A Long Way from Chicago Every summer Joey and Mary Alice come from Chicago to stay with their Grandma Dowdel. Their visits are exciting because Grandma is always telling big lies and never letting the townspeople know what’s really going on. This is confusing to Joey and Mary Alice because they never know the lie is coming or why grandma even says it. Grandma even changed the story of Shotgun Cheetum’s life to make it sound like he was a completely different person! She says things about people that are mean but she really likes them! Just like Aunt Puss - Grandma made sure to take her food every week! Just when it seems Grandma is up to no good, she does something kind. But even when Grandma’s behavior is wrong, her heart is in the right place. So even as Joey and Mary Alice get older, they enjoy visiting Grandma and experiencing her outrageous behavior. When the summer visits stop, Joey and Mary Alice will certainly miss the always surprising parade!! “A Long Way From Chicago” was written by Richard Peck. The story told about the summers that Joey and Mary Alice come from Chicago to stay with their Grandma Dowdel. I liked the novel because it had SO many stories and changes. You never knew the reason behind what Grandma said until after it was done. The part of the story when there was a parade was by far my favorite part of the book. Two old men started a brawl in the streets! My least favorite part was the beginning. It took awhile to get to know the characters which made it a little boring. If I were to give the book a rating out of five stars, I would give it a solid 4.2. I might read other books by Richard Peck. I would most definitely recommend reading this novel.

A Long Way from Chicago Every summer Joey and Mary Alice come from Chicago to stay with their Grandma Dowdel. Their visits are exciting because Grandma is always telling big lies and never letting the townspeople know what’s really going on. This is confusing to Joey and Mary Alice because they never know the lie is coming or why grandma even says it. Grandma even changed the story of Shotgun Cheetum’s life to make it sound like he was a completely different person! She says things about people that are mean but she really likes them! Just like Aunt Puss - Grandma made sure to take her food every week! Just when it seems Grandma is up to no good, she does something kind. But even when Grandma’s behavior is wrong, her heart is in the right place. So even as Joey and Mary Alice get older, they enjoy visiting Grandma and experiencing her outrageous behavior. When the summer visits stop, Joey and Mary Alice will certainly miss the always surprising parade!! “A Long Way From Chicago” was written by Richard Peck. The story told about the summers that Joey and Mary Alice come from Chicago to stay with their Grandma Dowdel. I liked the novel because it had SO many stories and changes. You never knew the reason behind what Grandma said until after it was done. The part of the story when there was a parade was by far my favorite part of the book. Two old men started a brawl in the streets! My least favorite part was the beginning. It took awhile to get to know the characters which made it a little boring. If I were to give the book a rating out of five stars, I would give it a solid 4.2. I might read other books by Richard Peck. I would most definitely recommend reading this novel.