A Long Way from Chicago Themes

In A Long Way from Chicago, all of the chapters are stories from each week that Joey and Mary Alice spend with their rather eccentric Grandma Dowdel. Even though the kids don't have the closest rel...

At first, Grandma Dowdel seems like the kind of woman who doesn't have many friends. After all, she lives quite the solitary life and appears to disdain all the gossips and busybodies in town. Plus...

Grandma Dowdel is a go-getter of the highest order—and she passes this attitude on to her grandchildren. At first, Joey and Mary Alice just watch in awe (and consternation) as Grandma does whatev...

Given Grandma Dowdel's stubbornness and pride, it's no wonder that she also reveals her competitive streak in A Long Way from Chicago. Joey and Mary Alice experience this firsthand when Grandma ent...

Like we've said before, Grandma Dowdel isn't a stickler for honesty and the truth in A Long Way from Chicago. Instead, she seems to relish in telling tall tales and spreading all sorts of lies…es...

A Long Way from Chicago is billed as "a novel in stories," and each of these stories is about a different year in Joey's and Mary Alice's lives. So, as the novel progresses, the reader gets to see...

Staying with Grandma Dowdel in A Long Way from Chicago proves to be an adventure, but Joey and Mary Alice are also exposed to some not-so-great things, like the poverty and desperation that people...

Because A Long Way from Chicago is a young adult novel, it also happens to showcase the journey that Joey and Mary Alice take from childhood to young adulthood. Each chapter highlights another summ...

When Joey and Mary Alice go to visit Grandma Dowdel in A Long Way from Chicago, it's always a bit of a culture shock. Even though Grandma doesn't live that geographically far from Chicago, the whol...

In A Long Way from Chicago, Grandma Dowdel and her fellow townspeople have built up quite the little community. They don't always get along, but the folks in the community know everything about one...