#14, #15 and #16

So, I read three books right in a row and didn't take the time to write about them, so you are fortunate enough to get a triple header today!  They are all written by the same person, Richard Peck, and focus mostly on the same person, Mrs. Dowdell.  One of them won a Newbery, another one was an honorable mention and the last one was suggested by my DH's mock-Newbery book club.  I'm going to review them in the order I read them, which is not the chronological or the order they were written in.

A Season of Gifts - Since this was my introduction to Mrs. Dowdell, I'm afraid that it took me a while to figure out how she fit into the story.  It was told through the eyes of her next door neighbor's son. 

A Long Way From Chicago - This was the first one that was written.  It takes place during the Great Depression and follows Mrs. Dowdell through the eyes of her grandson on their week-long yearly visits.

A Year Down Yonder - Follows Mrs. Dowdell through a school year.  Her granddaughter has come to live with her because her father is unemployed.

These novels are told in short stories.  They are delightful reads, ones I would recommend for older kids, 9 or 10. 

Mrs. Dowdell is quite the trickster.  She somehow manages to get people to do and admit things that they normally never would.  Her ethics are a bit off, she lies to get her way frequently and steals, but the situations are entertaining, and her manipulations usually end in something good happening.  I don't think that these books are as good as other Newbery nominees and winners that I've read, but they are well written and interesting.