From Goodreads,"Mary Alice remembers childhood summers packed with drama. At fifteen, she faces a whole long year with Grandma Dowdel, well known for shaking up her neighbors-and everyone else. All Mary Alice can know for certain is this: when trying to predict how life with Grandma might turn out . . . better not."
Goodreads - A Year Down Yonder
Awards and Nominations:
- Newbery Medal (2001)
- Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award Nominee (2002)
- Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award Nominee (2003)
I read A Long Way From Chicago quite some time ago. It started off slow, but the characters were always up to something with Grandma Dowdel leading the way. I was excited to jump into this book to see what adventures and trouble Grandma Dowdel stirred up.
Mary Alice spent multiple summers with her brother Joey at their grandmothers house. Every summer was filled with some kind of trouble their Grandma Dowdel stirred up. Joey is grown up and off working, and Mary Alice and her family is moving. It was quickly decided that Mary Alice would live with Grandma Dowdel while her parents got settled. Mary Alice dreaded the move to the middle of nowhere, but quickly found herself in all kinds of drama with her Grandma.
I liked this book more than I liked A Long Way From Chicago, which is saying a lot because I really liked the first book. I loved that this book was told from the perspective of Mary Alice and that we got to see her grow and change over the course of a book. I think that Mary Alice's transformation from hating being with her crazy Grandma to worrying about her was my favorite part. At the beginning of the book she was just a normal teenager who cared only about herself. As the book progressed I noticed she was worrying about her Grandma more and more until she didn't even want to leave her to go back home to her parents. I think that young kids need to learn that their grandparents and even parents are older and that they should look out for them. We need to take care of and look out for our elders. We also need to spend as much time with them as possible because they won't be here forever.
I still love the short story format in which this book is written. This book had a deeper connection between Mary Alice and Grandma Dowdel in my opinion. I give this 5 stars and recommend it to everyone. It's a great book with a great lesson about family.
I liked this book more than I liked A Long Way From Chicago, which is saying a lot because I really liked the first book. I loved that this book was told from the perspective of Mary Alice and that we got to see her grow and change over the course of a book. I think that Mary Alice's transformation from hating being with her crazy Grandma to worrying about her was my favorite part. At the beginning of the book she was just a normal teenager who cared only about herself. As the book progressed I noticed she was worrying about her Grandma more and more until she didn't even want to leave her to go back home to her parents. I think that young kids need to learn that their grandparents and even parents are older and that they should look out for them. We need to take care of and look out for our elders. We also need to spend as much time with them as possible because they won't be here forever.
I still love the short story format in which this book is written. This book had a deeper connection between Mary Alice and Grandma Dowdel in my opinion. I give this 5 stars and recommend it to everyone. It's a great book with a great lesson about family.
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