A Year Down Yonder

by Richard Peck
Puffin Books 2000
130 Pages
Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction

Summary: Mary Alice's family has fallen on some hard times with it being 1937 and her family can't afford to live together any more. So she is sent off to live with her Grandmother. As she arrives her Grandma takes her straight to school. Before she gets a chance to put her things down she is pushed into a school room where she spends the day being pestered by the school's bully. The girls says she owes her a dollar for looking at her so she follows Mary Alice home to collect her money. Of course Mary Alice's Grandma invites the girl in and feeds her. After which she lets the girls horse loose with her shoes tied around the horses neck. Mary Alice learns that the horse had not been the girls at all, and was stolen. So full of food, without shoes, the girl must walk miles and miles home. Which takes care of Mary Alices problems with the bully. As Mary Alice spends time with her Grandmother she learns many new things, from canning jam to fox hunting. She learns how to make home made glue and use it against your enemies. She learned how to give service to those who deserved it as well as those who do not. As her time at her grandmothers comes to an end and is able to return to live with her family, Mary Alice falls in love. As she is leaving she tells her Grandmother she doesn't want to leave and of course her Grandmother tells her that the door is always open. As the book closes, Mary Alice is getting married to the boy that she had fallin for. The decided to get married in her Grandmother's home. Neither of their families were able to make it, but that wasn't the most important thing.

My Reaction:
I loved this book. It was one of my favorites I have read up to this point. Mary Alice's Grandma made me think so much of my own. She is so smart and knows how to do so many things. I love learning from her, and it really made it easy to connect to this book. Not to mention it was funny beyond all reason!

Recommendations:
Young girls who are interested in adventure. Anyone could love this book.