A SEASON OF GIFTS
by Richard Peck
(Dial Books)
Reading this book is like returning to a beloved front porch and finding there's still one glass of cold lemonade waiting in the pitcher.
The town has changed around her in the last couple decades, but Grandma Dowdel is still Grandma Dowdel: scheming, trigger-happy, and one step ahead of the law. And as belligerently good-natured as ever underneath it all. It's 1958 now and the Dowdel grandkids are all grown up, so this last installment comes down to us through Bobby, the preacher's kid next door.
That distance is a big part of what makes this book work, I think. Seeing Mrs. Dowdel through fresh eyes means we don't have to be made aware of how much she's aged since the days of A Year Down Yonder. And watching her from across the canna lilies instead of across the kitchen table lets even seasoned readers be surprised at the stunts the old lady cooks up. Passing references to people and places will conjure up past adventures, but they're never hammered into full view. All of which is a roundabout way of saying that Richard Peck never overplays his hand. As far as I'm concerned the man is the crown prince of children's literature.
(Available in September)
Al Capone Shines My Shoes
by Gennifer Choldenko
