• A Year Down Yonder

  • By: Richard Peck
  • Narrated by: Lois Smith
  • Length: 3 hrs and 24 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (522 ratings)

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A Year Down Yonder  By  cover art

A Year Down Yonder

By: Richard Peck
Narrated by: Lois Smith
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Publisher's summary

Mary Alice and Grandma Dowdel return for more astonishing, laugh-out-loud adventures when 15-year-old Mary Alice moves in with her spicy grandmother for the year. Her extended visit is filled with moonlit schemes, romances both foiled and founded, and a whole parade of fools made to suffer in unusual (and always hilarious) ways.

©2008 Richard Peck (P)2008 Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"In this hilarious and poignant sequel to A Long Way to Chicago, Peck once again shows that country life is anything but boring." (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

"Again, Peck has created a delightful, insightful tale that resounds with a storyteller's wit, humor, and vivid description." (School Library Journal)

"With the same combination of wit, gentleness, and outrageous farce as Peck's Newbery Honor book, Long Way from Chicago, this sequel tells the story of Joey's younger sister, Mary Alice, 15, who spends the year of 1937 back with Grandma Dowdel in a small town in Illinois." (Booklist)

What listeners say about A Year Down Yonder

Average customer ratings
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Entertaining Audio Book

The reading is spot on. The book is laugh out loud funny and touching. Highly recommend anything Richard Peck writes.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Where is Grandma Dowdle's personality?

What did you love best about A Year Down Yonder?

I loved the continuing story of Mary Alice and Grandma Dowdle, and her antics. It was a great story!

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Lois Smith?

I would like to have the narrator who was cast for "A Long Way from Chicago" in spite of the fact that the book is from the perspective of Mary Alice. He did such an excellent job with all of the characters, especially Grandma Dowdle. I did not enjoy Ms. Smith's interpretation at all.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

love it.

It's been over 3 years since I listen the first book "Long away from chicago" which i really loved it. This book is awesom, I'm glad I listened to it.

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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love it!

once you start its hard to stop absolutely amazing i do love it so much

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Nice and short!

I remember reading this book in elementary school, so it was nice to revisit it. At about 3hrs long it’s a good short read/listen, especially if you listen to books at work.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

This is probably the best fiction book i have read

It is the best!! I would 100% recommend it for everyone of all ages! It is well written and humorous. It is definitely the best fiction book- on par with the other books in this series.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Another Great Production

I was a little leery at first that there was a different narrator for the second book in this series because I had so much enjoyed the narrator of the first book. However, the narrator did a fabulous job. Now onto the third book in this series… will it be as good as the first two?

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Sooo funny


This was a laugh out loud short that I could have listened to for hours more. The small town, rural, characters are the very best!! All are so creative and quite different that I could not wait to see what they would do next. Grandma is someone I would love to know. This is a series I won't miss.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Great book

Great story line by Peck. Great narration! Need to find other books by this author!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful

All of Richard Peck’s books are brilliantly written, but the Grandma Dowdel series is the shining star of his work. This is one of those series that you won’t want to miss in your lifetime. A snapshot of life during the depression, a hilarious comedy of mischief and a warm embrace that reminds us of loved ones from long ago. Beautiful genius.

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