13 October 2011

A Long Way From Chicago


The eighth graders at CMS are reading A Long Way from Chicago right now, so I decided to read it up real quickly so that I can better help the students. 

This is another coming-of-age story, taking place during The Great Depression; each chapter is a different summer Joey and Mary Alice spend at their grandma's house.  Grandma is quite the character and the children learn many different life lessons from her, from how to use illegal fish traps to how to take care of other people. 

I liked this book well enough. It's not really something I would suggest over other books, but it a good reading level for the kids and it is a Newbery winner as well as a nice quick read. As far as crazy adventures or trying to solve a mystery or a cliffhanger ending . . . not so much. This book is much more real life than that, which is always a nice contrast. Soooo, it's up there, but not the best ever.

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