#67 A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck (1998)
29 points
If we were to have a memorable characters contest (and we should) I’d take Grandma Dowdel, the central figure in Richard Peck’s 1998 “novel in stories” against any challenger. Bring ‘em on. Dowdel’s voluminous personality carries A Long Way from Chicago (and two follow ups) to unforgettable heights. Tough and clever, but with a heart that oh-so-occasionally comes to the surface, Dowdel is a character the reader can’t help but reckon with. – Travis Jonker
“Where there is Grandma Dowdel, there is a hoot. Take this quote, from barely 5 pages in: “”Never trust an ugly woman. She’s got a grudge against the world,”" said Grandma, who was no oil painting herself.
Although Peck only allows us to peek into Grandma’s home for one week per year, by the time we’re halfway through the book we feel like we’ve known her for as long as Effie Wilcox has (who was the object of that first comment, by the way, and who is either Grandma’s worst enemy or her best friend, depending on what day it is). But in each chapter Peck opens another door to Grandma Dowdel, and darned if he doesn’t surprise us every time. We have the privilege of watching Grandma cut the Cowgill boys down to size (which may not really be that tough, since they “”aren’t broke out with brains”"), get a whiff of her homemade cheese, which smelled “”bad enough to gas a cat”", and listen to her slice through the banker’s wife’s formalities with one sentence: My stars. The bank forecloses on people’s farms and throws them off their land, and they don’t even appreciate it. Grandma doesn’t give one whit what anybody in town thinks of her. She is ornery, wicked clever, and afeared o’ nothin’. She is fearsome to behold, but she has a compassionate side tucked away somewhere under her white bun of hair. Mostly, she is entirely marvelous to get to know. Hurray for Grandma Dowdel, and hurray for Richard Peck’s brilliant imagination.
I heard Richard Peck speak once, and was absolutely stunned by his eloquence. He can spin a yarn a country mile and read Shakespeare like he dictated it to Will. He’s amazing.” – Kristi Hazelrigg
Sure, I could have cut that down somewhat, but where Grandma Dowdel is concerned it is best to be loquacious. And Kristi has pretty much perfectly put her finger right dab down on what it is about this character that makes people love her so very very much.
Unlike some books, Grandma Dowdel isn’t one for flitting about a list of this sort. Her position last time? 64. This time she eased down a place or two, but basically she’s sitting pretty in the same slot. Just the way she likes it.
The plot synopsis according to Publishers Weekly read, “Although the narrator, Joey, and his younger sister, Mary Alice, live in the Windy city during the reign of Al Capone and Bugs Moran, most of their adventures occur ‘a long way from Chicago,’ during their annual down-state visits with Grandma Dowdel. A woman as ‘old as the hills,’ ‘tough as an old boot,’ and larger than life (‘We could hardly see her town because of Grandma. She was so big, and the town was so small’), Grandma continually astounds her citified grandchildren by stretching the boundaries of truth. In eight hilarious episodes spanning the years 1929-1942, she plots outlandish schemes to even the score with various colorful members of her community, including a teenaged vandal, a drunken sheriff and a well-to-do banker.
"Who's doing all this talking?"
"A real old, humped-over lady with buck teeth," Mary Alice said.
"Cross-eyed? Grandma said. "That'd be Effie Wilcox. You think she's ugly now, you should have seen her as a girl. And she'd talk you to death. Her tongue's attached in the middle and flaps at both ends." Grandma was over by the screen door for a breath of air.
"They said he'd notched his gun in six places," I said, pushing my luck. "They said the notches were either for banks he'd robbed or for sheriffs he'd shot."
"Was that Effie again? Never trust an ugly woman. She's got a grudge against the world," said Grandma, who was no oil painting herself.
Overview:
Joey Dowdel and his sister Mary Alice are first shipped off to visit their Grandma Dowdel in the summer of 1929. Being city kids from Chicago, they are none too pleased to be packed off to the boonies for a visit with a grandmother they hadn't seen since they were "tykes."
But Grandma Dowdel is no ordinary Grandma, and these two kids learn to always expect the unexpected. This town they first saw as sleepy and dull transformed in their eyes all through helping Grandma carry out her plans. She squeezes off a couple of rounds from her shotgun - right in her own living room. She teaches a family of bullies a lesson they won't soon forget. She strong-arms a banker into returning something rightfully belonging to someone else - and demands a few bucks for the grandkids for good measure.
Over the years, and beneath that steely exterior, Joey and Mary Alice start to see a whole new and surprising side to Grandma Dowdel. And they begin to look forward to each summer adventure, always wondering: what will she be up to next?
For Teachers and Librarians:
A Long Way from Chicago is a novel broken up into eight short stories - one for each summer Joey and his sister spent a week with Grandma Dowdel. Joey tells the stories as he remembers them many years later. It is full of out loud laughs, poignant moments, bittersweet memories, and complicated relationships. Here is a novel you will relish reading out loud as much as your students relish hearing it.
Kids who struggle through full-length novels will enjoy this book's format, being able to read it in small chunks that each are a story in and of themselves. It may even encourage them to try longer works, once they find how fun this book is to read.
You will find much to work with here from a curriculum standpoint. The book is set from 1929 through 1942, and touches on life during the Great Depression, rural life in Illinois, Chicago gangsters, the World Wars, economics, human nature, relationships, community politics... Where will you choose to use this book? With so many ways to go, you really can't go wrong in using A Long Way from Chicago to supplement your lessons - or in wrapping your lessons around reading the book.
For Parents, Grandparents and Caregivers:
Grandparents and Great-Grandparents may find themselves reliving memories of their own while reading this with their kiddos. Parents will like the life lessons Joey and Mary Alice learn from their eccentric but principled grandmother. It is a lot of fun to read, so don't be surprised when they snicker and laugh out loud while curled up on the couch with it.
Written in short-story-collection format, this book may encourage your more reluctant readers to stick with it. Maybe it will even inspire them to pick up other books. If they like A Long Way from Chicago, they will be happy to know there is a sequel: A Year Down Yonder, that continues to tell of Grandma Dowdel and the hilarious situations she orchestrates.
For the Kids:
Laugh out loud funny! Totally. You will seriously wish you had a grandma like Grandma Dowdel. She bakes a mean gooseberry pie, but isn't afraid to squeeze off a few rounds of her shotgun when necessary. She gives the bullies what for, but they don't even know what (or who) hit them. She's rough around the edges, but she gets what she believes is right, and soon Joey and Mary Alice see how much she really does care about people. Even people they thought were her enemies. Pick up a copy of A Long Way from Chicago and see for yourself. You won't be disappointed.
For Everyone Else:
A Long Way from Chicago is a novel marketed to older kids and young adults, but the rest of us will get a kick out of it, too. Senior citizens will be able to relate to the time period (1929-1942) and may even want to spin a few yarns about their own lives back then. Middle age adults will get a better sense of all that stuff they heard about as kids and read about in school.
Wrapping Up:
Everyone will love Grandma Dowdel. She is truly one of a kind, and this is a book not to be missed.
Title: A Long Way from Chicago
Author: Richard Peck
Pages: 176
Reading Level: Ages 8-12
Publisher and Date: Penguin Young Readers Group, October 2000
Edition: paperback
Language: English
Published In: United States
Price: $6.99
ISBN-10: 0141303522
ISBN-13: 978-0141303529
#67 A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck (1998)
Finally one of my top 10 books made the list. I was getting nervous! This book is so bittersweet for me – Grandma Dowell reminds me so much of my own grandmother. I savored every word of this book and was incredibly sad to finish it.
*Dowdel
I just listened to the audiobook–a great introduction to Grandma Dowdel (who wouldn’t want her as a relative?). A true classic. I can’t wait to read the sequel.
I know what you mean about hearing Peck speak. Last summer at the 40th SCBWI anniversary he was Keynote of Keynotes. Every sentence was a work of art.