A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck
If you haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Grandma Dowdel, you have another chance in A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck, a companion novel to the NewberyAward winning A Year Down Yonder and A Long Way From Chicago. And well, if you don’t know who Grandma Dowdel is then you are simply missing out on one of the most memorable characters in all of young literature. It’s been a while since we’ve seen her but she makes a comeback when a new family moves in next door.
It’s now 1958 and the family belongs to a preacher, his wife, and three children, one of whom is ten-year old Bob, who narrates the story. While his older sister is obsessed with Elvis Presley and hanging out with the wrong crowd, his little sister has become obsessed with Grandma Dowdel and spends every waking moment next door, Bob is just trying to stay under the radar from the town bullies and trying to figure out exactly who is the strange woman next door.
A Season of Gifts was a worthwhile sequel and I enjoyed every minute spent with Grandma Dowdel. With the story spanning between summer, Halloween and culminating with a wonderful Christmas there are plenty of crazy antics. I loved how Grandma Dowdel acts like the one who can’t stand everybody and she’s not a church going person but she’s the one who always does the most good. I also loved how she doesn’t do “neighboring” or Christmas but yet she was the one with the biggest tree and the best gifts. She’s awesome when she always has the upper hand on the prowling teenagers. Ruth Ann, the little sister was hilarious as she began to talk and look like Dowdel. And I enjoyed how the parents weren’t quite sure about their odd neighbor but yet end up in cahoots with her.
If you haven’t read this three book series, I suggest that now would be a good time to do it.
Links of interest: More book blogger reviews, Maw Books reviews of A Year Down Yonder, A Long Way From Chicago, and On the Wings of Heroes.
Genre: Middle Grade Fiction, approx ages 9-12.
Publisher: Dial. September 17, 2009.
Hardcover, 176 pages. ISBN 0803730829
A Season of Gifts is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.
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Tags: Christmas, Fiction, holidays, M-P Author, male author, published 2009, Publisher: Dial, Q-T Title, series, Thanksgiving
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I loved Granda Dowdel in this book too! I think we’ve all known someone like her at some point in our lives.
on December 17th, 2009 at 8:25 amThis sounds delightful! I may have to pick up the series on my next trip to the library. Thanks for the suggestion!
on December 17th, 2009 at 8:32 pmI love these books! Grandma Dowdel is always good for a laugh.
on December 18th, 2009 at 5:36 pmI love Gradma Dowdel! I haven’t had a chance to pick this up but I really want to read it.
on December 23rd, 2009 at 2:29 pmI love Grandma Dowdel! I haven’t had a chance to pick this up but I really want to read it.
on December 23rd, 2009 at 2:30 pm