Two Books

I just reread two books that I really love. The two books were written by Richard Peck and I first read the first one when I was in middle school. A Long Way from Chicago is set in the early 30s and narrated by Joey. In the book Joey recounts the summer visits he and his sister Mary Alice made to see their Grandma. Each chapter of the book is the story of a year's week long visit. Grandma Dowdel lives in a small town in Illanois and Grandma herself is quite a charachter, each year there is some crazy adventure that happens on their trips.
The next books is a sequel to A Long Way From Chicago, called A Year Down Yonder, this book told from the perspective of Joey's little sister Mary Alice. A few years after the first book takes place and visits in the summer have stopped, Mary Alice is sent to live with Grandma Dowdel until her parents can get back on their feet. This book has more of Grandma's antics and adventures but also leads to a greater understanding of Grandma. This book also talks about Mary Alice's adjustment of being a city girl in a small hick town.
These books are very human and warm. It's interesting to take a peak at how life is, or might have been in a small town. I like historical fiction and how it allows a flavor of what life was formerly like, although obviously fictionalized. I recommend these books, they're young adult/children's books but they're still very enjoyable.