A Long Way From Chicago by Richard Peck

From Goodreads,

"Join Joey and his sister Mary Alice as they spend nine unforgettable summers with the worst influence imaginable--their grandmother!"

Goodreads - A Long Way From Chicago

Awards and Nominations:

• National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature (1998)
• Newbery Medal Nominee (1999)
• Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award Nominee (2000)

I remember checking this book out when I was in school.  I tried to read it, but found it boring.  So naturally I hadn't planned on reading this book.  But I had planned on reading A Year Down Yonder because it is the 2001 Newbery Medal Winner and I'm reading through the list.  But once I realized that A Year Down Yonder is the second book of this trilogy, I knew I had to read the first book.  

This book is narrated by Joey as he tells of the summers he spends with his sister Mary Alice and his grandmother, Mrs. Dowdel.  They first visit in 1929 and end up visiting every summer.  Each chapter is the story and adventures of what happened that summer. 

I read through this book in a few hours.  It was so good.  This book is set up in a unique format because each chapter is a different year and snapshot of the summer that Joey and Mary Alice spent with their grandma.  At first I thought that I was really going to dislike the format and lack of a storyline, but it really grew on me.  The grandmother is very quirky and interesting.  I think that the book being in short story format really allowed the grandmother to be interesting, but also give her some mystery because the kids never knew what she was going to do next. 

This book also had some strong messages that I really loved.  One of my favorites was the strength of women and their independence.  Mrs. Dowdel is very independent in this book and she is strong for being a woman in the 30s.  She does what she wants, when she wants.  The expectations of women during this time were for them to be a housewife and mother.  They were expected to be prim and proper, but Mrs. Dowdel broke all the rules.  She stood up for what was right.  In today's world we see women being overly sexualized and they are seen as objects.  I think that young girls need good role models in literature, and Mrs. Dowdel is an excellent role model for being strong and independent.  

This book is so unique and interesting.  I am so glad that I read it and I'm extremely excited to read A Year Down Yonder.  I think that many kids would enjoy this book as a read aloud.  I am definitely considering reading this to my class.  I give this book 5 stars.