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26th out of 104 books
—
454 voters
A Season of Gifts (A Long Way from Chicago #3)
by
Richard Peck
The return of one of children's literature's most memorable characters is a gift indeed. The eccentric, forceful, big-hearted Grandma Dowdel is the star of the Newbery Medal?winning A Year Down Yonder and Newbery Honor?winning A Long Way from Chicago. And it turns out that her story isn?t over?not even close.
It is now 1958, and a new family has moved in next door to Mrs. D...more
It is now 1958, and a new family has moved in next door to Mrs. D...more
Hardcover, 176 pages
Published
September 17th 2009
by Dial
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Bewildered by accolades. I really expected to like this a lot (I can generally lay aside isolated incidences of racial insensitivity when I'm deciding how good a book is otherwise, or how much I like it), because I've liked many of Peck's other books, including the previous one in the series, A Year Down Yonder--I read that when it came out and commented that it was the best new kid's book I'd read in years. The writing is good here, of course, because it's Richard Peck; it's technically good. B...more
Another Peck classic. Grandma Dowdel is one of my favorite literary characters of all time and I'm so glad Peck wrote her into another great story. A Season of Gifts is told from the point of view of 11 year old Bob. His family has moved next door to Grandma Dowdel in her small Illinois town in the year 1958. Grandma Dowdel might be old, but as Bob and his two sisters Phyllis and Ruth Ann learn, she is still a force to be reckoned with.[return][return]I was supper excited when I found out about...more
Dec 05, 2012
Ed
added it
Peck, Richard. (2009). A Season of Gifts. New York: Random House/Dial. 156 pp. ISBN 978-0-8037-3082-3 (Hardcover); $16.99.
Good news, readers, Grandma Dowdel is back! This time she is rescuing Bob, our protagonist who has moved next door, from her privy (and from bullies). Despite not being a churchgoer, she builds a congregation for Bob’s preacher father. Despite not being neighborly, she models the true essence of the best neighbor. Despite not seeming to care about anyone other than herself, s...more
Good news, readers, Grandma Dowdel is back! This time she is rescuing Bob, our protagonist who has moved next door, from her privy (and from bullies). Despite not being a churchgoer, she builds a congregation for Bob’s preacher father. Despite not being neighborly, she models the true essence of the best neighbor. Despite not seeming to care about anyone other than herself, s...more
"Then the privy door banged open.
"Filling the doorway and then some was Mrs. Dowdel. A copy of the Farm Journal and three corncobs were in one of her fists. I hadn't seen her up close. I'd never wanted to be anywhere near this close to her. Her specs crept to the end of her nose. We were nose to nose.
"She didn't welcome surprises, and I came as one. All she'd wanted to do was use her privy, and here I was barring her way, naked a jaybird in my own personal web."
Tied up tight in Grandma Dowdel's...more
"Filling the doorway and then some was Mrs. Dowdel. A copy of the Farm Journal and three corncobs were in one of her fists. I hadn't seen her up close. I'd never wanted to be anywhere near this close to her. Her specs crept to the end of her nose. We were nose to nose.
"She didn't welcome surprises, and I came as one. All she'd wanted to do was use her privy, and here I was barring her way, naked a jaybird in my own personal web."
Tied up tight in Grandma Dowdel's...more
I was so anxious to read A Season of Gifts as the final episode after the hilariously entertaining A Long Way from Chicago and A Year Down Yonder. I even thought the picture on the front was delightful – but oh how the whole book left me baffled, and frankly disappointed.
It starts out with hijinks by the local bullies to the poor new kid, new neighbor of Grandma Dowdel. The Grandma Dowdel of “old” would have done something to avenge the obvious rotten bullies, leaving us laughing and having at...more
It starts out with hijinks by the local bullies to the poor new kid, new neighbor of Grandma Dowdel. The Grandma Dowdel of “old” would have done something to avenge the obvious rotten bullies, leaving us laughing and having at...more
I like to read YA fiction. Correction, I like to read anything that is well-written. Richard Peck is one of the good guys. What makes Peck's a delightful writer are his full and fascinating characters and his healthy sense of humor. In this instance, he also takes full advantage of the colloquialism and idioms from the rural Illinois setting, which adds loads of charm to his characters. A Season of Gifts is part of a companion series that includes A Long Way From Chicago and A Year Down Yonder.
A...more
A...more
This continuation of the story of Grandma (now Mrs.) Dowdel from A Long Way From Chicago and A Year Down Yonder snuck up on me, and it's BEEN OUT FOR LIKE TWO YEARS. It was just as funny and sneaky insightful as its predecessors. While I miss Joey and especially Mary Alice, the three new preacher's kids: narrator Bob, Elvis-loving Phyllis and Ruth Ann are solid characters. Twelve-year-old Bob is anxty. Phyllis has some hilariously real 14-year-old experiences too spoilery to mention. But first g...more
Title: A Season Of Gifts
Author: Richard Peck
Genre: Holiday (Christmas), Young Adult
Rating: 4/5
No. of Pages: 208 (Audio) – Library Book
Published: 2009
Back Cover: One of the most adored children’s book characters of all time is the sccentric, forceful, bighearted Grandma Dowdel, star of the Newbery Medal – winning A Year Down Yonder and Newbery Honor-winning A Long Way from Chicago. And it turns out that her story isn’t over – not even close.
It is now 1958, and a new family has moved in next door...more
Author: Richard Peck
Genre: Holiday (Christmas), Young Adult
Rating: 4/5
No. of Pages: 208 (Audio) – Library Book
Published: 2009
Back Cover: One of the most adored children’s book characters of all time is the sccentric, forceful, bighearted Grandma Dowdel, star of the Newbery Medal – winning A Year Down Yonder and Newbery Honor-winning A Long Way from Chicago. And it turns out that her story isn’t over – not even close.
It is now 1958, and a new family has moved in next door...more
Grandma Dowdel, who some readers will recognize from A Long Way from Chicago and A Year Down Yonder, makes a comeback in this recent novel from acclaimed novelist Richard Peck. The large, tough, but very big-hearted Mrs. Dowdel is the next door neighbor of the Barnhart family, newly moved from Terre Haute, Indiana to the tiny town in Piatt County. Mr. Barnhart, a Methodist preacher, was assigned the small, broken-down church in the tiny town, and all of them have a rough start adjusting to the c...more
The Barnharts, Methodist preacher Dad and Mom, 14 year-old Phyllis, 12 year-old Bob and six year-old Ruth Ann move to small town Illinois. The kids aren't exactly thrilled...yet, they have no idea what they are truly in for when they move next door to fiesty, crusty, heart-of-gold Grandma Dowdel. She is a sight to behold and scarier than ghosts, but as time goes on through August to the Season of Gifts, the Barnharts realize what a treasure they have found in this small town.
With Richard Peck'...more
With Richard Peck'...more
After thoroughly adoring A Long Way from Chicago and A Year Down Yonder, and believing that there is no adult character in YA literature who holds a candle to Mrs. Dowdel, I was thrilled to see her reappearance. As readers found in those other two books, she has a closet heart of gold and an irreverent, perhaps eccentric, way about her. She lives by the strength of her convictions, which doesn’t always sit well in a small Midwestern town ca. 1960 as in this book or in the ‘40s in the earlier one...more
Grandma Dowdel’s back, only this time she’s known as Mrs. Dowdel to the Methodist preacher’s family that just moved in next door. The family, which includes three children, has been relocated from Terre Haute, Indiana to take over what is to be a new Methodist church but what is now a run-down building with no windows, a deteriorating roof and no congregation in a small Illinois town.
As family members work to adjust to a new life, gruff old Mrs. Dowdel next door seems to know exactly what each n...more
As family members work to adjust to a new life, gruff old Mrs. Dowdel next door seems to know exactly what each n...more
Is there anybody better at creating time and place than Richard Peck? And his ability to create a voice for his narrator is unmatched. Apparently, critics are in agreement, as this book is winning starred reviews all over the place! "A Season of Gifts" is set in 1958 in a small mid-western town. Peck sets the scene with period details that put the reader right there with the characters.
Though the narrator, Bobby, tells the story of his family's arrival in the small town where his father has bee...more
Though the narrator, Bobby, tells the story of his family's arrival in the small town where his father has bee...more
Grandma Dowdel is back! The year is 1958, and Joey and Mary Alice are all grown. A new family has moved into the house next to Mrs. Dowdel: a preacher and his wife and their three kids, Elvis-lovin’ Phyllis, little Ruth Ann, and Bob, who has a problem with bullies. Over the course of the seasons changing, Bob sees Mrs. Dowdel work her magic (and skills) to welcome the Barnhart family to Piatt County, in the way she only knows how.
Reading this book was like drinking a hot cup of tea: warm, inviti...more
Reading this book was like drinking a hot cup of tea: warm, inviti...more
Head back to the wonderful character of Grandma Dowdel. In this third novel, it is 1958 and a family has moved in next door to her. They are poor as church mice, appropriate since the father is a Methodist pastor. The children include Bob, who immediately falls prey to the town bullies in remarkable fashion. There is his older sister Phyllis, who is obsessed with Elvis and with one of the bullies who bears a resemblance to The King. And then there is his younger sister, Ruth Ann, who is a little...more
"You think growing up takes forever, but it doesn't."
—A Season of Gifts, P. 163
For those who have read the first two of author Richard Peck's award-winning novels about Grandma Dowdel—A Long Way from Chicago and A Year Down Yonder—A Season of Gifts is pretty much going to be a must-read. The storyline that began in Chicago during the era of the Great Depression has continued through to 1958, where the rambunctious Grandma Dowdel is just as fiery and alive as she was more than twenty-five year...more
—A Season of Gifts, P. 163
For those who have read the first two of author Richard Peck's award-winning novels about Grandma Dowdel—A Long Way from Chicago and A Year Down Yonder—A Season of Gifts is pretty much going to be a must-read. The storyline that began in Chicago during the era of the Great Depression has continued through to 1958, where the rambunctious Grandma Dowdel is just as fiery and alive as she was more than twenty-five year...more
First book I've read (listened to) of Richard Peck's, but I think I'll definitely check out some of his other works. The book details the quirky events that happen around a minister's family (usually focused on their eccentric next-door neighbor) as the seasons pass, and while there isn't really an overarching plot leading to a big climax, it doesn't matter as the individual events are more than entertaining enough. The writing has a wry sense of humor that had me laughing out loud in numerous p...more
A sweet and funny companion story to "A Year Down Yonder" and "A Long Way From Chicago". I like these books because they are well-written. The teen characters are allowed to make mistakes without ruining their lives. These mistakes are presented in a way that makes clear that although they have made an error in judgment, that's part of growing up. Also, Mrs. Dowdel has a way of making sure that bullies and other wrong-doers get punished and it is always amusing. Here, a young minister's family m...more
My mother had recommended this book to me, and I'm really glad she did. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Although considered a "children's book" (or perhaps YA), many adults will enjoy reading it. A Season of Gifts is the story of a Methodist preacher's family recently re-located to a small rural Illinois town in 1958. Relating the events that center on the family and the community from late summer to Christmas Day, the story is told by the 12-year-old son. It is filled with eccentric characters and the...more
Peck, Richard. (2009). A season of gifts. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers.
Category: contemporary realistic fiction, humorous books
Third in the series, A Long Way from Chicago, this is another hilarious story about Mrs. Dowdel and the many lives she touches in her unorthodox ways. Set in 1958, a preacher, his wife and 3 kids,the Barnhardts, move in to the house next door to Mrs. Dowdel, the last house in town. She rescues 10-year-old Bob from a bullies' welcome. The youngest, Ruth Ann, bec...more
Category: contemporary realistic fiction, humorous books
Third in the series, A Long Way from Chicago, this is another hilarious story about Mrs. Dowdel and the many lives she touches in her unorthodox ways. Set in 1958, a preacher, his wife and 3 kids,the Barnhardts, move in to the house next door to Mrs. Dowdel, the last house in town. She rescues 10-year-old Bob from a bullies' welcome. The youngest, Ruth Ann, bec...more
When a preacher’s family moves to a small gossipy town, their friendship with an eccentric woman brings many gifts to their lives.
The book is brimming with Southern expressions and culture of the 1950s. Richard Peck has a tremendous voice as an author and a fantastic sense of humor. For example, here's a line from the book: “The sorority was Iota Nu Beta, which some people said stood for I Outta Know Better.”
The one criticism of the book is that it is much more character driven and not action dr...more
The book is brimming with Southern expressions and culture of the 1950s. Richard Peck has a tremendous voice as an author and a fantastic sense of humor. For example, here's a line from the book: “The sorority was Iota Nu Beta, which some people said stood for I Outta Know Better.”
The one criticism of the book is that it is much more character driven and not action dr...more
This wasn't my favorite book, especially initially but it grew on me by the end. Parts of it are hilarious and Mrs Dowel is an awesomely ridiculous character as was the little girl Ruth Ann. On of my favorite passages in the entire book is:
"Dad, am I going to have to be a minister when I grow up?
"If you hear the call, you'll have to answer it."
"oh" I said.
But then Dad said, thoughtful and far-off, "Or you may just want to let it ring." (76)
(This is probably only really amusing to those in minist...more
"Dad, am I going to have to be a minister when I grow up?
"If you hear the call, you'll have to answer it."
"oh" I said.
But then Dad said, thoughtful and far-off, "Or you may just want to let it ring." (76)
(This is probably only really amusing to those in minist...more
Bob Barnhart and his family have just moved to a small town to pastor a church which is practically in ruins. Bob and his two sisters hate that they moved in the summer when they can't meet other kids until the fall. Soon Bob meets the town bullies, who almost drown him in the creek, steal his clothes and then tie him up with fishing line in his next door neighbor's out house. She finds him there and cuts him down, gives him some clothes and sends him on his way home without telling a soul. She...more
Mrs. Dowdel has new neighbors, a young minister, his wife and 3 children. They will receive the best gifts of their life, gifts that cannot be wrapped and placed under the Christmas tree. Without even notice it, each one of the members of the family, and some other neighbors will get a special gift from a very special lady, Mrs. Dowdel.
Again, Richard Peck gave us a wonderful book to read. This one made me laugh, and wonder what else this old lady will be able to do. I think I will miss Mrs. Dowd...more
Again, Richard Peck gave us a wonderful book to read. This one made me laugh, and wonder what else this old lady will be able to do. I think I will miss Mrs. Dowd...more
Perfectly charming and laugh-out-loud funny book, the further adventures of Grandma Dowdel from A Long Way From Chicago and A Year Down Yonder. Narrated by 12 -year-old Bobby, who with his younger and older sisters has just moved to town and lives next door to old Mrs. Dowdel. Bobby is teased for being new and a "preacher's kid," by the roughneck town bully boys. And then there's eccentric shotgun-totin' Mrs. Dowdel's crazy ways. Is there really a ghost of an Indian princess in her pumpkin patch...more
I LOVED this book. I laughed out loud on almost every page. This is a companion novel to Peck's "A Long Way from Chicago" and "A Year Down Yonder" both of which are AMAZING!
In this book Bob, the new preacher's boy, and his family just moved next door to Mrs. Dowdel. She is older (her grandson Joey is mentioned to be 25 years older than when we last knew him). But, Mrs. Dowdel is still the same old Mrs. Dowdel. She always knows what's going on and how to fix it--even if nobody else really agrees...more
In this book Bob, the new preacher's boy, and his family just moved next door to Mrs. Dowdel. She is older (her grandson Joey is mentioned to be 25 years older than when we last knew him). But, Mrs. Dowdel is still the same old Mrs. Dowdel. She always knows what's going on and how to fix it--even if nobody else really agrees...more
The new Methodist minister, his wife and 3 children have moved from Terre Haute, Indiana right next door to Grandma Dowdel. The children keep a close eye on the Dowdel house because they think:
"So we Barnharts had moved in next door to a haunted house, if a house can be haunted by a living being. But the old lady who lived over there had to be just this side of the grave with one foot in it. She looked older than the town. But she was way too solid to be a ghost. You sure couldn’t see through he...more
"So we Barnharts had moved in next door to a haunted house, if a house can be haunted by a living being. But the old lady who lived over there had to be just this side of the grave with one foot in it. She looked older than the town. But she was way too solid to be a ghost. You sure couldn’t see through he...more
I was already a fan of Richard Peck before reading this book, but I am even more now. This book is broken into three parts, each part having its own main story. In the first part, the Barnhart's move into town. Bob, the narrator of the story, is the new kid in town. He has a number of adventures and misadventures as he is welcomed, and not into this new town. Bob is convinced that his neighbor, Grandma Dowdel's house and garden are haunted, and it takes him having his own experiences with his su...more
Mrs. Dowdel is back, and as feisty, clever, purposeful, crafty, and generous as ever! This time, we see her through the eyes of a neighbor (yes, we see this woman who tells people she does not "neighbor") who comes to find out, to the reader's delight, that Mrs. Dowdel is much more than she appears to be.
This book is sure to please the "tween" reader; it includes the themes of bullying, cliques, delinquency, rabid fandom, the elderly, and poverty, and even lightly touches on the dangers of teen...more
This book is sure to please the "tween" reader; it includes the themes of bullying, cliques, delinquency, rabid fandom, the elderly, and poverty, and even lightly touches on the dangers of teen...more
Sometimes I wonder why I even bother to read adult contemporary literature when there are so many great and uplifting books for adolescents such as this one. This is one of my favorite reads for the year. And how can anyone not like Mrs. Dowdel?! I would be curious to learn whether or not this colorful character is based on a person from Richard Peck's own childhood. She's just too great not to be real somewhere, somehow. She is the perfect person to bring the true spirit of the holidays into an...more
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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...
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
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“...they'd just tell you to turn the other cheek, wouldn't they?...Trouble is, Mrs. Dowdel observed, after you've turned the other cheek four times, you run out of cheeks.”
—
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updated Nov 04, 2009 05:22am
Nov 03, 2009 10:20pm
Nov 04, 2009 04:30am