Richard Peck proves himself the master once again. A Year Down Yonder was one of my favorite Newbery winners this entire year. It’s in the running for top favorite, actually. When I heard Richard Peck talk at a SCBWI (Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators) Conference in NYC several years ago, his wisdom and wit wowed me. This book taps both. It’s also one of the three books I referred to earlier set in 1936.
This isn’t a life-and-death-who’s-going-to-die or find-the -murderer edge-of-your-seat plot. Instead, the characters and the narrator’s voice are so utterly enchanting that I couldn’t wait to get back to it between the few sittings it took me to read this story.
Mary Alice is sent to live with her Grandma
in Illionois–somewhere south of Chicago. Her parents have been forced to move into a one-room apartment to keep their jobs and can’t afford a bigger place, and therefore to keep Mary Alice with them. At age 15, stepping from school in Chicago to a tiny town down state is a shock at first. And Grandmother–a mountain of a woman with her own set of morals by which to navigate life–becomes a truly beloved human being.
The story weaves through the school year, including falll with pumpkins, Halloween, and harvesting nuts by hook or by crook, Christmas with the Christmas program, the blossoming of spring and all that brings. Romance, tragedy, down-home justice and reaping what you sow are all woven into the fabric of this story.
The snake in the attic may be one of the funniest scenes I’ve read for a long time. I can’t say more or I’d create a spoiler. Let me say this: if you haven’t read this book, you’re missing out on some wonderful fabric of life. What a terrific Newbery pick!
Peck, Richard. A Year Down Yonder. Dial, 2001.
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