then her Mama goes missing. Her resilience and ability to connect with others is heartwarming at times. You’ll see failures and successes…it’s a brave journey that Copper embarks on. Highly recommend!
Have you ever gotten a book not really knowing what to expect and it simply delights you? That’s what ‘Pennies from Burger Heaven’ did for me.
The main character is Copper ‘Penny’ Daniels, a homeless eleven-year-old girl living on the streets with her mama. One morning, she wakes up and can’t find her mother. They are always together so Copper can’t understand why her mom left her.
And so begins her quest to find her mother.
Helped or hindered by an eclectic supporting cast that really enriched the story (loved the way Copper labels everyone around her with special names such as Turdmouth, No-Brains, Mr. & Mrs Jesus, Salt & Pepper, and so on), we live through a couple of harrowing days along with Copper as she desperately needs to find out what happened to her mom.
This is where the author excelled. She gave Copper such a unique voice that was so captivating that I found myself pulled into her plight and lived the highs and lows of her very hard life on the streets. Copper is a young girl who has seen too much for her age, but it’s also what makes her so lovable and memorable. She’s clever, witty, and won’t quit to not just find her mother, but to find a better life. This girl stole my heart.
Yes, this novel depicts the hardship of homelessness, but it’s also a story full of love, hopes, and dreams. This book is so well written that I honestly couldn’t put it down and I look forward to more as this is the first in a series (there’s also two short prequels to the novel that I plan on reading over the next few days).
A wonderful read!
“My heart knows the truth about Mama now. She wasn’t perfect, but who is? We both tried our best and that’s what counts. I may have grown up out here with the dead, but life is for the living.”
This book shattered me. I read it in spurts, mostly through tears. And now that it’s done, it’s time for the next in the series. I’m glad Marcy McKay is going to be a regular in my repertoire. Highly recommended 5/5
[disclaimer: I received this book from the author and voluntarily reviewed it]
This book was so good but it was so sad too. I wanted to take Copper home, feed her, clean her up and let her sleep in a comfy bed. So sad to think of the homeless like her. I enjoyed the story and didn’t see the twist at the end coming. Definitely recommend
Have you ever gotten a book not really knowing what to expect and it simply delights you? That’s what ‘Pennies from Burger Heaven’ did for me.
The main character is Copper ‘Penny’ Daniels, a homeless eleven-year-old girl living on the streets with her mama. One morning, she wakes up and can’t find her mother. They are always together so Copper can’t understand why her mom left her.
And so begins her quest to find her mother.
Helped or hindered by an eclectic supporting cast that really enriched the story (loved the way Copper labels everyone around her with special names such as Turdmouth, No-Brains, Mr. & Mrs Jesus, Salt & Pepper, and so on), we live through a couple of harrowing days along with Copper as she desperately needs to find out what happened to her mom.
This is where the author excelled. She gave Copper such a unique voice that was so captivating that I found myself pulled into her plight and lived the highs and lows of her very hard life on the streets. Copper is a young girl who has seen too much for her age, but it’s also what makes her so lovable and memorable. She’s clever, witty, and won’t quit to not just find her mother, but to find a better life. This girl stole my heart.
Yes, this novel depicts the hardship of homelessness, but it’s also a story full of love, hopes, and dreams. This book is so well written that I honestly couldn’t put it down and I look forward to more as this is the first in a series (there’s also two short prequels to the novel that I plan on reading over the next few days).
A wonderful read!
Omg Where and How does one begin tell how much this book will impact a reader? It’s one of those that rips your heart and stomps on it but yet you gotta tell others they must read this book Pennies from Burger Heaven. This book has gave me a whole new outlook on Poor City areas and the Homeless. Copper grabs and plucks your heartstrings as does her colorful friends you meet along the way. Although the book does end bittersweet it is well worth one’s time to read this poignant book for it will forever stay in a readers heart and mind. I really am at a loss of words to describe how this book touched my heart in a most profound way
Marcy McKay’s debut novel “Pennies From Burger Heaven” is the most gripping and extraordinary book I have ever read.
Copper Daniels life and story grabbed hold of my heart in a way I’ve never experienced before.
What a roller coaster ride this phenomenal book will take you on. Being homeless isn’t always a choice one makes, but a reality in which one is placed. To overcome all the trials and tribulations that come along in the world of the homeless, that becomes the necessity to stay alive.
As Copper says. “I may have grown up out here with the dead, but life is for living.”
This book has touched me in the most profound way. I believe that Copper Daniels will live with me forever and I will never look at the homeless without thinking of Copper and her story. We are all God’s children and the greatest gift he gave us was Love.
Pennies from Burger Heaven by Marcy McKay is the first book in the Burger Heaven Series. It’s about eleven year old Copper Daniels. She and her mother are homeless, but she feels life is good until her mom comes up missing. This book was so well written, and Copper is such an alive character that I just couldn’t put this book down. It is so full of mystery and intrigue that it is one book not to be missed.