A Year Down Yonder

A Year Down Yonder
Author: Richard Peck
Genre: Historic Fiction
Grades: 3-7

During the Great Depression 15 year old Mary Alice is sent to live with her grandmother in small town Illinois. It is a small town that is vastly different than her life in the city of Chicago. As soon as she arrives, her grandmother sends her straight to school. At first she has trouble with her classmates because they think she is a rich city girl. Throughout the year Mary Alice accompanies her grandmother on all of her shenanigans, like stealing pecans from the neighbors. Throughout her time with her grandmother, she comes to love the town and the people that live there. When she goes home, she is surprised her family has purchased a bigger apartment and is going to be staying with her parents again. She promises to come back to the town and visit. The book ends with a flashback of Mary Alice as an adult. This book describes how some families had to survive during the Great Depression.