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3.5 

A Season of Gifts

By Richard Peck
A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck digital book - Fable

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Publisher Description

One of children's literature's most memorable characters returns in this Christmastime companion to the Newbery Medal-winning A Year Down Yonder and Newbery Honor-winning A Long Way from Chicago.

The eccentric, larger-than-life Grandma Dowdel is back in this heart-warming tale. Set 20 years after the events of A Year Down Yonder, it is now 1958 and a new family has moved in next door: a Methodist minister and his wife and kids. Soon Grandma Dowdel will work her particular brand of charm on all of them: ten-year-old Bob Barnhart, who is shy on courage in a town full of bullies; his two fascinating sisters; and even his parents, who are amazed to discover that the last house in town might also be the most vital.
As Christmas rolls around, the Barnhart family realizes that they’ve found a true home, and a neighbor who gives gifts that will last a lifetime.
 
“Pitch-perfect prose, laced with humor and poignancy, strong characterization and a clear development of the theme of gifts one person can offer make this one of Peck’s best novels yet—and that’s saying something.”—Kirkus (starred review)
 
“The type of down-home humor and vibrant characterizations Peck fans have come to adore re-emerge in full.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
 
“With a storyteller's sure tone, Peck has once again created a whole world in one small Illinois town, a place where the folksy wisdom and generosity of one gruff old woman can change lives.”—School Library Journal (starred review)
 
Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year
Kirkus Reviews Best Books of the Year
Booklist Editors’ Choice

 

 

 

92 Reviews

3.5
Smiling Face with Heart-Eyes“Mrs. Dowdel is one of my favorite literary grandmas. I’m kind of sad to say good buy to her as this is the last book in the series. The book has great meaning because it teaches (from Mrs. Dowdel) that you don’t need to put your gifts under the Christmas tree; gifts come in all shapes and sizes. And she really gave the best ones.”

About Richard Peck

RICHARD PECK (1934-2018) was born in Decatur, Illinois and lived in New York City for nearly 50 years. The acclaimed author of 35 novels for children and young adults, he won the Newbery Medal for A Year Down Yonder, a Newbery Honor for A Long Way from Chicago, the Scott O’Dell Award for The River Between Us, the Edgar Allen Poe Award for Are You in the House Alone?, a Boston Globe-Horn BookAward Honor for The Best Man, and the Christopher Medal for The Teacher’s Funeral. He was the first children’s author ever to have been awarded a National Humanities Medal, and was twice a National Book Award Finalist.  

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