A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck

This book was such a great happy surprise to me. I was hesitant to read this because it is a prequel to a Newbery award winner, so I felt like I had to read it in order to get to the winner itself, but I hate to waste time reading something I know nothing about. But I loved, loved, loved this book. It was hilarious, so funny, and had so much spirit and spunk that I couldn't put it down. The book is about a boy, Joey, and his sister, Mary Alice, who go to stay with their grandmother for one week every summer, and each chapter is about their visit each year, and what crazy things happen with their grandmother in her small town. Their grandmother is one of the best characters I've read in a long time. She's totally independent, a woman of few words, insanely tough, but also surprisingly softhearted and does all these good deeds you never expect from someone like her. Every time Joey and Mary Alice go down there, they never know what is going to happen or what crazy thing is going to happen next. I was laughing out loud over and over again at each and every chapter. The book felt like parts of To Kill a Mockingbird to me, just the parts of being in a small town (although this one is in Illinois, not Alabama, and there's no social justice aspect to this story), but the parts that I love about that book. This was such a pleasure to read and I am so glad I made the time for it.