A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck

Joey and his sister Mary Alice are sent every summer for one week to their Grandma Dowdel's small southern Illinois town.  They are not happy about this.  Nothing ever happens there . . . or does it.

August 1929 -- They see their first corpse . . . and it isn't resting peacefully.

August 1930 -- Grandma gets payback on the teen boys terrorizing the town.

August 1931 -- They trespass, pinch property, poach, and catch the sheriff in his underwear . . . all in the same day.

And there's much more as Joey and Mary Alice make seven summer trips to stay with Grandma Dowdel.


This is a fun historical novel for kids.  It focuses on the ornery character of Grandma Dowdel and her interactions with the town.  I would recommend this for kids looking for humorous or historical fiction.