A Year Down Yonder [Paperback]

Richard Peck (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 130 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Book Services (2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439442583
• ISBN-13: 978-0439442589
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (174 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,216,677 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Richard Peck has written over twenty novels, and in the process has become one of America's most highly respected writers for young adults. A versatile writer, he is beloved by middle graders as well as young adults for his mysteries and coming-of-age novels. He now lives in New York City. In addition to writing, he spends a great deal of time traveling around the country attending speaking engagements at conferences, schools and libraries...Mr. Peck has won a number of major awards for the body of his work, including the Margaret A. Edwards Award from School Library Journal, the National Council of Teachers of English/ALAN Award, and the 1991 Medallion from the University of Southern Mississippi. Virtually every publication and association in the field of children s literature has recommended his books, including Mystery Writers of America which twice gave him their Edgar Allan Poe Award. Dial Books for Young Readers is honored to welcome Richard Peck to its list with Lost in Cyberspace and its sequel The Great Interactive Dream Machine...

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

69 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very fun read, February 8, 2001

By 

kennedy19 "kennedy19" (wakefield, ma USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Year Down Yonder (Newbery Medal Book) (Hardcover)

I don't always necessarily enjoy the books that win the Newbery Award, but this one is deserving. I can honestly say I would recommend it for anyone in 5th grade right on up to senior citizens. ("A Year Down Yonder" also stands alone very well - you don't need to have read "A Long Way From Chicago" in order to understand or enjoy this one.) The narrator is a 15 year old girl who is sent from Chicago to live with her grandmother in a rural town during the depression. We quickly come to appreciate the comic aspects of small-town life, but most especially we enjoy the wily ways of the grandmother, who is nobody's fool and mischievous to boot. At the same time, we admire her toughness and the warm heart behind the hard exterior. Each chapter is an amusing anecdote all its own, as we follow the town through a year from fall to summer. Small town incidents like halloween pranks, Christmas plays, ladies' luncheons and big storms become masterfully funny stories. Moments of this coming-of-age story are genuinely touching, while mirth prevails throughout. You will have a great time reading this one.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Year Down Yonder: Not Far from A Long Way from Chicago, October 9, 2000

By 

Dave Richardson (Cincinnati, OH) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Year Down Yonder (Newbery Medal Book) (Hardcover)

Richard Peck does it again and does it better with A Year Down Yonder. It's hard to believe that anything could top the award winning A Long Way from Chicago, but this does. This time Mary Alice goes to live with Grandma Dowdel alone, and the results are hilarious. Mary, who was always more wise to the ways of her grandmother, learns a few new things about the town and her grandmother while managing to cause a stir herself. Once again, Grandma Dowdel's antics are both humorous and heart-warming, but it's her commentaries about the people of the town that make it a side-splitting riot. A Year Down Yonder is a must read.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just as good as the first!!!, November 3, 2000

By 

Jenni "jenni35" (Louisville, KY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Year Down Yonder (Newbery Medal Book) (Hardcover)

This book, the sequel to "A Long Way from Chicago", is worthy of attention too (I hope the Newbery committee considers it). It is just as funny as the original, which won a Newbery Honor.

Poor Mary Alice! She is sent to Grandma's house for a year, while her parents get back on their feet after the depression. In this book, Mary Alice is fifteen and can't think of anything worse than spending time in a tiny place, so unlike her hometown of Chicago.

This book finds all new adventures for Mary Alice and her eccentric grandmother, from the glue that will hold "till kingdom come" to the cherry tarts for the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution)tea, the fun just keeps coming. This book will make you laugh out loud and is a quick, enjoyable read.

Definitely a MUST READ for fans of "A Long Way from Chicago".