School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-It's been a long while since readers last enjoyed a season with Grandma Dowdel, and what a startling, hilarious, and touching season it is. It is now 1958, a time when Elvis is king and the glow of television sets has replaced sitting on the porch for an evening. Yet as much as things have changed, Mrs. Dowdel has remained pretty much the same, living alone in the last house in town, pushing 90 and still toting her rifle, cooking up a storm and taking down the neighborhood hoodlums. What's new are the PKs (preacher's kids) who've moved in next door, including the 12-year-old narrator, Bob Barnhardt, an unassertive boy who has the misfortune of being welcomed to town in a most unneighborly fashion. Mrs. Dowdel intervenes and helps out the Barnhardts in her own inimitable way, proving herself as clever, capable, and downright amazing as ever and allowing Bob and his family to see just what a gift of a neighbor she is. 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.-Teri Markson, Los Angeles Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
The type of down-home humor and vibrant characterizations Peck fans have come to adore re-emerge in full as Peck resurrects Mrs. Dowdel, the irrepressible, self-sufficient grandmother featured in A Year Down Yonder and A Long Way from Chicago. Set in 1958, his new novel is told from the point of view of 12-year-old Bob Barnhart, Mrs. Dowdel's new neighbor, who is distraught about having to move from Terre Haute to a "podunk" town, where his Methodist minister father has been called to shepherd a meager sprinkling of parishioners. Mrs. Dowdel is a source of entertainment, and some fear, for Bob and his sisters ("she could be amazingly light on her big pins. We'd already seen her take a broom and swat a Fuller Brush man off her porch"). But more important, she proves useful in outsmarting bullies and attracting new members to Mr. Barnhart's fold. Not all of Grandma Dowdel's gifts to the Barnharts (and in some cases the entire community) are as tangible as the windows she donates to the church, but her actions exude as much warmth and wisdom as they do hilarity. Ages 10-up. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
(Intermediate, Middle School) As irascible, independent, and unorthodox as ever, Grandma Dowdel makes a welcome return in this third novel. Of course, she's Mrs. Dowdel to young Bob Barnhart (the twelve-year-old narrator) and his family, who move next door in August of 1958. Being not only the new kids in town but also preacher's kids isn't easy for Bob and his two sisters, but Mrs. Dowdel's interventions make the transition smoother. Her seemingly endless array of tricks and pranks, coupled with her thorough knowledge of the town's citizens (some supporting characters from previous novels reprise their roles, while the next generation capably fills in for others), provide as much amusement as ever, and if there's nothing Mrs. Dowdel can do now that would surprise us, it hardly matters. We cherish each mischievous antic because she's entered that rare pantheon of unforgettably great characters. Indeed, Bob and his family will only spend one year in the small Illinois town, but it's long enough for Mrs. Dowdel to make an indelible impression, and by December Bob has her figured out. "She was no church woman, and she didn't neighbor, and Christmas was just another day to her. But she didn't wait for Christmas to give out her gifts." From HORN BOOK, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
According to 12-year-old Bob, "We Barnharts had moved in next door to a haunted house, if a house can be haunted by a living being." Bob's first encounter with its owner, Mrs. Dowdel, is inauspicious, as she discovers Bob strung up naked in a spider's web of fishing line inside her privy. But Mrs. Dowdel offers the gift of friendship to Bob's six-year-old sister Ruth Ann, and by the end of this 1958 Christmas season, each of the Barnharts will have been touched by gifts she has given. Peck's challenge in his third Grandma Dowdel novelMrs. Dowdel nowis how to make the redoubtable lady the central character when she's the next-door neighbor. He succeeds admirably, bringing to life each of the five Barnharts and subtly infusing their lives with the presence of their remarkable neighbor. 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 yetand that's saying something. (Historical fiction. 10 up) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Set in 1958, more than 20 years after the events in Newbery winner A Year Down Yonder (2000) and Newbery Honor Book A Long Way from Chicago (1998), this episodic novel shows that time has not mellowed Grandma Dowdel. The narrator is her new neighbor, 11-year-old Bobby. The son of the new preacher in town, he meets Mrs. Dowdel after enduring the worst that the local bullies have to offer and coming out humiliated, but alive. Her pragmatic response is if you can't get justice . . . get even. Throughout this amusing book, she doles out both justice and kindness in such an underhanded manner that many recipients don't know who to blame or thank. Growing up quickly during that summer and fall, Peck's every-boy narrator has his own story to tell but, equally, he serves as witness to Mrs. Dowdel's unpredictable schemes. There's plenty to admire here: Peck's vivid character portrayals, dry wit, economical writing style, and convincing depiction of a small southern Illinois community. Three full-page illustrations and small vignettes at chapter headings add visual appeal. Although no one will savor the novel more than devoted Grandma Dowdel fans, knowledge of the previous books is not a prerequisite for fully enjoying this one. Highly recommended for reading aloud.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2009 Booklist