A Year Down Yonder

Peck, Richard (2000). A Year Down Yonder. New York, New York: Dial Books for Young Readers.
It is 1937, for much of the country the Depression is coming to an end, but not for Mary Alice's family. Her father is still out of work, and her family has lost their apartment. Mary Alice is sent from Chicago to live in a small country town with her grandmother. Mary Alice's grandmother is eccentric to say the least. This book made me laugh out loud. Her grandmother sucked Mary Alice into several plots and adventures, most of which where just about on the wrong side of the law. I love the way that the relationship between Mary Alice and her grandmother evolved. They become friends and a true family. Like several of the other books that I have recently read, this book was set during the Great Depression, but it was anything but depressing to read. It was a pure delight. It was a book that I did not want to end.