Customer Reviews

A Season of Gifts (Hardcover)

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This is a story of a pair of siblings and their visits with an outrageous Grandma. The 1950 is the time, and those of us who lived as children in those delightful 50s will get a whole lot more enjoyment out of this book than the young adults of today who will likely not relate as well to many of the events. Few can even imagine an outhouse.

The story is more than Christmas, although it does get around to that season in the last 30 or so pages. Other topics are other seasons like Halloween. Many young adults can't relate Halloween to anything but toilet papering. I remember when guns really did go a-blazing to scare off tricksters. Other events are loaded with humor, such as a funeral, revival services, ghosts, Indian Summer, well, the list is as long as the 17 chapter titles.

This is third in a trilogy about Grandma Dowdel. Both "A Year Down Yonder" and "A Long Way From Chicago", the other two, were Newbery winners. That means good, real good. And Richard Peck has also provided many other stories, some for adults, although like I said, I think this is more for older adults than young adults. I loved his "Amanda/Miranda". And another young adult good read is "The River Between Us." Look up Richard Peck and order, used or new, but order his books.

And a favorite line in the beginning of the Christmas season was: "Mrs. Dowdel staggered backward in her gum boots when she came to the pink (flocked Christmas tree.)"
I remember when flocked trees began as a fad, and also when they died, like aluminum Christmas trees with the revolving colored spot light. Maybe ya have to be there--I was. Born in 1948.

Fun book.
Also available in soft cover.