How can anyone not love Grandma Dowdel even with her difficult ways! ( )

I almost get the appeal, but it's just not quite either heartwarming or humorous for me. At least it's better than A Long Way from Chicago."

I did find it interesting that Mary Alice takes Grandma as her mentor so much that her 'Newsy Notes' are the kind of thing that Grandma would do. ( )

It's 1937, and fifteen-year-old Mary Alice Dowdel finds herself having to leave Chicago and live downstate with her grandmother for a year due to her parent's financial troubles. It's a year of fun and adventure for Mary Alice as she settles into her new school and finds herself swept up in the chaos Grandma Dowdel causes as she rides roughshod over the small town's other residents. The school year of stories mostly revolve around the holidays: Halloween, Armistice Day, Christmas, and Valentine's Day.

I slightly prefer this sequel over A Long Way from Chicago as Mary Alice is a more interesting narrator with more character growth than her brother Joey.

FOR REFERENCE:

Contents: Prologue -- Rich Chicago Girl -- Vittles and Vengeance -- A Minute in the Morning -- Away in a Manger -- Hearts and Flour -- A Dangerous Man -- Gone with the Wind -- Ever After ( )

I really enjoyed this, even though I hadn't read the first one. The relationship between grandmother and granddaughter is understated but very tender and the comic moments are a lot of fun. a warning to animal lovers, there is one chapter regarding foxes that you might want to skip altogether. It is a country/farm based story and rather matter of fact about things that would upset people ( )

We listened to this one together as a family. The kids enjoyed the antics of Mrs. Dowdel, and I liked that it taught some lessons about rural life around the time of the Great Depression. ( )