A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck, 1999

Setting: Somewhere between Chicago and St. Louis, Illinois, USA - "in one of the towns the [Wabash] railroad tracks cut in two." Time period: 1920s-1930s. "Prohibition was on in those days, which meant that selling liquor was against the law." Main character(s): Grandma Dowdel. Joey Dowdel, from age 9, narrator. Mary Alice Dowdel, from age 7, Joey's sister. The 1999 Newbery Honor book. A 1998 National Book Award finalist. An ALA Notable book.

The plot: Joey tells stories of their annual one-week visits to Grandma Dowdel. She's not the wizened grandmother stooped low and smelling of peppermints. She's the kind that takes Joey and Mary Alice catfishing in a stolen rowboat early in the morning, strangling a snake and catching the town's respectable businessmen in their droopy underwear while at it. She boils her own soap, brews her own beer, and packs a twelve gauge double-barreled Winchester Model 21. She also bakes the best gooseberry pie in the county. She can also lie like a sidewalk. The first two years, Joey and Mary Alice are reluctant to spend a week in the country with their Grandma, not when Chicago is more exciting with its talkies and Al Capone. But they slowly understand the way her mind works and start looking forward to their summers. My favorite quote: "Let's get on the road. Douse the fire and hide the ax and skillet."