A Year Down Yonder

In this Newbery Medal-winning sequel to "A Long Way from Chicago," 15-year-old Mary Alice is sent from bustling Chicago to live with her formidable Grandma Dowdel in a sleepy rural Illinois town during the Great Depression of 1937. What she expects to be a dull year turns into a series of unforgettable, often hilarious, and sometimes poignant adventures as Grandma Dowdel, a woman known for her unconventional methods, tackles bullies, solves community problems, and even plays matchmaker. This chapter book offers a rich historical setting, explores themes of family, resilience, and self-discovery, and is perfect for readers aged 8-12, or as a read-aloud for slightly younger children.

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. This wry, delightful sequel to the Newbery Honor Book A Long Way from Chicago has already taken its place among the classics of children's literature.