3. Read the dialogue between Dooley and Puny.

[Carol]

Pick two of your characters to read the dialogue between Dooley and Puny in the middle of Chapter Seven — the scene where they first meet. How does the dialect differ in your part of the country? Try reading a brief part of a Dooley speech in the dialect of your own region.

Here's another piece: "When he got home, he went into the kitchen looking for Puny and saw instead an unusual sight in his backyard.
She had discovered an old screen door in the garage, hosed it down, laid it across two ladderback chairs, and covered the screen with apple slices.
"This is our dryin' rack she said with authority. "Before I leave today, we'll carry it into the guest room. On sunny days, we'll bring it back out again. I know it's extra trouble, but that's the price you pay for hot cobblers in winter. Meantime, I've got six pies in the oven and six more to go, and I wish to goodness you'd get that boy to wash his feet."
Father Tim was utterly astonished at what he heard himself say: "Puny, do you have any work on Mondays?"
"No, I don't, and I need some."
"Well, then," he said "you've got it!"

[Chelsea]

Is there anyway the dialogue could be typed here? I had to return my book.

[Cindy]

This was fun! I'm glad I'm home alone though. :) This was easy reading, but sometimes authors try to write the dialect so exactly that I HAVE to read it out loud to even understand what they're saying.
Here's a little piece, Chelsea:
How old are you?
'Leven.
I'm glad I ain't eleven.
Why?
I didn't like bein' a kid. Somebody was always beatin' on you, pullin' your hair, chain' you around th' house, throwin' mud on you. I wouldn't be your age for all th' tea in China, much less Japan.
When I'm twelve, I'm goin' to whip th' horse hockey our of somebody.
You better not be usin' that kind of language in this house. Nossir, that won't go around here.

[Chelsea]

Lot of southern talk it seems. Ain't, cutting off endings, etc. Not sure what dialect we have here. I feel like the Navajos have a certain way of talking, but I wouldn't call it a dialect and I can't even describe it. Kind of like that returned missionary talk. Certain pauses and inflections that are very noticeable, but hard to point out.

[Carol]

I loved Dooley and Puny tickled me on several levels. Was interesting to see Father Tim as an outsider looking in expressing that hated being a teenager & Dooley didn't like being 'leven. Don't remember but I don't think that was my favorite year either. The dialog between them was fun to review. Enjoyed that very much.