Peck, Richard. 2000. A Year Down Yonder.
Review by Becky Laney.
A Year Down Yonder is the sequel to A Long Way From Chicago. However, this is not a novel in stories. Nor is it narrated by Joey Dowdel. No, A Year Down Yonder is the story of Mary Alice, the little sister that is almost-but-not-quite all grown up. The year is 1937. The Depression is making life difficult both in urban and rural areas. It is economic necessity which prompts Mary Alice's parents to send their daughter away. (Joey is sent away also, but not with Mary Alice.) Mary Alice is being sent to live with the vivacious, one-of-a-kind, sometimes embarrassing Grandma Dowdel. How will this "city" girl fit in with these country bumpkins? Will they accept her? welcome her? Not if the Burdicks have their way!
A Year Down Yonder is a treat. It's rich in detail, rich in humor, rich in heart and humanity. The characters, the place all come alive. Richard Peck is a pro when it comes to capturing the good, the bad, the ugly, and the laughable. Mary Alice does have a few adjustments to make, but this book captures her unforgettable journey, her coming-of-age in small town America.
If you haven't read A Long Way From Chicago, this book does stand alone. In case you're wondering. But I would recommend reading both books. Both books are such a joy, a treat, a delight.
© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
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By: Becky Laney,
on 5/1/2008
Blog: Becky's Book Reviews (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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By: Becky Laney,
on 5/1/2008
Blog: Becky's Book Reviews (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: J Historical Fiction, Back to History Challenge, Margaret A. Edwards Reading Challenge, Add a tag
Peck, Richard. 1998. A Long Way From Chicago.
Prologue
It was always August when we spent a week with our grandma. I was Joey then, not Joe: Joey Dowdel, and my sister was Mary Alice. In our first visits we were still just kids, so we could hardly see her town because of Grandma. She was so big, and the town was so small. She was old too, or so we thought--old as the hills. And tough? She was tough as an old boot, or so we thought. As the years went by, though, Mary Alice and I grew up, and though Grandma never changed, we'd seem to see a different woman every summer.
Now I'm older than Grandma was then, quite a bit older. But as the time gets past me, I seem to remember more and more about those hot summer days and nights, and the last house in town, where Grandma lived. And Grandma. Are all my memories true? Every word, and growing truer with the years.
A Long Way From Chicago is a book that is practically perfect in every way. (It did win a Newbery Honor.) It's historical fiction. The book is set during the Depression. The title page calls it a "novel in stories" and that's a fair assessment. The book does consist of loosely connected stories or memories told within a framework of an old man recalling his youth fondly. There are eight 'memories' shared within the book that are the heart and soul of the book. Seven are the consecutive stories of his summer vacations. Each August (starting in 1929 and ending in 1935), Joey and his younger sister Mary Alice leave Chicago to visit their grandmother who lives in a small town in Illinois.
Here is how the first chapter begins, "You wouldn't think we'd have to leave Chicago to see a dead body. We were growing up there back in the bad old days of Al Capone and Bugs Moran. Just the winter before, they'd had the St. Valentine's Day Massacre over on North Clark Street. The city had such an evil reputation that the Thompson submachine gun was better known as the Chicago typewriter. But I'd grown to the age of nine, and my sister Mary Alice was sever, and we'd yet to see a stiff. We guessed that most of them were where you douldn't see them, at the bottom of Lake Michigan, wearing concrete overshoes. No, we had to travel all the way down to our Grandma Dowdel's before we ever set eyes on a corpse."
Joey's voice is of immediate interest to me. He's a great little narrator. The story is rich in detail, rich in character. Every person--man, woman, child--has depth. Peck is just a genius when it comes to writing, to capturing human personalities with wit and humor and heart. The reader becomes intimately acquainted with Joey, Mary Alice, and most importantly Grandma Dowdel. A woman that is one-of-a-kind. A woman that has spirit, gumption, personality, heart, and a mind of her own. A very strong woman who sees the world in her own unique way.
I definitely recommend A Long Way From Chicago!!! It was a fantastic book.
By: Becky Laney,
on 4/6/2008
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Frank, Anne. 1952. The Diary of A Young Girl.
"You're reading that again?" That's what my mother said as she caught me reading Anne Frank. Like I haven't read anything but this one book in all these years. She's right. I have read Anne Frank's Diary of A Young Girl before. But some things are worth repeating. Diary of A Young Girl is one of them. The first time I read this book, I would have been in high school. Close enough to Anne's age to feel it--the drama of adolescence on top of extreme political and social upheaval. The Diary of A Young Girl captures both. The war. The threat of death. The threat of captivity. The threat of starvation and disease. But it also captures youth. What it means to be young, to be at that ever-awkward stage in life, in development. Always a me-in-the-making, never quite done finding out who you are and what you believe and what you want out of life. Anne could be any girl in any place and time. But because she was born a Jew. Because Hitler came to power. Her life--her perfectly ordinary life--was cut short.
The book begins in June of 1942. The last entry is in August of 1944. In these two years, these two turbulent years, Anne and her family and several other people as well all go into hiding in the Secret Annexe. Mr. and Mrs. Frank. Margot, the older sister. Mr. and Mrs. Van Daan. Their son Peter. And Mr. Dussel. Eight people. Cramped living conditions. This isn't reality tv. This is life and death. Yes, every person gets super-cranky and super-sensitive. But wouldn't you?
The reader gets a glimpse into the lives of real people through the eyes of one very young sometimes-mature, sometimes-immature girl. Anne Frank. Very famous now because of her diary. But just then--at the moment--one very ordinary girl with a natural desire to write a diary. I think most kids (or teens) at one time or another try their hand at keeping journals. Though perhaps now, blogging has replaced all that. Diaries are intimate, personal, private. Each entry is a snapshot into that one day, that one hour, that one moment. When you're young, (and even when you're older and supposedly all grown up) your mood, your outlook changes moment by moment, day by day. Happy one minute, miserable the next. Such is the case with Anne. Personally, I'm surprised that Anne had as many happy moments, contented moments, grateful moment in the Annexe as she did. I think it would only be natural to be unhappy, scared, miserable, depressed. Living in cramped quarters with people you dislike, people you disagree with, not being able to go outside, to go anywhere you want. Not having the freedom to move, to make noise when you want. To always be on alert. To always worry about the threat of discovery, the threat of capture, the threat of bombs blowing you to bits. High stress. Very high stress.
But this isn't just a book about war, about being Jewish, about being a victim. This book is so much more than that. It's a book about growing up. A book about changing from a girl into a young woman with hopes and dreams and fears and desires. It's a book about being that age. That extremely awkward stage of life. My mom thought all people of that age should be shipped off to junior high island until they grew out of it. That moody, I-hate-you, you-don't-understand-me stage. Anne was a work-in-progress. There's no doubt about it. When we first meet her, she's entering that phase of life. She doesn't get along with her mother. At all. She feels completely disconnected from her. Misunderstood. Unloved. Unwanted. Unappreciated. And her relationship with her father is better, but not perfect. Sometimes she feels the disconnect with him too. And her sister. She feels that her parents love her sister more. That her sister gets all the praise, the love, the positive attention. And she feels that she gets attacked, bombarded with negative attention--lectures, lectures, more lectures. Everyone is always out-to-get-her. But though this does seem to be Anne's story, Anne's predicament, by the second half of the book, Anne is growing, changing, maturing. She looks back over past entries and realizes that things are different, things have changed. And she realizes that most of the changes were in her. She is beginning to build, to establish a better relationship with her family. She is beginning to get comfortable in her own skin.
Anne is someone I think we all can relate to in a way. Anne was just a girl. A girl with interests and hobbies. Likes and dislikes. She could be anybody.
The Diary of A Young Girl was originally published in Holland in 1947. It was soon translated into other languages, including English, and printed in the United States. 1952 is the first publication date for the United States. Almost from the very beginning, it was recognized as a good book, a powerful book, a book worthy of time and attention and respect. But it's not without its enemies.
Though I'll never in a million years understand the mindset of those that challenge books, I'll never ever ever understand why Diary of A Young Girl is one of their targets. I just don't understand it. Can't understand it. One challenge brought against the book stated that it was pornographic. How??? Why??? Fortunately, the challenge failed, and the book stayed on the shelves. I suppose pornography is subjective. But a young girl writing about her period is so not pornographic! A young girl writing about her breasts developing? Not pornographic. A young girl writing about her first kiss? Not pornographic. There is no talk, no hint of sex in the book. Though Anne spends the last part of the book making out with Peter, the son of the Van Daans. But it's not pornographic in the slightest. Not unless it's the mention of Anne reading a book where there is mention of a woman selling her body. Or perhaps it is the conversation about the cat's male organs that is so offensive to folks? Whether the cat is a tom cat.
I could go on for hours about all the suffering the war has brought, but then I would only make myself more dejected. There is nothing we can do but wait as calmly as we can till the misery comes to an end. Jews and Christians wait, the whole earth waits, and there are many who wait for death. (64)
I see the eight of us with our "Secret Annexe" as if we were a little piece of blue heaven, surrounded by heavy black rain clouds. The round, clearly defined spot where we stand is still safe, but the clouds gather more closely about us and the circle which separates us from the approaching danger closes more and more tightly. (115)
But seriously, it would seem quite funny ten years after the war if we Jews were to tell how we lived and what we ate and talked about here. Although I tell you [the diary] a lot, still even so, you only know very little of our lives. (192)
And if I haven't any talent for writing books or newspaper articles, well, then I can always write for myself. . . I want to go on living after my death! And therefore I am grateful to God for giving me this gift, this possibility of developing myself and of writing, of expressing all that is in me. I can shake off everything if I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn. But, and that is the great question, will I ever be able to write anything great, will I ever become a journalist or a writer? I hope so, oh, I hope so very much. (197)
By: Stacia,
on 2/6/2008
Blog: Creative Cup Illustrators Group (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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The phrase, "You made your bed, now lie in it." inspired this illustration for Illustration Friday's theme this week, blanket.
The babies were exceptionally good today so I was able to get an illustration done during naps. I've been sewing on patchwork quilts during my spare time for the little ones, so it was nice to take a break and illustrate a patchwork quilt instead.
Hope everyone is doing well. I'd love to hear any feedback on this...since I've been out of the loop for awhile.
Cheers!
By: Stacia,
on 11/9/2007
Blog: Creative Cup Illustrators Group (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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I repeated the "little house" theme, but this time, instead of rolling hills, I decided to create rolling water. I added the smoke that J. Shamblin mentioned in my last post...creates a cozy image. Maybe I could do a desert scene next? Critique always welcome.
Cheers!
By: Stacia,
on 11/2/2007
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Okay...it's taken me about two weeks to get this image done in what normally takes me a day or two. Two babies are a lot of work! They are 7 weeks old today...time flies.
Anyway, just wanted to post and to say hi. Hope you all had a great Halloween...I love this time of year and usually try to get a Halloween image done. But I've skipped ahead and jumped right into Christmas.
I think my artwork will be mostly composition and repetition from here on out for quick images. I miss creating so this will be a nice compromise...I'll save time and dabble with images and textures I've already created. So I'll be around.
Of course I'll take a critique...love to hear your thoughts.
Babies are crying...gotta run!
Cheers!
By: Stacia,
on 10/9/2007
Blog: Creative Cup Illustrators Group (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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Last November I was hired by Berkley Publishing to illustrate a book cover for their Prime Crime Mysteries series. It was published this month, October 2007. If you'd like to read about the story authored by Jeffrey Cohen...it's for sale on Amazon.
This was my final version sent to them in January 2007. They made some modifications for their book cover (see above) with my approval. They also asked me to create a logo for their series. The two ticket stubs was their final choice. See the other logo options I created here.
Overall, it was a good experience working with Berkley Publishing!
By: Stacia,
on 9/12/2007
Blog: Creative Cup Illustrators Group (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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I'll be taking a break from blogging and illustrating as I get adjusted to motherhood! Tomorrow morning, bright and early, my two daughters will arrive!
Depending on sleep deprivation, baby demands, family visits, holidays, time, doctor appointments, inspiration and creativity, I'll be back soon!
Happy illustrating!
By: Stacia,
on 8/30/2007
Blog: Creative Cup Illustrators Group (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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Another Day of the Dead, skeleton inspired image after the song with the same title by Georgia Gibb. It's paper and digital collage. Critique welcomed!
By: Stacia,
on 7/31/2007
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I reused my starry sky in my latest image above as it was perfect inspiration for Illustration Friday's theme this week, moon.
When I create my images in Photoshop, I reuse a lot of elements I've created in the past, I handcraft or paper collage new textures, I photograph textures, or I scan magazine textures (keeping in mind copyright laws).
____________________________________________________________
Hand crafting and digitally crafting my own textures:
1. I've created a paper collage texture using strips of different blue magazine papers, adhered with medium gel, and lightly coated with a blue acrylic paint. It was used in my all-paper collage image, "Daisy Drop", but not before it was scanned to be used digitally (see below).
2. In Photoshop, I added a layer of blue (blend mode: screen).
3. I used a scanned magazine texture of the galaxy and used the cloning tool to make a nice star spattering (blend mode: linear light, opacity 76%).
4. Voila! All three layers combined made the starry sky background.
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Existing digital and paper elements:
I have a file of magazine textures and colors that I peruse every once in a while. I find textures that I want and then cut them into shapes. I scan the cut paper pieces, and put them together digitally like a puzzle, making whatever adjustments need to be made as I go.
In Photopshop, I layer textures and play with blending modes, opacity levels, color and contrast adjustments. The photographed texture above is a close up of the rivets on the Experience Music Project building in Seattle, WA. This was layered over the rocket ship body for added texture.
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Reusing/recycling elements:
"Daisy Drop" is an all-paper collage. The background in this image had been used over and over again in my imagery. The daisies, also handcrafted in paper collage with sponge painted texture were reused in "My Roots" by utilizing extract under filter in Photoshop.
As a last step, I create layers for high lights and shadows, playing with opacity, to create a more dimensional look.
By: Stacia,
on 7/26/2007
Blog: Creative Cup Illustrators Group (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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I started this piece several weeks ago for Inspire Me Thursday's challenge for the word roots. I've been very unmotivated lately due to tiredness, general baby stuff and busy too! I'm the treasurer for the Norcal GAG chapter with reports due, art installation at the hospital, which has been making good sales, and then back to more baby stuff again!
Anyway, I decided to get back to this image and was getting more and more excited to see it done as it was progressing. Don't look too closely at the skeleton's bones, however, they weren't meant to be realistic...hopefully that's not a distraction!
Originally, I was going to call this "Pushing Up Daisies", but changed my mind.
Love to hear your thoughts and comments! Cheers!
By: Stacia,
on 7/2/2007
Blog: Creative Cup Illustrators Group (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: illustration, flowers, illustration friday, Children's art, Greeting cards, green, gardening, Espial Design, Stacia, Add a tag
Wow! It's been a long time since I've made a post! I apologize for my lack of participation...baby stuff is keeping me distracted and busy.
I have been intermittently working on this image, and finally decided to get it done for Illustration Friday's word this week, twist. I have a crying version on Espial Design if you'd like to see a contrast!
Would love any kind of feedback. How are the expressions? I'm planning on using this image for my announcements when the big day comes!
Cheers!
By: Stacia,
on 5/16/2007
Blog: Creative Cup Illustrators Group (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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I'm on vacation in Nevada right now, visiting relatives. I don't have my computer or my usual art supplies but felt a creative streak today. I created this image, called Three Wishes, initially using a blue gel pen and scratch paper. I took a digital picture of it and used the program Photo Effects and a roller-ball mouse to colorize and add effects.
I would love a critique since this is a new venture for me. Comments? Thoughts?
By: Stacia,
on 5/7/2007
Blog: Creative Cup Illustrators Group (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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Well, I finally buckled down and got my cover letter written and sent. That and my dummy book for the Animal Alphabet A-Z are now in the hands of Chronicle Books. It's wait and see time. I think I will give them 2 months and then write a letter telling them I'm going to send to other publishers as well...and then do that! Chronicle Books' submission guidelines say that if you haven't heard back in 3 months, they weren't interested AND don't expect your stuff back. Ouch!
I think in the future I'll just send color copies of my book pages and not send dummy books. That's going to get expensive FAST!
So, to celebrate finally getting off my duff, I finished up Sloth and Pride. I still have lust and greed to conquer then off to another direction. As usual, all comments welcome!
Cheers!
Posted on 4/30/2007
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Studio Friday is getting close to their end of the Seven Deadly Sins challenges. What better way to procrastinate writing my cover letter than to start playing in a different sand box? I started creating monsters for my Deadly Sins contribution and am having a ball! Keeping it simple, not getting all stressed about perfection and just enjoying the process! I need to go back and create sloth, greed, and lust. Pride is the challenge for next week.
Speaking of Studio Friday, I was contacted by the editor of Stampington magazine to use one of my images that I posted for a Studio Friday entry. It will be published in their August issue of a new magazine called Artful Blogging. It's not my typical illustration...it's called "Aerial View" and is just a blueprint of my old studio layout...but I'll take it! They will plug my name and my blog which could help get viewers to my website!
Cheers!
By: Stacia,
on 4/12/2007
Blog: Creative Cup Illustrators Group (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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Just following up with my blurb.com self-publishing experience that I posted about on last Sunday, called "Making a Dummy Book".
I uploaded the book on April 4, they sent me an email confirming shipment of book on April 8, and on April 11 it was delivered to my doorstep! Pretty happy with the quick turnaround.
The book is very nicely put together, with a paperback cover...heavy cardstock (not sure of the weight) with a nice semi-gloss coating. The colors printed good with the dark colors printing slightly darker than I anticipated. If you're meticulate about color then this wouldn't be the avenue for you because there is no way to see what you're getting without ordering your book first. Total price for me for one 7x7 paperback book, paying extra to remove their logo and replace with my own, with shipping and CA tax came to $23.32 USD.
For me, it's good enough to send to publishers. I guess we'll see what they think!
By: Stacia,
on 4/11/2007
Blog: Creative Cup Illustrators Group (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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I haven't been very active doing my illustrations, so I decided to break the ice with this week's Illustration Friday word, green.
I would love some feedback on the composition...is it too busy? What are your initial thoughts with this one? Thanks in advance!
If you'd like to see my inspiration, check out my blog entry.
Cheers!
By: Stacia,
on 3/21/2007
Blog: Creative Cup Illustrators Group (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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Girls Night Out represents each of the four basic temperaments as identified by Hire Success. The cast in order of appearance:
Type "C" personality, or details, details, is an analytical thinker that likes consistency, factual information, and precision. They are thoughtful and loyal people that like to figure things out.
Type "B" personality, or the Socializer, loves to party, be the center of attention, and perform for others with their high energy. They are positive and outgoing!
Type "D" personality, or always there when you need them, is a great listener and supportive of others. They have great compassion, which draws people to them, as does their happy and balanced outlook.
Type "A" personality, or the leader, is a strong person that takes risks while deligating to others in their efforts to lead the flock. They like to share their ideas and then move on!
Would love some feedback. I had some problems with shadow and high lights this time and want to make sure it looks consistent. Also, The first girl (type "C") is looking down (or supposed to be)...I tried moving the facial features down the face and the ears up a bit to get the right effect...but something seems off...are her eyes too open? Help!
We have owned A Long Way from Chicago for years but my kids are now the right age for it. (Yeah, I buy books ahead when I see good prices.) Thanks for the reminder to read it!
Hi Becky - Is this book along the lines of Laura Ingalls Wilder "Little House on the Prairie" series? If yes, I can't wait to get a copy of them as I love stories about life in the early American frontier.
It's set in the 1930s. So it isn't frontier times. But it's certainly a different than modern America.
This is an amazing book! I love it!