a long way from chicago a novel in stories

And she's also one of the most delightful literary characters I've ever encountered. The sheriff even calls her a 'one-woman crime wave.' She may indeed seem to be as tough as a boot - after the first summer, Grandma doesn't even meet the kids at the train station she figures that they can find their own way to her house, but Joey, Mary Alice, and the reader soon come to realize that she's something of an old softy inside.

Grandma is not above stretching the truth or stealing borrowing someone's boat to achieve her goals. Over the years, Grandma Dowdel gets the kids involved in all sorts of hilarious adventures - catching criminals, helping some star-crossed lovers elope, and showing up the snooty banker's wife. As the years went by though, Mary Alice and I grew up, and though Grandma never changed, we'd seem to see a different woman every summer. And tough! She was tough as an old boot, or so we thought. She was old too, or so we thought - old as the hills. She was so big and the town was so small.

A copy of the book is not included in this set of resources.'I don't think Grandma's a very good influence on us,' Mary Alice said.Įvery August, Joey Dowdel and his kid sister Mary Alice spend a week at their Granny's house. This set of instructional resources is for use with the book A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck.A copy of the book is not included in this set of resources. Note: This set of instructional resources is for use with the book A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck.Instructional focus assessment, answer key, and rubric.Chapter by chapter discussion questions and key vocabulary.Lesson plans for 9 book club meetings focused on Perspective.Full of hilarious and sometimes shocking stories, this award-winning novel is an ideal anchor text for Book Club discussions focused on character perspective and the ways in which the characters' perspectives grow and change with each passing summer.īy following the minilessons included in this book club resource set, you'll provide students with the opportunity to track changes in perspective over time, determine pivotal moments that change perspective, and make inferences to identify a character's perspective.

Use A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck to strengthen your students' comprehension skills, build their vocabulary, and teach them about the ways an author can use perspective to tell stories.Ī Long Way from Chicago is a series of short stories about the summers two children spend with their grandmother in rural Illinois.

A long way from chicago a novel in stories