A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck, 2001

While browsing the Newbery winner shelves of my hometown library's juvenile department, I discovered Richard Peck's A Year Down Yonder. The cover art persuaded me to take a closer look, as usual, and in this case, the old addage was proven false. I judged this book by its charming cover, and my judgements were absolutely right!

Richard Peck's works have, somehow, completely evaded me. This winner of multiple literary awards including the Edgar Allan Poe Award, National Book Award, a Newbery Honor, and a Newbery Medal has made great contributions to juvenile literature through his mostly historical fiction works.

The sequel to A Long Way from Chicago, A Year Down Yonder, will not disappoint! The story follows Mary Alice, a teenager from Chicago who is sent to stay with her Grandma Dowdell out in the country. It's 1937, and as her parents struggle to make a living back home, Mary Alice struggles to adjust to her new life in a small, rural community living with her larger-than-life, tough-as-nails Grandma Dowdell. Peck has created a mini masterpiece in this short book. The real story here is the relationship between grandmother and granddaughter. A reader may start out the book thinking it will chronicle the "outrageous" scenarios of a city girl in a country town. Instead, with humor, a quick tempo, and dignity, Peck seemlessly exposes Grandma Dowdell's true colors and the love between her and Mary Alice. This coming-of-age story also subtly gives the reader a window into life in the late 1930s not only through setting and story events but by touching on Armistice Day, the Great Depression, and the two World Wars.

If this is any indication of how much I enjoyed A Year Down Yonder, I was sad to see the end of the book. But I hurried to the library and picked up one of his latest books: On the Wings of Heroes (2007)!

The Doll People by Ann M. Martin & Laura Godwin, Pictures by Brian Selznick, 2000

Over the past year, The Doll People has repeatedly put itself on my radar. I first became aware of Ann M. Martin (made famous by the Babysitter's Club series) and Laura Godwin's short series in a class of mine. Though it was mentioned only in passing, the premise reminded me of the children's classic The Borrowers. I haven't read The Borrowers since I was a kid, but I have fond memories of the series. Also,  Brian Selznick (winner of the Caldecott for his book The Invention of Hugo Cabret) illustrated The Doll People with subtle sketches done in pencil. With all the buzz of his Caldecott win, Selznick's involvement with The Doll People further sparked my interest. Finally, the clever cover of the book caught my eye more than once while browsing children's fiction at the library. Pushed aside by my desire to get my hands on the latest popular read, The Doll People finally came home from the library with me and a stack of other books a few days ago.

The Doll People tells the story of Annabelle Doll, an 8 year old member of a dollhouse figurine family who are actually alive. After Kate, the young girl who owns the dollhouse, goes either to school or sleep, the dolls move about the house and live a "normal" life before resuming the positions Kate left them in just before she comes to play. The antique Doll family is over 100 years old and have become rather set in their ways until a new, plastic dollhouse is given to Kate's little sister Nora for her birthday. Everything changes when these modern neighbors, the Funcrafts, arrive. Annabelle finds a new friend in Tiffany Funcraft, and they set out to find Annabelle's Auntie Sarah who has been missing from the dollhouse for over 45 years!

Martin and Godwin have effectively capitalized on that childhood curiosity of what the toys are up to when left alone. The pace of The Doll People keeps you wondering what will happen next without overwhelming the simple premise. The scenarios are believable (they seem to fit in to a dollhouse world). For example, Kate's cat is one of the Doll family's biggest worry. Suspenseful without any over-the-top twists or turns, The Doll People would be great for kids in late elementary school. One downfall of the book is the reality that many boys would not pick it up. It may be labeled as a "girl" book because of the title, cover, and female main character. However, if given the chance, I imagine many boys would enjoy the read as well. The illustrations, premise, and pace all make The Doll People a reccomended read.