Every summer, Joey and his sister, Mary Alice, find themselves on a train from Chicago to Grandma’s small town somewhere on the way to St. Louis. Richard Peck’s A Long Way From Chicago takes place during the Great Depression and Grandma Dowdel doesn’t even have indoor plumbing. Yet Grandma delivers one surprise after another for the siblings and many laugh-out-loud moments for the reader. Tales of Grandma Dowdel’s twelve gauge shotgun, the sheriff caught in his underwear, and gooseberry pie contests keep the pages turning. Don’t miss this one. Read it with your grandma if you can.