How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"Why, there's my grandkids now." She pointed us out with a spatula. "They're from Chicago. Gangs run that town, you know," she told the kid. "My grandson's in a gang, so you don't want to mess with him. He's meaner than he looks." (2.43)
Grandma likes to point out that Joey and Mary Alice are from Chicago because it makes them look tougher when the town bullies come out of the woodwork. Joey hates this, though, because he's convinced that his Grandma's bluffing will get him beat up.
Quote #5
Grandma's house was the last one in town. Next to the row of glads was a woven-wire fence, and on the other side of that a cornfield. On the first nights I'd always lie up in bed, listening to the husky whisper of the dry August corn in the fields. Then on the second night I wouldn't hear anything. (3.11)
Staying at Grandma Dowdel's house is a big departure from what Joey and Mary Alice are used to in Chicago. Things are way quiet out in the country, and it's difficult to fall asleep without all the background noise from the city.
Quote #6
"We wasn't over Decoration Day before it was the Fourth of July. Then come the Old Settlers' picnic. You can hardly get down the street for the crowds, and the dust never settles. I need me a day off and some peace and quiet."
Fresh from the Chicago Loop, Mary Alice and I traded glances. (3.16-17)
How adorable. Grandma Dowdel thinks that her little town in the boonies is getting too lively. Compared to Joey and Mary Alice's Chicago home, Grandma's town is pretty quiet and sedate.