Reader reviewed by Lord Of Corn (A.K.A. Bob)

A Long Way From Chicago

A Long Way From Chicago is the story of Mary Alice and Joey who go to visit their grandmother every year from 1929-1935 then once more in 1942 Joey sees her one more time on his way to the army. You think that's normal? They help there grandmother trespass, scam, track down a ghost, see a corpse, and even fly in an airplane while in a regular, sleepy Illonois town. This 4-star book is great for kids who love good literuture and adults who want to go back to the good old days.

Reader reviewed by Brady C.

 

 

                        By: Brady Cravens

          In this book the main character Joey, and his sister, Mary Alice go through a crazy adventure every with their crazy Grandma. In chapters 1-4 I was intrigued by the literature and suspense and felt like I wanted to read forever.

          In chapters 5-8 is when the Great depression has begun and so had WW2. It was very intriguing with trickery and love. It is a really great book. Anyone who likes funny, action filled books you will like this book. This book is for someone who loves suspense.

My opinion on this book is some parts of it are really suspenseful and others are sleepy and boring. It has its perks but overall is a really good book.

Reader reviewed by loisrSummary

Summary

Joey always spends one week of summer vacation with his grandma. The one thing grandma isnt normal just like the rest of the town. So every summer he gets hit with annual one week crassness.

 

My opinion

My opinion of this book is that it is a good book and has good qualities.

 

Recommendation

I would recommend this book to people that like humors books

Reader reviewed by Briana

B


The book A Long Way From Chicago was very interesting but in an oddly way. If I had to recommend this book to others I would have to say that if you enjoy reading humorous things about the past. Also if you think psychotic grandmas would be interesting to you. But now lets talk about the book. This book A Long Way From Chicago is about these two kids, Joey and Mary Alice who go to visit their grandmother, Mrs.Dowdel. Their grandma lives in Decoder which is not even close to where they live in Chicago. So every summer there parents give them money to pay for a train ticket to go see her. Well Mary Alice did not think so well of her grandma at first because she lies cheats and steals things. I didnt bother Joey so much though because he is a boy and boys are used to that kind of stuff. One of the times they came to visit their grandma there was a fair there, and Mrs. Dowdel wanted to enter in the pie contest. She decided to make a gooseberry pie because it was something most contestants wouldnt make. She wanted to win so bad that she traded name plates Mr. Peckelter. The reason she did this was because he had been making pies for a long time and she had only been making them for a couple months. But it turns out that the pie she made actually won so Mr. Peckelter won the plan ride. So Mrs. Dowdel cheated and took a blue ribbon off her hat and lied to the plane driver to win a free ride. Well grandma was too big for the plane so it wouldnt take off, and Joey wanted to ride in the plane so bad she decided to let him. Even though times are hectic where grandma lives Mary Alice and Joey always seem to be glad to go back and visit her again the next summer.

Reader reviewed by Keela

The book we are reading is an excellent book for children because its a fun book. Grandma is a funny character who is always doing silly and crazy things. And thats what kids love to read.

I like to read stories about older days so I learn about how it was in the eighteen hundreds through the nineteen hundreds. The kid's Joey and Mary Alice go to live with their grandma over the summers and while they are there they have a few exciting times with Grandma.

The first character Joey: in the beginning of the story he seems kind of like a quiet kid. He is about seven years old. But towards the end of the book he is about fifteen and still like to go visit grandma Dowdell. Joey has a younger sister named Mary Alice: in the beginning I suppose she is five and is quite a talkative young lady. But as the years go on she is about thirteen now. And Grandma: Is a big older lady who lives alone until Mary Alice and Joey come every summer. Grandma is very sly and sneaky. She likes to trick and mess with people. But when Mary Alice and Joey come I think every year they become more like her. They live in the city but when they go to grandmas house they have to walk everywhere. And use the bathroom outside.

In the beginning I think they think grandma is a little crazy but as the years pass they come to like her.

Reader reviewed by Tayler



It is hard to explain. I did like this book a lot. It was extremely funny and it was also very random. I really liked it when grandma shot up the coffin just because of the overly large Tom Cat was inside it. I also liked it when she went fishing and the snake fell on Joey and he fainted. Then she had to steal the boat to get the fish and then she fed the drifters with the fish.

I also liked how grandma was always on the edge of breaking the law. But she never fully did break the law. There was only about one thing I didnt like about this book. It jumped from when they were seven or eight to 15 in just eight chapters. That really bothered me. Another thing that bothered me was the book was written during the depression. I like books that are up to date and very detailed. But I will say that most of the things in the book I did like. It was a funny book and yet great points were made.
I did like it when the book talked about Al Capone and the Chicago Typewriter. That to me was historybut it was also funny.

Another great part of the story was when Joey dressed up like the phantom brakeman and allowed the two lovebirds time to hop on the train.

I do wonder what Joey and Mary Alices parents did when they visited grandma for two weeks. Why didnt they go to the farm also? Also why do the kids only get 15 cents each week? And why does grandma make the kids do a lot of work? And one last question is does Joey actually get into the military and get to fly plane like he dreamed about? I did like the book and will read more by this author

Reader reviewed by LJK

Joey and Mary Alice spend a week each summer with their grandmother, and although the children suspect that they're being sendt away so that their parents can go fishing in Wisconsin, they soon come to cherish their time "in the country." Their Grandma Dowdel is clever, and although her farm hasn't changed much over the years, she can still get the best of the local townsfolk. From the dead body in the first story to Joey's first ride in an airplane, the stories combine humor and adventure, and a surprising amount of warmth.

A Long Way from Chicago is told over the course of seven summer visits, each its own short story, and this method allows Joey and Mary Alice to transform from children into young adults. The passage of time adds a great deal of depth to the stories, and also makes them more than simply a series of amusing anecdotes. The children understand each other, and their grandma, better with each visit, and this reader was as sad as the children when the visits had to end.

Although these stories are certainly appropriate for any age, younger children might be as clueless as the young Joey and Mary when it comes to understanding Grandma Dowdel. This book would be an excellent read-aloud though, and the format would make it perfect as a before bed treat.

Reader reviewed by jen

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in a town where everyone knows your name and every detail in your life? Well the two main charaters in this book have to live with their "crazy" Grandmother for a summer. This book shows us that you truly can not judge a vook by its cover. The children truly find out what a great person there Grandmother truly is, but not before a fun filled yet crazy summer in a crazy town.