A Year Down Yonder

A Year Down Yonder (A Long Way from Chicago #2)

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4.07 of 5 stars 4.07  ·  rating details  ·  12,450 ratings  ·  1,077 reviews
Richard Peck, whose hysterical historical novel, A Long Way to Chicago, was a 1999 Newbery Honor Book, does it again. This time out, Peck wins the 2001 Newbery Medal for A Year Down Yonder, the sequel to his 1999 award winner, which introduced the indomitable and fearsome figure of Grandma Dowdel as viewed through the eyes of her grandson Joey. Once again Peck takes his re...more
Hardcover, 130 pages
Published October 1st 2000 by Dial
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The other John
I think this is a first. Never before have I read a sequel before reading the original novel. (At least as far as I can recall.) (The Discworld books don't count. They aren't organized in a proper order, are they? You can't call a book a sequel unless it's called a sequel on the cover.) (Well, I suppose I can make an exception if it has a number on the spine.) I usually hold out for the original, but in this case my daughter's curriculum assigned her to read this volume and, unlike my daughter,...more
Anne Slater
The cover shown above has none of the character of the Scholastic Press edition.... I stayed in bed to read this book this morning. You'd do well to do the same, or to sit down in front of a fire with a cup of tea and a couple of cookies...

A Year Down Yonder is a sequel to A Long Way from Chicago. Same cast of characters, different layout.
Mary Alice, Joey's younger sister, is the narrator. She is about 15. The recession following the Depression and preceding the war means that MA's parents have...more
Dion Chan
I find this book rather hard to understand as I do not really understand what the author meant. But while I am reading this book, I am able to learn some new vocabularies that I had never come across. I feel that this book should also be elaborate further as some of the words are too hard for me to understand.
Duffy Pratt
During the depression, a fifteen year old girl goes from Chicago to the countryside to stay with her grandmother for a year. The grandmother is the kind of person that other people would call a "character". The book relates some of her strategems and antics, and they tend to range from amusing to very funny.

My trouble with the book is that it has no story, and no drive. Rather, each chapter centers on some Holiday during the year. And with each Holiday, we get another droll incident about someth...more
kaitlyn
Overall, I thought this book was a bit of a disappointment, though I did like it better than the five pages of A Long Way from Chicago that I tried to read to the fourth graders earlier this year.

I appreciated the way Mary Alice grew into herself at the end of the story, specifically when (view spoiler)[she starts writing the Newsy Notes and pulls her Valentine's Day prank, (hide spoiler)] but it felt almost too little, too late. I especially got frustrated with the format of MAJOR EVENT, MAJOR...more
Biz German
This book was good, I liked it, but I guess I wanted it to be developed more. I wanted it to be longer. Not that the ending happened too soon in the story, but maybe that the middle needed to have more in it? I don't know. Maybe I wanted more of a conflict, so that the ending was more of a victory. But maybe the way the story happened was more true to itself then to the pattern that I'm used to in books: a girl had a year with her grandmother, it meant a lot to her, and then it came to an end an...more
Patti
Fortunately I had this sequel on the side table to pick up as soon as I finished A Long Way from Chicago.
The further hilarious adventures of Grandma Dowdel continue…and she is at her best!

Grandma’s quotes give you an idea of her blunt, but lovable personality:
Pg.17 – “Them Burdicks isn’t worth the powder and shot to blow them up. They’re like a pack of hound dogs. They’ll chase livestock, suck eggs, and lick the skillet. And steal? They’d steal a hot stove and come back for the smoke.”
Pg. 37 –...more
Meredith Trotter
Publication: 2000

Grade/Age: Grades 5-8

Annotation: The year is 1937. Fifteen-year-old Mary Alice has to leave Chicago to spend a year in a small-town in Illinois with her larger-than-life grandmother. Over the course of her time there, Mary Alice begins to better understand and admire her grandmother's eccentricities.

Themes: Depression-era America, World War II, relationships, importance of family, doing the right thing

Ways to use the book:

Social Studies - Have students research the Great Depress...more
Lara Ivey
If there could be a delightful tale set during The Great Depression, this is it. The year is 1937 and 15 year-old Mary Alice is sent to rural Illinois to stay with her Grandma Dowdel for a year since her family can’t afford to keep her. Trips to Grandma Dowdel’s usually include her brother, Joey, but he’s off planting trees with the CCC leaving Mary Alice to brave this adventure on her own. Here you have a city girl trying to fit into the country way of doing things and it doesn’t always turn ou...more
Abby
A book set in 1937, during the great depression, 15-year-old Mary Alice is sent to live with her Grandmother in southern Illinois because her parents cannot afford to care for her during such times. She is a city girl looking for her place 'down yonder'. Usually a year with grandma wouldn't be so bad, but Grandma Dowdel is no ordinary grandma, she is a fiesty woman who is feared by those around her and is always unpredictable! Throughout the story Mary Alice goes on many adventures with her craz...more
Rei
Mary Alice, the protagonist of the book has memories filled with her childhood summers and they were packed with so much things such as the drama that went on in her life. But, in this book she is fifteen years old and most of times she has flashbacks to her childhood memories. She now is going to be with her grandma for one year and her grandma doesn’t have the best reputation because she can be different towards the neighbors and everyone else. Mary Alice doesn’t even want to predict how her...more
Ann Carpenter
It's funny because when I think about the Grandma Dowdel books, I tend to remember not being as impressed by Grandma as the rest of the world seems to be (the children's literature world, anyway.) But when I actually read the books, I am won over completely. I'm not sure why my memory works that way.

What I particularly liked about this book was that it was a lesson in show-don't-tell emotions. Grandma Dowdel is a gruff, rough, occasionally mean old woman. But she also has a caring heart, though...more
Courtney
A Year Down Yonder tells the Great Depression era story of Mary Alice. It is 1937 and Mary Alice is sent from Chicago to live with her grandmother in downstate Illinois. This story is full of adventure and laughs. The setting of the story is very reflective of 1930’s Great Depression and helps children learn about the lifestyles of people during this period. The characters are very well developed in this story, especially Mary Alice and her grandmother. Her grandmother is very wild and wacky, bu...more
Linda Lipko
In this delightfully funny 2001 Newbery Award winning book, 15 year Mary Alice moves from city life in Chicago to backward, small-town country Illinois to live with her big, burly grumpy grandmother.

In 1937 times were tough and a recession following the depression meant unemployment and down and out difficult living conditions. When Mary Alice's father is unemployed, her parents can no longer afford to feed and clothe her and temporarily house her with her paternal grandmother.

While, in my opini...more
L12_markmesserly
This review pertains to the Kindle edition. Suggested for ages 10-14, Lexile rating 610L.

The year is 1937 and the U.S. economy is experiencing the withering effects of recession. Fifteen-year-old Mary Alice, of Chicago, faces the grim prospect of living in a rural Illinois town with her Grandma Dowdel. There are very few boys attending the school, as they are helping on family farms, and the girls are suspicious of the rich city girl. Mary Alice has only a portable radio to connect to civilizati...more
Casey
1. Classification: Historical Fiction

2. Summary: Mary Alice is sent to a small town to live with her grandmother after a recession has occured in Chicago. Mary Alice's grandmother is very outspoken which makes for an interesting story. The characters in this novel are unforgettable.

3. Critique:

a.) The strongest aspect of this novel are the characters. Mary Alice is quiet and observant and her grandmother is outspoken and wild. Mary Alice starts to see a different side to her grandmother the long...more
Halley Todd
In 1937, during a new recession, Mary Alice Dowdel is sent to live with her Grandma in the country while her parents struggle to find work in Chicago. Mary Alice has always enjoyed visiting her formidable Grandma in the summer, but she worries about spending an entire year with her in the southern country area of Illinois. Why, at her Grandma’s house one has to go outside and use the privy. Throughout the novel, the reader is able to see how Mary Alice comes to understand and love her Grandma an...more
Ashton Livsey
Genre: Contemporary Realism Junior Book
Summary: Mary Alice is teenager being sent to live in the country with her grandmother by her parents because of the recession taking place in Chicago. The book describes the crazy, interesting, fun times Mary Alice has living in a small town with her outspoken grandmother.
Critique: a) The book’s characters are what make this book amazing. They are complex and dynamic, and dominate the story.
The main character, Mary Alice is shown from the beginning as bei...more
Andrea
I love, love, love this book!



It's the middle of the recession that followed the Great Depression. Mary Alice's father lost his job and they had to give up their apartment in Chicago. Her parents took a "light housekeeping room" in town, but there was no room for her. Mary Alice was sent to live with her grandmother in rural southern Illinois.



Mary Alice's miseries, trying to adjust to country life and make friends with people who considered her an alien resonated with me, being an expat NYer liv...more
Rachel
Mary Alice's family is being hit by hard times and her parents have to move to a smaller apartment in Chicago, that is not big enough for her too. She has to move to live with her Grandmother Dowdel. Evey summer she and her brother would go to stay with her, but this time it was for a whole year and it was by herself. She is fifteen and is really not looking forward to leaving the city to spend time in 'Hickville' with her Grandma. Her Grandmother is kind of the talk of the town. She is straight...more
Jill
Oct 27, 2010 Jill rated it 4 of 5 stars  ·  review of another edition Recommends it for: 7+? would be a good read-aloud
Shelves: newbery-medal
This is a sequel but you'd never know it. I expected to be playing catch-up with the characters and story line--I'm a little gun shy after The High King. This stands alone from the first page though. I really relate to the characters in this book. They feel real to me, especially Grandma Dowdel. I have family members who talk just like her!

"How about some supper? My stomach's flapping against my backbone," she said. "If I don't eat, I get cranky."

"Cold?" she said. "It doesn't get cold anymore....more
Shally Clark
Summary: Mary Alice a 15-year-old Chicago city girl is sent to live in the country with her Grandma Dowdel as her parents try and make their living situation better during the Great Depression in 1937. Instead of making Mary Alice live in the streets they sent her away. At first, Mary Alice doesn’t understand her unique grandmother. She was not affectionate; she seemed to have no mercy and was feared by half of the town. After time Mary Alice recognizes the good in her grandmother as she helps h...more
Becca Hay
Richard Peck really outdid himself with the book "A Year Down Yonder!" Did I like it? I Loved it, with a capitol "L." The fictional story is a sequel to Peck's Newbery award winning novel "A Long Way From Chicago" and picks up with the narrator, Mary Alice, going to live with her Grandma Dowdel's old fashioned hick town. The story begins with Alice seeing her grandma as an unfeeling old lady and through the tale we see her character develop in maturity and wisdom (gained from Grandma) until the...more
Kristine Kouba
Plot Summary - Story is set in 1937 and the effects of the Depression are still being felt. A girl, Mary Alice, is sent to live with her Grandmother for a while. The girl is enrolled at school, she has to bake with her Grandmother, and she sees how crafty, creative, and private her Grandmother is. The girl also has encounters with members of the town and she begins to get used to the countryside (she was from Chicago)

Main Characters - Mary Alice, teenager, moved in with grandmother. brought her...more
Lauma
Audio Format: Unabridged production read by Lois Smith--a stage, film, and TV actress. Total playing time, 3 hours 24 minutes (3 CD's)

This story takes place in downstate Illinois, where Mary Alice was sent to live with her Grandma Dowdel because of the Great Depression in 1937. Told through the eyes of 15-year old Mary Alice, the story mainly centers around the developing relationship with her feisty, cantankerous grandma who seems so tough on the outside but in reality has a heart of gold.

Altho...more
Jamie
This book is about a girl named Mary Alice. Mary Alice loves her life with her family in Chicago but "disaster" strikes as she has to live with her grandmother for a year. This "disaster" turns out to be such an amazing experiance that Mary Alice wants to stay there forever. Before all this happens, Mary Alice encounters a couple of really disasterous (this time not with " ") scenes. First, she gets away with not giving the school bully money, and then she gets embarrased by grandma Dowell infr...more
Cindi
While America is currently experiencing what government officials term an 'economic recession,' those around the country that are experiencing difficult financial times might call it something else. In 1929 when America's stock market crashed, people from New York to California experienced more than an economic recession. It was called The Great Depression and people all over the United States had to make tough choices regarding their way of life. John Steinbeck, a northern California author, wr...more
Megan Lee
Fifteen year-old Mary Alice, from Chicago, is sent to live with her Grandmother for a year because of the hard times her parents face during the Great Depression. Mary Alice is forced to brave the rural Illinois lifestyle, separation from her parents and brother, and her Grandma Dowdel, an eccentric woman with a strong personality and a tough-love attitude. The relationship between Grandma Dowdel and Mary Alice is rocky at first but, eventually the young girl discovers that underneath her grandm...more
L11_Ryanne Szydlik
I did not want this book to end! It's one of those stories that you read it to just enjoy it, not just to see how it ends. This is a story about a young girl from Chicago who is sent to live with her Grandmother. Her grandmother's life style is very far removed from what Mary Alice has ever know because her grandmother is pure country. She is so country that even the townspeople are afraid of Grandma Dowdel. In Mary Alice's year stay with grandma she has many life experiences that will follow he...more
Loretta Kelly
A Year Down Yonder, by Richard Peck is an extremely charming story about a 15 year girl who moves to live with her grandma on a farm in central Illinois during the Depression because her parents, like most people were struggling to make ends meet. Until this point, she had lived in Chicago and had much to learn about living on a farm. She had visited her grandma during Summer breaks, but living with her full-time was another story!

Her grandmother is a gruff woman who would rather shoot her foot...more
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APSU Children's L...: Reflection on Down Yonder 2 5 Apr 22, 2013 06:51am  
A Year Down Yonder (A Long Way from Chicago, #2)
A Year Down Yonder
A Year Down Yonder (Audio CD)
A Year Down Yonder
A Year Down Yonder (ebook)

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Richard Peck is an American novelist known for his prolific contributions to modern young adult literature. He was awarded the Newbery Medal in 2001 for his novel A Year Down Yonder.

Richard Peck was born in 1934 in Decatur, Illinois, a town he describes as quiet and safe. His mother, Virginia, was a dietitian and his father, Wayne, was a merchant who often rode his Harley Davidson to work.

Richard...more
More about Richard Peck...
A Long Way from Chicago (A Long Way from Chicago, #1) The Teacher's Funeral : A Comedy in Three Parts A Season of Gifts (A Long Way from Chicago, #3) The River Between Us Here Lies the Librarian

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“Anyone who thinks small towns are friendlier than big cities lives in a big city.” 23 people liked it
“Grandma, how old is she?"
"Oh I don't know." Grandma said. "You'd have to cut off her head and count the rings in her neck.”
15 people liked it
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