The story begins in 1929, with nine-year-old Joey and his seven-year-old sister Mary Alice. These two city kids are living thru the depression era in Chicago. These two siblings have to spend a week out of each summer visiting with their Grandma Dowdel. Grandma Dowdel lives in southern Illinois, in the countryside between Chicago and St. Louis. Joey and Mary Alice are certain that only boredom will await them in their Grandma's country way of living. But surprisingly each of the seven summers they spend with Grandma Dowdel, she manages to surprise her grandchildren with something unforgettable, adventurous, and fun!
Joey narrates each chapter in the novel. Each chapter represents an episode from their yearly summer visits. In those years, Joey and Mary Alice get to see and help Grandma conduct a funeral for Shotgun Cheatham, the town reprobate. They witness her getting even with the Cowgill boys for their vandalism. Grandma Dowel traps catfish in order to feed the traveling unemployed men that are hit hard by the Depression. Grandma Dowel also tries to win the pie contest at the county fair which is a hiliarous chapter! She also helps Vandalia Eubanks and Junior Stubbs elope and get married. The two lovebirds elope Romeo and Juliet style. Grandma and the children use the local rummage sale to keep Mrs. Elsie Wilcox's house from being foreclosed. Grandma Dowel is kindhearted and willing to help everyone she can. They also observe the town's centennial celebration. Grandma Dowdel sly and deceptively takes on everybody from the town banker, the sheriff, the slick city news reporter, and the local hooligans in her adventures.
The year 1935 was the last visit because Joey was fifteen and the next year would be in line for a summer job in Chicago.
Mrs. Garza's Thoughts:
The novel was slightly difficult to get into at first but as I continued reading my interest was heightened. The stories were narrated by Joey, and his thoughts on his grandma and his adventures with her and his younger sister were hilarious. My favorite character was Grandma Dowel. She was the most interesting character, and with each chapter I came to love and enjoy her more and more. I was always thinking about what she would do next or who she would help next! She was a kind- hearted woman that would go above and beyond to show her generosity for others. I mostly enjoyed reading the unpredictability of her character. I believe anyone who has any connection to country living can really relate to this novel. I grew up in the country too so I could relate to the book and to the characters. Robert Peck did a great job by writing each chapter as a new little adventure with Grandma Dowel, Joey, and Mary Alice. Peck's writing was filled with hilarious scenarios, funny dialogue, and exciting twists and turns. I really felt like this book took me on an adventure. I was able to grow up with the characters and picture myself going to their grandmas house with them each summer. It was a fun, fast read that made me laugh but also made me think about the life long bonds between grandmothers and their grandchildren. A grandmother can make such an impact on their grandchildren. It made me want to hug and call both my grandmothers to tell them how much I appreciate them!
What I liked best about the book is that there were really no lessons to learn. It was just several funny stories put together to paint a picture of a small Illinois town and the characters in it. The ending is very endearing when Grandma shows Joey an unusual gesture of love. A really neat thing for me about this book was the setting. The kids visited their grandma for one week every summer in Illinois "somewhere between Chicago and St. Louis" in a slow,small town where her's was the last house in the town with a big, open field next to her and woods beyond. I used to visit my grandmother as well and this description of setting matches the place where I used to visit! Unfortunately, though, my visits were not as adventuresome as these kids
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