A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck Classroom Set of 5 NEW Paperback Newbery

Set of 5 scholastic paperbacks with reading guide. Good for a group or classroom. A Long Way from Chicago is a classic!  Kids have been loving this hilarious book and its cooky, eccentric, outrageous characters for generations.  Set between 1929-1942, the book tells the story of Joey and Mary Alice who spend each August at Grandma Dowdel's house in a sleepy Illinois town. Together they always have crazy adventures thanks to Grandma Dowdel's tendency to take matters into her own hands to 'make things the way they should be'.  Told through nine interconnected by separate episodes, the three characters embark on all manner of crazy misadventures. What results is a "satire about small town etiquette is fresh, warm, and anything but ordinary." (Publisher's Weekly) “Part vaudeville act, part laconic tall tale, the stories, with their dirty tricks and cunning plots, make you laugh out loud at the farce and snicker at the reversals....With the tall talk, irony, insult, and vulgarity, there’s also a heartfelt sense of the Depression’s time and place. . . . Many readers will recognize the irreverent, contrary voices of their own family legends across generations.” (Booklist, starred review) “Each tale is a small masterpiece of storytelling.”  (The Horn Book, starred review) A Long Way from Chicago Reading Level Interest Level:  Grade 4-8 DRA Level:   50 Lexile Measure:  750L Grade Level Equivalent:  4.6 Guided Reading Level:   V Awards won by this book  * National Honor 1998