A Year Down Yonder Book Review

Genre: Children's Fiction

Author: Richard Peck

Plot Summary:

     Poor Mary Alice. Times are tough in Chicago, with the Great Depression and all. To save money, Mary Alice's pa and ma have sent her by train to live for a year in the middle-of-nowhere-country-sticks with Grandma Dowdel. As Mary Alice remembers, Grandma is no sweet old lady and the year proves to be Grandma and Mary Alice versus the forces of evil (privy-busting boys, stingy bankers, hunger stalking their neighbors, and mysterious boarders). They win every time.

     A Year Down Yonder is on the face a rollicking series of short stories, each dedicated to a different scenario you'd be hard pressed to find in the city. Whether it is the need for pies for the school Halloween party, the Armistice Day turkey shoot, or dealing with a school bully, Mary Alice and Grandma tackle them all. A good dose of humanity deepens and adds heartwarming touches to the stories.

Brian's Opinion:

     I was read to a lot growing up, and many of those books were selected from The Newbery Medal series, which has been running since 1922. It is sort of like the Spiel des Jahre board game award in quality - meaning Newbery Medal books are generally quite good (trust me, I've heard/read all but the last few). I liked A Year Down Yonder for the tremendous humor and feel-good nature of it - while Grandma doesn't always stay on the right side of the law, she doesn't waver from the right side of morality.

Who Would Like It:

     Simply put, kids. Written for an older elementary school kid or middle-school student. Adults who don't care that they are reading children's books and like fun stories are likely to enjoy these yarns. A Year Down Yonder, thanks to the varied characters, makes for a good book to read aloud to children, especially if you are into making up character voices.

Read it!

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