Peck, Richard. (2000). A year down yonder. New York: Puffin.

Mary Alice's childhood summers in Grandma Dowdel's sleepy Illinois town were packed with enough drama to fill the double bill of any picture show. But now she is fifteen, and faces a whole long year with Grandma, a woman 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.  (Amazon.com)


This book didn't disappoint me. After reading A Long Way From Chicago, I was looking forward to getting to know more about the Dowdel family. The way that Grandma Dowdel quietly gets things done for people she cares about really is a lesson in itself. She may have an odd way of doing things, but the end result shows her love for her family and friends.