Call number
J FIC PEC
Collection
Genres
Series
Publication
Dial Books (1998), Edition: 1st, 160 pages
Description
A boy recounts his annual summer trips to rural Illinois with his sister during the Great Depression to visit their larger-than-life grandmother.
Subjects
User reviews
LibraryThing member rdg301library
This 1999 Newbery Honor Book is “a novel in stories” of humorous happenings during the week-long visits two Chicago children, Joey and Mary Alice, made to their Grandma Dowdel's rural Illinois home during the Depression years of 1929 through 1935.
I was born in the Chicago suburb where my dad
I found Grandma Dowdel to be the most interesting character. In his Newbery acceptance speech, Peck described Grandma Dowdel as “the American tall tale in a Lane Bryant dress. There’s more than a bit of Paul Bunyan about her, and a touch of the Native American trickster tradition; she may just be Kokopelli without the flute.”
In the December 2001/January 2002 issue of The Reading Teacher, Peck said she “is the great American tradition I came from. She is all of my great aunts, and while she is not much like my grandmother—except physically—all were imposing women…It was a matriarchy, and Grandma Dowdel represents that. Notice she is often cooking? To her, that is not a subservient role, that is feeding the world…Their kitchens were their temples.”
“Joey expresses his awe at the power of a mighty grandmother and, perhaps, of all women,” Peck says in the Newbery acceptance speech. “Mary Alice tells of finding in an unexpected place the role model for the rest of her life.”
This book could have been set in just about any rural small town in the country during 1929-1935. I think the humor in the book would be enjoyed by both boys and girls about age 9 and up (reading level is about grade 4.6-5.0).
I was born in the Chicago suburb where my dad
Show More
grew up and my grandparents lived for many years, and many aunts, uncles, and cousins still live in that area. Some of my ancestors were from Springfield, Illinois. They owned a haberdashery and sold a hat to Abraham Lincoln, so the story where Grandma Dowdel tries to pass off a stovepipe hat from her attic as his rang true to me.I found Grandma Dowdel to be the most interesting character. In his Newbery acceptance speech, Peck described Grandma Dowdel as “the American tall tale in a Lane Bryant dress. There’s more than a bit of Paul Bunyan about her, and a touch of the Native American trickster tradition; she may just be Kokopelli without the flute.”
In the December 2001/January 2002 issue of The Reading Teacher, Peck said she “is the great American tradition I came from. She is all of my great aunts, and while she is not much like my grandmother—except physically—all were imposing women…It was a matriarchy, and Grandma Dowdel represents that. Notice she is often cooking? To her, that is not a subservient role, that is feeding the world…Their kitchens were their temples.”
“Joey expresses his awe at the power of a mighty grandmother and, perhaps, of all women,” Peck says in the Newbery acceptance speech. “Mary Alice tells of finding in an unexpected place the role model for the rest of her life.”
This book could have been set in just about any rural small town in the country during 1929-1935. I think the humor in the book would be enjoyed by both boys and girls about age 9 and up (reading level is about grade 4.6-5.0).
Show Less
LibraryThing member KimJD
This had been on my "need to read one of these days" and I'm so glad I finally did. From the time that Joey is 9 and Mary Alice is 7, the two children spend a week each summer with their Grandma Dowdel, who is very different from any adult the two have ever met. Her combination of strong
Humorous historical fiction.
Show More
personality and-- yes, often underhandedness-- steamrolls any of the folks in her small town who get in her way. While this is disconcerting for her grandchildren at first, they grow to take her in stride and even enjoy the ways that she outwits townspeople who seem to deserve it. Short vignettes cover each summer from their first with her in 1929 to their last visit in 1935. As the narrator, an adult Joe looks back at his childhood, and his voice is frank and thoroughly engaging.Humorous historical fiction.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Whisper1
A 1999 Newbery Honor award winning book that I absolutely loved!
This is a touching, memorable walk down memory lane told from the perspective of 15 year old Joey Dowdel. This book was written before Peck's 2001 Newbery Medal winner A Year Down Yonder.
Each chapter is a separate story of a summer
As I read these stories spanning seven wonderful summers, I was moved to tears and laughter. The author wove accurate historical depiction of troubled economic times in the US. There is a marvelous feeling of the folk who quibble, but hang in there together.
While living a hermit like existence, Granny Dowdel still has knowledge of the pulse of the town and the quirky personalities of the members. She is incredibly inventive in exposing the hyprocrites, finding ways of helping those less fortunate, and in leaving a legacy of laughter and memories to her grandchildren.
A must read.
This is a touching, memorable walk down memory lane told from the perspective of 15 year old Joey Dowdel. This book was written before Peck's 2001 Newbery Medal winner A Year Down Yonder.
Each chapter is a separate story of a summer
Show More
spent with Joey and his sister Alice who travel from Chicago to rural Illinois to visit their down and out, no frills, salt-of-the earth grandmother.As I read these stories spanning seven wonderful summers, I was moved to tears and laughter. The author wove accurate historical depiction of troubled economic times in the US. There is a marvelous feeling of the folk who quibble, but hang in there together.
While living a hermit like existence, Granny Dowdel still has knowledge of the pulse of the town and the quirky personalities of the members. She is incredibly inventive in exposing the hyprocrites, finding ways of helping those less fortunate, and in leaving a legacy of laughter and memories to her grandchildren.
A must read.
Show Less
LibraryThing member BrentwoodBranch
Mrs. Dowdel is no ordinary grandmother. This shotgun wielding, no nonsense grandma is tough as nails and she makes a mean gooseberry pie. Summer visits to their grandmother's house during the 1930s take Joey and his little sister, Mary Alice, a long way from their Chicago home. Initially reluctant
Show More
to leave the big city, Joey and Mary Alice soon find life in grandma's small town more exciting than anything they'd find in Prohibition era Chicago. The escapades that this trio get into will have you laughing out loud. A Long Way From Chicago is a charming collection of stories sure to please. Show Less
LibraryThing member bibliophile26
Unfortunately I read A Year Down Yonder first (I hate reading serial books in reverse order). Already familiar with what an eccentric character Grandma Dowdel is, I was pleasantly surprised that many of her antics made me drop my jaw or laugh out loud. While this book is technically YA and is
Show More
narrated by a child, it doesn't read that way because everything revolves around Grandma's kooky adventures. I also liked how the book read as a series of short stories (with the same characters) instead of having a central plot. Highly recommended, even to those adults who don't like kiddie lit. Show Less
LibraryThing member abbylibrarian
Joey and his younger sister Mary Alice go to visit their grandma in rural Illinois in the 1930s. In a series of hilarious stories, their grandma plots revenge on a band of prank-playing brothers, bakes gooseberry pie for the state fair, and causes general upheaval in her small town. The narration
Show More
of the audio recording is great. Ron McLarty does great voices, including a fantastic voice for Grandma. Laugh out loud funny, this is a painless historical fiction to recommend to students and the cd is appropriate for family listening. Show Less
LibraryThing member librarymeg
This book is made up of several short stories about Joey and Mary Alice's summer visits to their Grandma Dowdel's home in a small Illinois town during the Great Depression. The stories are all beautifully written, evoking small town life and all its little quirks. Grandma Dowdel is a
Show More
larger-than-life character whose eccentricities will guarantee her a spot in every reader's memories. After all, who could forget a woman who would calmly pass the sheriff by in his stolen rowboat with a basket full of illegal fish caught on private land? The book will leave readers with a vivid picture of small town life in the early twentieth century, and more importantly will have you wishing you could spend a hot summer week following Grandma Dowdel, watching to see what she'll do next. Show Less
LibraryThing member Mluke04
The style of this book is effective because each story builds the reader's knowledge from the last story. Each chapter is from another year so as the characters grow, the detail in the stories change. The reader gets to know Grandma Dowdel as Joey and Mary Alice get to know her.
This is an example
Media: N/A
This is an example
Show More
of historical fiction because the story takes place in 1929-1935. The stories are written as if it still was that time period.Media: N/A
Show Less
LibraryThing member readermom
Just to start, having spent some months in Chicago, I think being a long ways from there is a good idea. No one but farmers should have to put up with that kind of weather. My sister-in-law and then my mother-in-law recommended these books. I was especially happy to see them at the library. This is
The characters of the novel are what set it apart. Not only is the Grandmother hysterically funny, but the first person narrative voice of the child is very genuine. It was hard to believe that these books were fiction. They felt so real that you wanted them to be real.
I read a lot of YA fiction and this was the first time I have ever wished that a book was written for young people. The first person narrator is a child, and sees the other characters, especially his grandmother, as a child sees her. All we know of the Grandmother is what this boys sees of her. We know very little of her history, what made her such a formidable figure. The next book, while showing a girl's perspective on Grandma, still has the limitations of the voice. Reading this book as a child, or even as a teenager, I don't think I would notice a lack. But as an adult woman I want to know more about Grandma. I want to know when she married, where she grew up, how many kids she had. What made her such a strong woman, one who cares for the people on the edges and tries not to show it?
Grandma was the heart and soul of the books and I want to know more about her. I suppose it shows how good the books are that I have these questions. I laughed at the stories, and would definitely recommend them, especially to a teen reader, but I sure wish there was an adult version somewhere.
Show More
not the type of book I would just pick up to read, mostly because they take place during the Depression and I have learned to avoid those type because Depression seems to be an accurate description of most books set in that time period.The characters of the novel are what set it apart. Not only is the Grandmother hysterically funny, but the first person narrative voice of the child is very genuine. It was hard to believe that these books were fiction. They felt so real that you wanted them to be real.
I read a lot of YA fiction and this was the first time I have ever wished that a book was written for young people. The first person narrator is a child, and sees the other characters, especially his grandmother, as a child sees her. All we know of the Grandmother is what this boys sees of her. We know very little of her history, what made her such a formidable figure. The next book, while showing a girl's perspective on Grandma, still has the limitations of the voice. Reading this book as a child, or even as a teenager, I don't think I would notice a lack. But as an adult woman I want to know more about Grandma. I want to know when she married, where she grew up, how many kids she had. What made her such a strong woman, one who cares for the people on the edges and tries not to show it?
Grandma was the heart and soul of the books and I want to know more about her. I suppose it shows how good the books are that I have these questions. I laughed at the stories, and would definitely recommend them, especially to a teen reader, but I sure wish there was an adult version somewhere.
Show Less
LibraryThing member lauraklandoll
This is the story of two children from Chicago and their grandmother from a very small rural town. The siblings spent two weeks every summer with Grandma. When they were very young, the trip was not looked forward to, but, as they grew older, they became more appreciative of her. Many colorful
I loved this book. The grandmother was very crusty and non-conforming, she reminded me of my own mother. The grandmother worked hard and understood so much more than her grandchildren thought she did. How unfortunate we don't take advantage of our grandparents when they are young enough to enjoy us.
This story would be great for children who don't have grandparents, to understand how valuable they are. This would be good for learning about small town life.
Show More
stories are related in this book.I loved this book. The grandmother was very crusty and non-conforming, she reminded me of my own mother. The grandmother worked hard and understood so much more than her grandchildren thought she did. How unfortunate we don't take advantage of our grandparents when they are young enough to enjoy us.
This story would be great for children who don't have grandparents, to understand how valuable they are. This would be good for learning about small town life.
Show Less
LibraryThing member BoundTogetherForGood
So delightful I read the sequel, A Year Down Yonder.
LibraryThing member lindyvee
This Newberry Honor Book kis about two children,l Joey and Mary Alice who live in Chicago during the early 1930s. When they are nine and seven respectively, they begin spending a week each August with Grandma Dowdell in a small rural town somewhere in Illinois. Each chapter is full of funny,
This book reminded me of when I was young and my summers that were spent with my grandparents. My grandmother was much like Grandma Dowdell. It seemed like every day, simple activities all taught an important lesson that I didn't recognize at the time but still find myself applying today. The author made it easy to identify with the endearing characters, and it was written in an easy-to-understand manner. At times, I actually laughed out loud.
As an extension, this book could be used as an example of growing up during the depression era. Also, each child could relate a story about an adventure with a grandparent or elderly adult. If possible, the teacher could invite an older person to visit the class and share stories of their childhood. The teacher could also compare and contrast to how children grow up today and the differences in modern conveniences.
Show More
amazing and eye-opening adventures. For the next seven years, there is never a dull moment as they learn many of life's lessons from their wise, though sometimes eccentric, grandmother. From the first summer where Grandma shoots a dead body to the last summer where they get to meet a real life war hero, the book takes you through many delightful twists and turns.This book reminded me of when I was young and my summers that were spent with my grandparents. My grandmother was much like Grandma Dowdell. It seemed like every day, simple activities all taught an important lesson that I didn't recognize at the time but still find myself applying today. The author made it easy to identify with the endearing characters, and it was written in an easy-to-understand manner. At times, I actually laughed out loud.
As an extension, this book could be used as an example of growing up during the depression era. Also, each child could relate a story about an adventure with a grandparent or elderly adult. If possible, the teacher could invite an older person to visit the class and share stories of their childhood. The teacher could also compare and contrast to how children grow up today and the differences in modern conveniences.
Show Less
LibraryThing member nules
This was a good book. I liked the grandma character quite a bit, and the humorous stories.I didn't quite see much into the main character, though, except as far as he perceived things, which can be enough sometimes (but I think it could be more personable otherwise). Mary Alice's habit of taking to
Show More
doing things her grandmother did was interesting (somewhat sly, the way it was).Anyway, I'd recommend the book. It doesn't have much to do with an airplane, though (I was glad about that personally). That's just part of one of the stories (it's a collection of consecutive stories that make a novel, or a novel in stories, they say).The narration of this book was great, and helped to establish an atmosphere suitable for the geography. Show Less
LibraryThing member mmburks
This is a book about brother and sister who go and visit their grandma every summer. It takes place during the Great Depression. The two kids go through many adventures with their grandma and learns a lot from the crazy old lady.
LibraryThing member EmilyAnnSp
Joey and Mary Alice spend a week every summer with their grandmother. Their grandmother is an interesting character who is well known in the town and respected. They get into all kinds of antics during their week and learn a lot of life lessons along the way.
LibraryThing member idcstaff
A soft, funny story about Joey and Mary Alice visiting their excentric grandma for the summer.
LibraryThing member jessn1017
First of all, this story is definitely aimed towards younger readers. For me, it was a very quick and easy read. Having said that, I also found it sweet and charming, and very much worth the time to read as an adult, too.
One of the things I like about this book is its setting and the way it's
I absolutely adore the character of Grandma (I'm sure she would be externally offended, but inwardly pleased, to hear me use those words), and I love how the kids start out sort of wary of her, but as they get older, they kind of wise up to her and start to read her and play along with the things she does. I also enjoyed the author showing how Grandma rubs off on the kids, particularly Mary Alice. I kind of wish I had a Grandma in my own life (although I love my own two grandmothers to pieces- I just think everyone needs a character like Grandma in their life)!
I will say, I actually got really teary eyed at the end, with the last little two page story. I love the characters and, even though it was a short book, by the end, I felt like I was leaving friends. I am glad to be reading A Year Down Yonder, the sequel to this book, immediately after, to get another part of Mary Alice and Grandma's stories. But at the same time, I found myself wondering/imagining what might have happened to some of the other characters later on, like Joey and Ray Veech and others. I'd like to imagine that they lived happily ever after.
One of the things I like about this book is its setting and the way it's
Show More
presented. It has a cozy, old-timey feel to it that makes me think I might have liked to have lived back then. It depicts a time when hard work and struggle were a way of life, but at the same time, there seemed to be a stronger sense of community and neighbors taking care of neighbors than often seems the case these days. Even Grandma, who superficially is rather anti-social and doesn't really take kindly to anyone, deep down, cares about people and tries to do right. She may like to show people up now and again, but it seems to usually be when they are getting a bit too big for their britches in her estimation. As for the presentation, I always like when the narrator presents a story, not as something he is reporting on as it happens, but rather, as an adult looking back on things that happened to him as a child - the events seen through a child's eyes, but reflected on with the wisdom of an adult. It reminds my of the TV show "The Wonder Years" and Jean Shepherd's works, like what the movie "The Christmas Story" was based on, with that similar sort of wry sense of humor about the events included, too.I absolutely adore the character of Grandma (I'm sure she would be externally offended, but inwardly pleased, to hear me use those words), and I love how the kids start out sort of wary of her, but as they get older, they kind of wise up to her and start to read her and play along with the things she does. I also enjoyed the author showing how Grandma rubs off on the kids, particularly Mary Alice. I kind of wish I had a Grandma in my own life (although I love my own two grandmothers to pieces- I just think everyone needs a character like Grandma in their life)!
I will say, I actually got really teary eyed at the end, with the last little two page story. I love the characters and, even though it was a short book, by the end, I felt like I was leaving friends. I am glad to be reading A Year Down Yonder, the sequel to this book, immediately after, to get another part of Mary Alice and Grandma's stories. But at the same time, I found myself wondering/imagining what might have happened to some of the other characters later on, like Joey and Ray Veech and others. I'd like to imagine that they lived happily ever after.
Show Less
LibraryThing member aleahmarie
Mrs. Dowdel is no ordinary grandmother. This shotgun wielding, no nonsense grandma is tough as nails and she makes a mean gooseberry pie. Summer visits to their grandmother's house during the 1930s take Joey and his little sister, Mary Alice, a long way from their Chicago home. Initially reluctant
Show More
to leave the big city, Joey and Mary Alice soon find life in grandma's small town more exciting than anything they'd find in Prohibition era Chicago. The escapades that this trio get into will have you laughing out loud. A Long Way From Chicago is a charming collection of stories sure to please. Show Less
LibraryThing member bloftis
A Long Way from Chicago tells the story (well, actually a series of stories) about Joey and his younger sister Mary Alice's yearly summer trips to visit their grandmother during the 1930s. Joey and Mary Alice are exposed to a very unique individual in their grandmother, and the book reveals their
The book is extremely enjoyable because of the unique and often outlandish antics of Grandma Dowdel. The unique perspective Joey and Mary Alice witness when visiting their grandmother allow them to witness a sometimes outlandish, but still effective means of achieving one's goals and desires and even get justice when necessary. The book also exudes nostalgia.
Show More
increasing maturity while learning valuable lessons from their grandmother.The book is extremely enjoyable because of the unique and often outlandish antics of Grandma Dowdel. The unique perspective Joey and Mary Alice witness when visiting their grandmother allow them to witness a sometimes outlandish, but still effective means of achieving one's goals and desires and even get justice when necessary. The book also exudes nostalgia.
Show Less
LibraryThing member mbuch
The main character, Joey, and his sister Mary Alice, take annual summer trips to visit their grandmother in a small rural town. Their grandmother is a unique, whimsical, and fantastic character! The experiences of each visit are unforgettable and full of lessons learned. The details of each story
With a well-developed plot and exciting events always taking place, the story creates relatable, humorous scenes for readers to experience and enjoy. This is a great book that should be used in every U.S. History classroom! The historical facts in this book are taught in a relative and necessary manner which helps readers to gain a deep understanding about the 1930's.
Honors and Awards:
Newberry Honor Award (1999)
Show More
are captivating and very funny.With a well-developed plot and exciting events always taking place, the story creates relatable, humorous scenes for readers to experience and enjoy. This is a great book that should be used in every U.S. History classroom! The historical facts in this book are taught in a relative and necessary manner which helps readers to gain a deep understanding about the 1930's.
Honors and Awards:
Newberry Honor Award (1999)
Show Less
LibraryThing member BrittneyFields
this is a story about two siblings who visit their grandma. They go every summer to their grandma's house in a little town in Illinois. They go on many crazy adventures when they are there.
LibraryThing member chinquapin
In this humorous Newbery Honor book, a brother and sister from Chicago visit their Grandma for a week every summer in her home in a small rural town in southern Illinois. It is set in the 1930's, so the country is in the midst of the Great Depression. This and other historic events from that period
Grandma is quite an odd character. She is somewhat cantankerous, but she always manages to find a way to help the right folks out. This book had me laughing outloud at some of the pranks and tricks she pulled on the town's "stuffed shirts." I felt like the book gave you an excellent sense of place and time, rural Illinois in the midst of the Depression. I love all the little bits and pieces of history that are mentioned throughout the book, like when John Dillinger was shot and they displayed his corpse for public viewing in the basement of the morgue.
Show More
are scattered through the stories. Each chapter is a story covering that year's visit, so the kids get one year older each chapter. They are ages ten and eight in the first chapter, and ages 15 and thirteen in the last chapter. Grandma is quite an odd character. She is somewhat cantankerous, but she always manages to find a way to help the right folks out. This book had me laughing outloud at some of the pranks and tricks she pulled on the town's "stuffed shirts." I felt like the book gave you an excellent sense of place and time, rural Illinois in the midst of the Depression. I love all the little bits and pieces of history that are mentioned throughout the book, like when John Dillinger was shot and they displayed his corpse for public viewing in the basement of the morgue.
Show Less
LibraryThing member mkschoen
Delightful tales - two children visit their Grandmother Dowdel in teh country during the Depression. Usually a moral, and twist ending, but very funny. Good 4-6.
LibraryThing member bibliophileofalls
A very good read. Funny, reminded me of Mark Twain.
LibraryThing member Suzieqkc
I laughed all the way through this book about Mary Alice and Joe's summer visit to their Grandma Dowdel's house.
Awards
National Book Award (Finalist — Young People's Literature — 1998)
Nebraska Golden Sower Award (Nominee — 2001)
Young Hoosier Book Award (Nominee — Intermediate — 2001)
Massachusetts Children's Book Award (Nominee — 2002)
Sequoyah Book Award (Nominee — Young Adult — 2001)
Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award (Nominee — 2001)
Utah Beehive Book Award (Nominee — Young Adult — 2001)
Kentucky Bluegrass Award (Nominee — Grades 6-8 — 2002)
Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award (Nominee — Grades 6-8 — 2001)
Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader's Choice Award (Nominee — Junior — 2001)
Cardinal Cup (Noteworthy — 1999)
Newbery Medal (Honor Book — 1999)
Nutmeg Book Award (Nominee — Intermediate — 2002)
Vermont Golden Dome Book Award (Nominee)
Mark Twain Readers Award (Nominee)
Sunshine State Young Reader's Award (Nominee — 2002)
Nēnē Award (Nominee — 2000)
Grand Canyon Reader Award (Nominee — Teen — 2002)
Black-Eyed Susan Book Award (Nominee — Grades 6-9 — 2001)
IBBY Honour Book (2012)
Flicker Tale Award (Nominee — Picture Books — 2001)
Rhode Island Teen Book Award (Nominee — 2001)
Best Fiction for Young Adults (Selection — 1999)
CCBC Choices (1998)
ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (Humor — 2001)
NCTE Adventuring with Books: A Booklist for Pre-K—Grade 6 (12th Edition: 1996-1998)
Great Reads from Great Places (Illinois — 2002)
Notable Children's Book (1999)
Young Adult Favorites Award (2000)
Pages
160
ISBN
0803722907 / 9780803722903