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A Long Way From Chicago: A Novel In Stories
What happens when Joey and his sister, Mary Alice--two city slickers from Chicago--make their annual summer visits to Grandma Dowdel's seemingly sleepy Illinois town?
August 1929: They see their first corpse, and he isn't resting easy.
August 1930: The Cowgilll boys terrorize the town, and Grandma fights back with a dead mouse and a bottle of milk.
August 1931: Joey and Mary ...more
August 1929: They see their first corpse, and he isn't resting easy.
August 1930: The Cowgilll boys terrorize the town, and Grandma fights back with a dead mouse and a bottle of milk.
August 1931: Joey and Mary ...more
Audio CD, 4 pages
Published
May 10th 2005
by Listening Library (Audio)
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Gloria
rated it
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review of another edition
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Older children, younger teens
Recommended to Gloria by:
Teacher
Shelves:
young-adult
This story’s grandma does not exactly fit the mold of the classic plump, white-haired, cookie-baking character used in other stories or commercial ads. Grandma Dowdel has a rather tough and leather-like persona that fascinates her two grandchildren each summer as they learn more and more about how she thinks.
Through these summer experiences, the reader learns about the Great Depression, small town America, and gets a glimpse of Chicago during its gangster-plagued years. More than history, ...more
Through these summer experiences, the reader learns about the Great Depression, small town America, and gets a glimpse of Chicago during its gangster-plagued years. More than history, ...more
I liked this little book. It was funny. It's about two kids from Chicago who go and visit their Grandma in the country every summer, and how she is exactly like my funny Grandma (aka "Granny") in North Carolina.
My sister recommended this book to me after she read it in her book club. I am a book club virgin. (Meaning, I have never actually belonged to a book club, or attended a live meeting, but I DO love talking about books on this website - oh my gosh, is that like the do...more
My sister recommended this book to me after she read it in her book club. I am a book club virgin. (Meaning, I have never actually belonged to a book club, or attended a live meeting, but I DO love talking about books on this website - oh my gosh, is that like the do...more
Joey and Mary Alice's Grandma ain't your sweet little granny. She's a tough old woman who makes her own soap, not afraid to use a shotgun, illegally traps fish and steals boats. She's outrageous and moody; gruff and caring. Joey and Mary Alice visit her for a week each summer in the country--a far cry from their regular life in Chicago. At first the siblings drag their feet to Grandma's, but after a few summers they can't wait to go and see what antics Grandma will get in to next.
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A great book! Very funny. People who live in or grew up in small towns will recognize something of their lives in Grandma's small Illinois town where everyone knows everyone's business--"sometimes before it happens." Grandma herself is an unforgettable character. Crotchety and aloof from the rest of the town, shunned by most of her neighbors (until they need her help), Grandma gets the best of snobby society women, out-of-town interlopers, Halloween pranksters & theives, and school b...more
This is a book that was just fun. It told the story of a boy and his sister and the 7 summers (1 week visits) they spent with their unorthodox grandmother, Mrs. Dowdel. The books is divided in chapters according to summers. Mrs. Dowdel is an interesting character; definitely different from any other grandmother I've ever read. What I liked best about the book is that there were really no lessons to learn. It was just several funny stories put together to paint a picture of a small Illinois ...more
Joey and his sister Mary Alice spend a week each summer at their Grandma Dowdel’s Illinois house, where their larger-than-life Grandma alternately ignores and instigates the townsfolk, cleverly outwitting them all. An excellent book whose humor I enjoyed. I highly recomend it.
At our last mock Newbery meeting, someone posed the question, “Will the committee select a funny book?” Dead End in Norvelt is hilarious and it’s on our reading list for this weekend’s meeting but when was the ...more
At our last mock Newbery meeting, someone posed the question, “Will the committee select a funny book?” Dead End in Norvelt is hilarious and it’s on our reading list for this weekend’s meeting but when was the ...more
(historical fiction)
This is an amazing book! I really enjoyed reading this book full of humor and adventure. In this book the narrator Joey and his sister, Alice, travel to a small town every year to visit their Grandmother. They usually dread having to take the ride to visit their grandmother and would rather spend their summer months elsewhere but as time goes on the brother & sister become part of a quite fun adventure! Now see the grandmother in this book isn't the typical Red Hat Soc...more
This is an amazing book! I really enjoyed reading this book full of humor and adventure. In this book the narrator Joey and his sister, Alice, travel to a small town every year to visit their Grandmother. They usually dread having to take the ride to visit their grandmother and would rather spend their summer months elsewhere but as time goes on the brother & sister become part of a quite fun adventure! Now see the grandmother in this book isn't the typical Red Hat Soc...more
My group read the book " A Long Way From Chicago". I really liked this book, it has adventure and fun stories that will help keep children intrigued and interested. This book is about two children (Joey and Mary Alice) who are brother and sister. They spend the summers visiting their Grandmother in a small Illinois town. Their Grandmother is far from normal and they soon realize that while staying with her. I would recommend this book for grades fourth to eighth. The book takes place d...more
This book was a little hard to get into at first but as I continued reading my interest was heightened. The stories were told by a young boy, and his views on his grandma and his surroundings were hilarious. My favorite thing about this book was the grandma. She was the most interesting character, with each chapter I came to love the grandma more and more. I was always wondering what she would do next, I loved the unpredictability of her character. I think part of the reason I enjoyed this book ...more
This book will always hold a special place in my heart. I read it aloud to my mother in her declining years...and she LOVED it. It's the story of a brother and sister who go to live with their grandma for a time during the Great Depression. Enough about the story. You know how I hate to summarize.
Each chapter has some sort of closure, so it was a perfect read-aloud book. We could share a chapter, then pick it up days later. Many of the things the author wove into the story from the d...more
Each chapter has some sort of closure, so it was a perfect read-aloud book. We could share a chapter, then pick it up days later. Many of the things the author wove into the story from the d...more
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 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 s...more
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 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 s...more
This fictional book, prequel to "A Year Down Yonder," is a fabulous story about Joey and Mary Alice Dowdel's summers spent with Grandma in her small town located somewhere between Chicago and St. Louis. Most grandkids enjoy time spent with their grandmas but most grandmas aren't the most feared person in town with a 12gague shotgun, perfect aim and claim a trigger-happy finger. Now, not to give the wrong impression of Grandma, she is not the harsh, rough and tumble woman she she clai...more
“You wouldn’t think we’d have to leave Chicago to see a dead body.” P.3 This is how adolescent Joey and Mary Alice Dowdel feel about visiting their aging Grandma who lives outside the city because they suspect their parents want to take a month long fishing trip in Wisconsin. At the beginning of the Great Depression in a small town, there is not much for Joey and Mary Alice to do besides to chores for their Grandma and jump rope. Over the next few summers, Joey and Mary Alice will realize that ...more
This book is really good! I loved the plot and its lesson is great. It teaches kids or adults that anywhere you go you can always find something to do. It remindes me of when i was in Washington State and we were staying in a log cabbin with nothing to do but sit and watch stuff. Luckily my parents had broughten a video camera with tapes that had some of my favorite shows because there was no TV. Later that week my parents found a big ball that was bigger than me ( I was about 3 years old ) and ...more
I was very pleased with this reading being my first Richard Peck novel. Known for his historical fiction writing, Peck tells the story of a boy traveling through the Illinois countryside with his sister to visit their grandmother around the time of the Great Depression.
My first favorite part of this novel were the great examples of dialogue, representative of vernacular during the time period. When discussing this book with my colleagues, apparently this book has been used my the sevent...more
My first favorite part of this novel were the great examples of dialogue, representative of vernacular during the time period. When discussing this book with my colleagues, apparently this book has been used my the sevent...more
Ahhhh! This was so good! I chose it because I wanted something that both Jake and I would enjoy for a quick road trip (Hence, "The Treasure Map of Boys" will have to wait).
It was perfect. Funny at times that we both burst out laughing. Awesome sense of place and time, wonderful characters, entertaining stories. We both so thoroughly enjoyed it. I must admit, I dozed off towards the end of the book. So I asked Jake to tell me the ending. As he explained the scene, I...more
It was perfect. Funny at times that we both burst out laughing. Awesome sense of place and time, wonderful characters, entertaining stories. We both so thoroughly enjoyed it. I must admit, I dozed off towards the end of the book. So I asked Jake to tell me the ending. As he explained the scene, I...more
Chessa
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Fans of Cold Sassy Tree, Rita Mae Brown's Six of One, Bingo
Recommended to Chessa by:
Anne Ohman (I think?)
4.5 stars. This was a GREAT book, and I'm not usually a big fan of the short story. The premise is that Joey and Mary Alice, two kids from Chicago, are sent to their Grandma's for one week every summer starting in 1929. There is a story for each visit, going through I believe 1942 (although there is not a story for every single year). Grandma lives in rural Illinois, and doesn't want anybody in her business. She is an amazing, larger-than-life character who goes about doing her own form of ...more
So funny... and so touching.
I read the series in reverse order, but that didn't matter.(A Year Down Yonder and A Season of Gifts are the other two.) Each book easily stands on its own. And it doesn't matter that these books were written for middle schoolers. They are a must read for anyone who needs or wants a dose of grandmotherly love. Grandma Dowdel is one of the most amazing people that I have ever met in a book. If it wouldn't make me look so crazy I would carry all three books a...more
I read the series in reverse order, but that didn't matter.(A Year Down Yonder and A Season of Gifts are the other two.) Each book easily stands on its own. And it doesn't matter that these books were written for middle schoolers. They are a must read for anyone who needs or wants a dose of grandmotherly love. Grandma Dowdel is one of the most amazing people that I have ever met in a book. If it wouldn't make me look so crazy I would carry all three books a...more
plot Summary - Joey is the narrator. He and his younger sister Mary Alice visit their Grandmother over the time period of nine summers. While spending time in the country with their grandmother, they have encouners with the townspeople, they go to the fair, and they go to a movie outside. The setting is the 1920/1930s - around the time of the Great Depression.
Main Characters - Joey, as the summers pass in the book, he is growing up - becomes interested in airplanes and cars. he star...more
Main Characters - Joey, as the summers pass in the book, he is growing up - becomes interested in airplanes and cars. he star...more
Richard Peck at his nostalgic and humorous best. Terrific historical fiction that has just the right feel for a 5th grade boy who has to cover that historical fiction requirement. Funny stuff.
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 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...more
This is a story of a young boy, Joey, and his little sister, Mary Alice, and their summer adventures with their interesting grandma. It begins in the summer of 1929, which is the first summer these two kids will leave Chicago by train and travel to southern Illinois. Each chapter focuses on one incredible event that happened that summer. All in all, they spend seven summers with Grandma - who is one of the most memorable characters I have ever read about. She feigns apathy and dislike toward...more
I like Peck's books because he manages to balance humor and sentimentality. This quick read tells of two city-slicker siblings who visit their grandmother every summer. The grandma always has some scheme in the works, and whether it's helping a young couple elope or dealing with a drunk sheriff, I was kept entertained. This book is also set against the backdrop of the Great Depression, so it provides a bit of a history lesson, too.
The story of a boy named Joey and his sister Mary Alice who go spend a week with their grandmother every summer. The book is compiled of multiple summer visits showing the life of their grandmother in a small town and the lessons they learned from her. I enjoyed the unique way this book was presented, each chapter being a week of a different summer, showing Joey and Mary Alice grow up. Along with this we see the small changes made in small town life as each year comes and goes. Peck wrote a hila...more
I chose this book for my historical fiction novel because older readers can relate to this book. This book is geared toward 4-6 grade students. students can relate to this book because often times, students have to travel to see family such as grandparents. Children hate waiting to get there but once they are there it is fun. This book is set in a small town during the time period of 1929-1935. The town that the book takes place in a historical town. The two children Joey and Mary Alice, are sen...more
One word: BORING. I'm sorry, but I had to fight to pay attention to this book. I was going to read the sequel, but forget it, I can't take anymore of the characters or their stories. It wasn't that this was badly written, it just never really grabbed me. I couldn't find any point to the stories, other than a kind was relating his summers with his wacky grandmother. Oh well I gave it a shot.
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The hero of this book remarks of his grandmother early on: "What little we knew about grown-ups didn't seem to cover Grandma." I'm not sure what anybody knows about anybody would cover Grandma Dowdle. "Larger than life" isn't big enough to describe her. Unpredictable, cantankerous, sly, (and secretly, begrudgingly tender-hearted), she's an entertaining person to spend a summer vacation (or a book) with. And when, as often happens in these stories, "all the laws of ci...more
Told more in the style of vignettes rather than a continuous story, A Long Way from Chicago is the story of Joey, his younger sister Mary Alice, and their adventures when they travel each summer to visit their Grandma Dowdel. Grandma Dowdel is not your typical grandma, and the kids find themselves learning from her unconventional relationships with her small town compatriots.
I loved the stories because they were sweet and the characters are endearing, most especially their grandmoth...more
I loved the stories because they were sweet and the characters are endearing, most especially their grandmoth...more
Grandma Dowdel is such a charismatic character!! I felt like I met her in person and almost felt like meeting my deceased grandma. The story contains not only about such a bold character Grandma Dowdel but also the historical background of the Great Depression of 1930's. This story seems almost too real to be a fiction. While I was reading through, I could feel what would be like to live during the hard time being a widow like Grandma Dowdel. Moreover, it was very interesting to see the world th...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 w...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 w...more
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“The years went by, and Mary Alice and I grew up, Slower than we wanted to, faster than we realized.”
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8 people liked it
“Never trust an ugly woman. She's got a grudge against the world,' said Grandma who was no oil painting herself.”
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