A YEAR DOWN YONDER by Richard Peck

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Peck, Richard. 2000. A Year Down Yonder. New York, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0142300705

2. PLOT SUMMARY
This Newbery Award-winning novel is the sequel to Peck’s A Long Way from Chicago. Humorous and often touching, it is about a year in the life of 15 year-old Mary Alice who is sent to live with her strong-willed grandmother (in 1937) while her parents regroup from the hardships of the Depression. A city girl (from Chicago), Mary Alice initially has a hard time adjusting to small town life and to the peculiarities of her practical, gritty and unapologetically blunt Grandma Dowdel. At first intimidated and embarrassed by her grandmother, Mary Alice comes of age while she also comes to appreciate her grandmother’s strengths.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The sometimes bitter truth of rural, Depression-era life is nicely tempered by comic relief to make this story a believable and enjoyable read. The reader acquires a feeling for the era naturally through Mary Alice’s experiences during the course of the year. One of the chapters is about the annual Armistice Day turkey shoot, after which Mary Alice observes, “The veterans ran their turkey shoot to raise money for the American Legion. Their wives sold burgoo to help Mrs. Abernathy” (51). Much is revealed about community committment, especially during the difficult times of the Depression.

The characterization in this book is brilliant. Initially a somewhat bland character, especially in comparison to her larger-than-life grandmother, Mary Alice’s persona slowly emerges throughout the book like a butterfly. At first, her teenage insecurities and developing sense of self are in stark contrast to her grandmother’s self-assuredness. As time and events draw them closer, she learns that her supposedly hard-edged grandmother really “had eyes in the back of her heart” (128). The universal themes of personal growth and the power of family love make this book relevant and accessible to modern readers.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
From School Library Journal: “Richard Peck's Newbery Award-winner (Dial, 2000) is a multi-layered story of small town life spiced with humor, love, and a bit of history.”

From Horn Book Review: “While the escapades are diverting, the seven stories, which span the school year, don't have the cumulative power of those in A Long Way from Chicago.”

5. CONNECTIONS
*Reader’s Theatre or other dramatic reenactment of one of the 7 episodes from the book (e.g. DAR meeting)
*Cooking- burgoo, pecan and pumpkin pies, cherry tarts
*Depression era guest speaker
*Other titles by Richard Peck:
A Long Way from Chicago ISBN 0142401102
Here Lies the Librarian ISBN 0803730802
Stray’s Like Us ISBN 978-0141306193
*Nonfiction books about the Great Depression:
Children of the Great Depression by Russell Freedman ISBN 0618446303
Life During the Great Depression by Dennis Nishi ISBN 1560063815