If you've never read anything by Richard Peck,
prepare for surprise and delight. His unique
blend of tall tales, historical fiction, and
small-town humor are the formula for some
of the best stories I've ever read. I'll introduce
you to one of them for this week's Pick.
Richard Peck's book A Long Way from Chicago
is supposedly written for children. But Grandma
Dowdel, the larger-than-life character at
the center of this book of short stories,
is one you'll appreciate at any age.
Grandma Dowdel is the hardest-working most
big-hearted character you'll ever meet in
a work of fiction. She's also ornery, devious,
and a terror with a gun.
A Long Way from Chicago chronicles the seven
summers that Joey and his sister, Mary Alice,
spend with Grandma in her sleepy little Illinois
town. But things aren't exactly what they
appear. In fact, there's nothing sleepy about
the town with Grandma Dowdel around. Under
her watchful eye, Joey and Mary Alice encounter
a corpse, face down a gang of bullies, outsmart
a foreclosure, and learn how to be good neighbors.
And each summer they return home traumatized—and
the better for their visit.
You won't be traumatized by A Long Way from
Chicago, but you'll definitely be the better
for reading it. Besides extremely fine storytelling,
what this book really has to offer is a whole
lot of heart.
