A Long Way From Chicago

A Novel in Stories

What happens when Joey and his sister, Mary Alice--two city slickers from Chicago--make their annual summer visits to Grandma Dowdel's seemingly sleepy Illinois town?

August 1929: They see their first corpse, and he isn't resting easy.
August 1930: The Cowgilll boys terrorize the town, and Grandma fights back with a dead mouse and a bottle of milk.
August 1931: Joey and Mary Alice help Grandma to trespass, pinch property, poach, catch the sheriff in his underwear, and feed the hungry--all in one day.

And there's more--much more--as Joey and Mary Alice make seven summer trips to Grandma's, each one funnier and more surprising than the year before. In the grand storytelling tradition of American humorists from Mark Twain to Flannelly O'Connor, Richard Peck has created a memorable world filled with characters who, like Grandma herself, are larger than life and twice as entertaining. And year round, you are sure to enjoy your stay with them.©2005 Richard Peck; (P)2008 Random House, Inc.

Enjoyed this very much!

Fun story. I enjoyed this very much. I will recommend to my kids (ages 9-15) to read too. The narrator did a great job.

A truly awesome book!

Richard Peck is wonderful he takes you to another time another way of life! Grandma is a truly amazing character and she teaches her grandchildren a lot each summer! I think she taught my son a few things also when his father read this book and the next book A Year down yonder to him! I know as an adult now it is one of his favorite memories he has of his father!

Clean humor!

Grandma Dowdle is a hoot! I can relate to her in my own life. Love the next book too

Great book but...

This is a great book, I loved it. One thing is it has many names and can be confusingat times. You have to have your full full attention to understand it. I would recommend you be around the age 12 to 15. Some of the words are too complex for young children. I personally loved this and would give it all five stars except for those small negative things.

What a great journey back in time

I read this book many years ago and even though The story wasn’t new to me this time around, I still laughed out loud several times throughout this reading. The journey back into some of the history of Illinois was also a pleasure. This book is an eye opener of how we have much to appreciate in these modern times of convenience.