2. Title: A Year Down Under
3. Genre: Juvenile Fiction
4. Subgenre: Chapter Book
5. Theme: Grandmother, Country life, and Illinois
6. Primary and secondary Characters: Mary Alice and Grandma Dowdel’s
7. Awards: Newberry Medal Book and a sequel to A Long Way From Chicago also a Newberry Honor
8. Date of Publication: 2000
9. Publication Company: Dial Books for Young Readers
10. A summary about the book and how you will use it in your classroom.
Mary Alice life is turned upside-down when her father losses his job during the Great Depression. Mary Alice lived in Chicago up until this point, until her parents where able to find work and provide for her she was sent to live with her Grandmother. She loved the city and couldn’t stand the thought of living in a “hick-town,” much less attend school there. Grandma was a stern and gruff woman, the relationship between the two grew closer after Mary Alice saw the caring and loving side of her Grandmother. The move to this small town turned out to be more adventurous the Mary Alice ever anticipated. I would use this book to introduce the Great Depression. I would create discussion about how they would feel if this was them or how would a crisis like this effect their lives. The author does a great job expressing feeling through Mary Alice that is normal for this age group, this can help students relate to her situation and understand how hard it was for everyone during this time period.
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