A Long Way From Chicago, Richard Peck
A Long Way From Chicago, Richard Peck
8 Rating(s)
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A Long Way From Chicago
A Novel in Stories

Author: Richard Peck

Narrator: Ron McLarty

Unabridged: 4 hr 17 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/10/2005

Synopsis

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.

About The Author

Born in Decatur, IIlinois, Richard Peck has written over 41 books for young readers. He is the winner of the 1990 Margaret A. Edwards Award, a prestigious award sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association of the American Library Association in cooperation with the School Library Journal; the 1990 National Council of Teachers of English/ALAN Award for outstanding contributions to young adult literature; and the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Allan Poe Award. In 2001 Mr. Peck was awarded the Newbery Medal for A Year Down Yonder.Ron McLarty graduated from Rhode Island College in 1969, and started his theatre career shortly thereafter. A well known Broadway and TV actor, he is one of also the country’s leading audiobook narrators, having done over 100 titles, including the narration of books authored by Stephen King, Danielle Steel, Richard Russo, Elmore Leonard, Ed McBain, David Baldacci, Scott Turow, and George W. Bush’s memoir Decision Points. McLarty has also written his own books, among them the novels Traveler, The Memory of Running, and Art in America.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Abby on May 31, 2008

I liked this little book. It was funny. It's about two kids from Chicago who go and visit their Grandma in the country every summer, and how she is exactly like my funny Grandma (aka "Granny") in North Carolina. My sister recommended this book to me after she read it in her book club. I am a book clu......more

Goodreads review by Gloria on July 27, 2008

This story’s grandma does not exactly fit the mold of the classic plump, white-haired, cookie-baking character used in other stories or commercial ads. Grandma Dowdel has a rather tough and leather-like persona that fascinates her two grandchildren each summer as they learn more and more about how s......more

Goodreads review by Cosette on October 01, 2017

I'm really loving this author. Yes, I'm picking up books from the children's section and reading them to myself. But these books are so much easier to enjoy than the junk written for adult readers!! Characters that you either want to meet or could swear you have already. Circumstances that feel fami......more

Goodreads review by Rod on September 19, 2024

Back in the 1990s my wife and I had a project of trying to read all the Newbery Medal books. We made a pretty good run of it but got bogged down by some series where the Newbery book fell in the middle. Twenty-some years after we set the list aside, we're going to see if we can get back into it. Her......more

Goodreads review by Melissa on October 01, 2015

This is just a really good MG book that I think all ages will enjoy. My adult daughter saw it on the table next to my writing space and said, "That is worth re-reading often." That's totally true. I love Grandma Dowdel and the complexity of her character, and I love seeing the two kids grow up over......more

Awards

  • Newbery Honor Book
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