Books by Richard Peck
The River Between Us
by Richard Peck
The year is 1861. Civil war is imminent and Tilly Pruitt's brother, Noah, is eager to go and fight on the side of the North. With her father long gone, Tilly, her sister, and their mother struggle to make ends meet and hold the dwindling Pruitt family together. Then one night a mysterious girl arrives on a steamboat bound for St. Louis. Delphine is unlike anyone the small river town has even seen. Mrs. Pruitt agrees to take Delphine and her dark, silent traveling companion in as boarders. No one in town knows what to make of the two strangers, and so the rumors fly. Is Delphine's companion a slave? Could they be spies for the South? Are the Pruitts traitors? A masterful tale of mystery and war, and a breathtaking portrait of the lifelong impact one person can have on another.
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The River Between Us
by Richard Peck
Richard Peck is a master of stories about people in transition, but perhaps never before has he told a tale of such dramatic change as this one, set during the first year of the Civil War. The whole country is changing in 1861-even the folks from a muddy little Illinois settlement on the banks of the Mississippi. Here, fifteen-year-old Tilly Pruitt frets over the fact that her brother is dreaming of being a soldier and that her sister is prone to supernatural visions. A boy named Curry could possibly become a distraction.
Then a steamboat whistle splits the air. The Rob Roy from New Orleans docks at the landing, and off the boat step two remarkable figures: a vibrant, commanding young lady in a rustling hoop skirt and a darker, silent woman in a plain cloak, with a bandanna wrapped around her head. Who are these two fascinating strangers? And is the darker woman a slave, standing now on the free soil of Illinois? When Tilly's mother invites the women to board at her house, the whole world shifts for the Pruitts and for their visitors as well.
Within a page-turning tale of mystery, adventure, and the civilian Civil War experience, Richard Peck has spun a breathtaking portrait of the lifelong impact that one person can have on another. This is a novel of countless riches.
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A Long Way From Chicago: A Novel in Stories (Puffin Modern Classics)
by Richard Peck
A Newbery Honor Book
A summer they'll never forget.
Each summer Joey and his sister, Mary Alice—two city slickers from Chicago—visit Grandma Dowdel's seemingly sleepy Illinois town. Soon enough, they find that it's far from sleepy...and Grandma is far from your typical grandmother. From seeing their first corpse (and he isn't resting easy) to helping Grandma trespass, catch the sheriff in his underwear, and feed the hungry—all in one day—Joey and Mary Alice have nine summers they'll never forget!
"A rollicking celebration of an eccentric grandmother and childhood memories." —School Library Journal, starred review
"Each tale is a small masterpiece of storytelling." —The Horn Book, starred review
"Grandma Dowdel embodies not only the heart of a small town but the spirit of an era gone by...Remarkable and fine." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review
A Newbery Honor Book
A National Book Award Finalist
An ALA Notable Book
An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
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A Year Down Yonder
by Richard Peck
A Newbery Medal Winner
Richard Peck's Newbery Medal-winning sequel to A Long Way from Chicago
Mary Alice's childhood summers in Grandma Dowdel's sleepy Illinois town were packed with enough drama to fill the double bill of any picture show. But now she is fifteen, and faces a whole long year with Grandma, a woman well known for shaking up her neighbors-and everyone else! All Mary Alice can know for certain is this: when trying to predict how life with Grandma might turn out . . . better not. This wry, delightful sequel to the Newbery Honor Book A Long Way from Chicago has already taken its place among the classics of children's literature.
"Hilarious and poignant." —Publishers Weekly, starred review
A Newbery Medal Winner
A New York Times Bestseller
An ALA Notable Book
An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
A Booklist Best Book of the Year
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
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A Year Down Yonder
by Richard Peck
Winner of the Newbery Medal
“Peck charms readers once again with this entertaining sequel to A Long Way from Chicago”—School Library Journal (starred review)
It was within the pages of Richard Peck's Newbery Honor-winning A Long Way from Chicago that Mary Alice and Grandma Dowdel first made their captivating debut. Now they're back for more astonishing, laugh-out-loud tales when fifteen-year-old Mary Alice moves in with her spicy grandmother for the year. Expect moonlit schemes, romances both foiled and founded, and a whole parade of fools made to suffer in unusual (and always hilarious) ways.
Wise, exuberant, and slyly heartwarming, this is a satisfying companion to Grandma Dowdel’s adventures in A Long Way from Chicago and A Season of Gifts.
Newbery Medal Winner
ALA Best Book for Young Adults
ALA Notable Book
Booklist Best Books of the Year
School Library Journal Best Books of the Year
New York Times Best Seller
“Audience members will breathe a sigh of regret when the eventful year "down yonder" draws to a close.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Wit, gentleness, and outrageous farce.”—Booklist (starred review)
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The Last Safe Place on Earth
by Richard Peck
Todd, 15, thinks life in the quality community of Walden Woods is perfect, until Laurel, his dream girl, comes to babysit for his sister and reveals the forces of fundamentalism and censorship at work in the town.
A provocative new novel by a highly honored author that speaks to today's issues of censorship and fundamentalism.
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Father Figure
by Richard Peck
After his mother dies, 17-year-old Jim realizes he must raise his younger brother, Byron, alone. But when their father shows up with plans to take them to Florida, Jim wonders if the reunion will last.
An ALA Best Book for Young Adults.
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Lost in Cyberspace
Meet Josh Lewis, a sixth grader at the elite Huckley School. When his best friend Aaron announces that he can time travel with his computer, Josh isn't fazed. But when Aaron actually microprocesses himself into cyberspace, the duo must deal with unexpected visitors from the past -- and find out more about Huckley's history than they ever wanted to know!"Amiable characters, fleet pacing, and witty,in-the-know narration will keep even the non-bookish interested."-- Publishers Weekly
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Lost in Cyberspace
Josh Lewis, a sixth-grader at the Huckley School for Boys, embarks on a big adventure after his best friend, Aaron, mysteriously vanishes into cyberspace. By the author of Voices After Midnight.
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The Great Interactive Dream Machine
by Richard Peck
Josh Lewis' best friend, Aaron Zimmer, has turned his computer into a wish-granting machine. It ought to be every techno-addict's dream, but there are a few bugs in the system. Nobody knows when the computer will interactivate next--and it doesn't just grant Josh and Aaron's wishes. In fact, Aaron's mom's poodle seems to eb doing some of the wishing, too. When a mysterious spy called The Watcher starts monitoring their every move in cyberspace, the real trouble begins in this compelling story from Newbery medal-winning author Richard Peck.
"A guaranteed fun, faced-paced adventure."--School Library Journal
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The Great Interactive Dream Machine
by Richard Peck
Josh Lewis is unwillingly drawn into the computer experiments of Aaron, his friend and fellow classmate at an exclusive New York private school, and the two find themselves uncontrollably transported through space and time
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Here Lies the Librarian
by Richard Peck
Peewee idolizes Jake, a big brother whose dreams of auto mechanic glory are fueled by the hard road coming to link their Indiana town and futures with the twentieth century. And motoring down the road comes Irene Ridpath, a young librarian with plans to astonish them all and turn Peewee’s life upside down. Here Lies the Librarian, with its quirky characters, folksy setting, classic cars, and hilariously larger-than-life moments, is vintage Richard Peck—an offbeat, deliciously wicked comedy that is also unexpectedly moving.
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Here Lies the Librarian
by Richard Peck
Peewee idolizes Jake, a big brother whose dreams of auto mechanic glory are fueled by the hard road coming to link their Indiana town and futures with the twentieth century. And motoring down the road comes Irene Ridpath, a young librarian with plans to astonish them all and turn Peewee’s life upside down.
This novel, with its quirky characters, folksy setting, classic cars, and hilariously larger-than-life moments, is vintage Richard Peck – an offbeat, deliciously wicked comedy that is also unexpectedly moving.
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On the Wings of Heroes
by Richard Peck
Davy Bowman’s dad looks forward to Halloween more than a kid, and Davy’s brother, Bill, flies B-17s. Davy adores these two heroes and tries his best to follow their lead, especially now. World War II has invaded Davy’s homefront boyhood. Bill has joined up, breaking their dad’s heart. It’s an intense, confusing time, and one that will spur Davy to grow up in a hurry. This is one of Richard Peck’s finest novels—a tender, unforgettable portrait of the World War II home front and a family’s enduring love.
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On the Wings of Heroes
by Richard Peck
Davy Bowmans brother and their dad hung the moon. Dad looks forward to Halloween more than a kid, and Davys brother, Bill, flies B-17s. Davy adores these two heroes and tries his best to follow their lead, especially now.
World War II has invaded Davys homefront boyhood. Theres an air raid drill in the classroom, and being a kid is an endless scrap drive. Bill has joined up, breaking their dads heart. Its an intense, confusing time, and one that will invite Davy to grow up in a hurry.
Still, Richard Peck is a master of comedy, and even in this novel of wartime uncertainty, he infuses his tale with humor: oddballs and rascals and boyhood misadventures alongside the poignant moments. This is one of Richard Pecks very finest novelsa tender, unforgettable portrait of the World War II homefront and a familys love.
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A Season of Gifts
by Richard Peck
One of the most adored characters in children's literature is the eccentric, forceful, bighearted Grandma Dowdel, star of the Newbery Award-winning A Year Down Yonder and Newbery Honor-winning A Long Way from Chicago. And it turns out that her story isn't over. It's now 1958, and a new family has moved in next door to Mrs. Dowdel: a minister and his wife and kids. Soon Mrs. Dowdel will work her particular brand of charm on all of them, and they will quickly discover that the last house in town might also be the most vital.
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A Season of Gifts
by Richard Peck
One of children's literature's most memorable characters returns in this Christmastime companion to the Newbery Medal-winning A Year Down Yonder and Newbery Honor-winning A Long Way from Chicago.
The eccentric, larger-than-life Grandma Dowdel is back in this heart-warming tale. Set 20 years after the events of A Year Down Yonder, it is now 1958 and a new family has moved in next door: a Methodist minister and his wife and kids. Soon Grandma Dowdel will work her particular brand of charm on all of them: ten-year-old Bob Barnhart, who is shy on courage in a town full of bullies; his two fascinating sisters; and even his parents, who are amazed to discover that the last house in town might also be the most vital.
As Christmas rolls around, the Barnhart family realizes that they’ve found a true home, and a neighbor who gives gifts that will last a lifetime.
“Pitch-perfect prose, laced with humor and poignancy, strong characterization and a clear development of the theme of gifts one person can offer make this one of Peck’s best novels yet—and that’s saying something.”—Kirkus (starred review)
“The type of down-home humor and vibrant characterizations Peck fans have come to adore re-emerge in full.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“With a storyteller's sure tone, Peck has once again created a whole world in one small Illinois town, a place where the folksy wisdom and generosity of one gruff old woman can change lives.”—School Library Journal (starred review)
Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year
Kirkus Reviews Best Books of the Year
Booklist Editors’ Choice
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Secrets at Sea
by Richard Peck
The adorable tale of a family of mice stowaways on an adventurous ship's journey
In the beloved tradition of The Borrowers, The Tale of Despereaux, and The Cricket in Times Square, here is an irresistible adventure story about the tiny creatures who secretly live among us humans, as only Newbery Medal winner Richard Peck could imagine it. Set on a grand cruise ship to England in 1887, this beautifully illustrated tale of a charming family of mice is full of laughs, near misses, and surprises. Multiple-award-winning author Richard Peck at his best and most playful!
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Secrets at Sea
by Richard Peck
In 1887, the nouveau riche Cranstons voyage from New York to London, where they hope to find a husband for their awkward older daughter, secretly accompanied by Helena and her mouse siblings, for whom the journey is both terrifying and wondrous as they meet an array of titled humans despite their best efforts at remaining hidden.
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The Mouse with the Question Mark Tail
by Richard Peck
Set off on an amazing quest with this lovable orphaned mouse.
The tiniest mouse in the Royal Mews is such a mystery he doesn’t even know his own name! He scampers off on a epic adventure in and around Buckingham Palace with a plan to seek the advice of Queen Victoria. The exhilarating journey takes him to strange and wonderful places, but will it help him discover who he is and where he came from? This delightful follow-up to the acclaimed Secrets at Sea from Newbery Medal winner Richard Peck is full of laughs, surprises and excitement.
“This clever yarn should delight fans of animal adventure stories.” —Booklist, starred review
“Readers will gleefully suspend disbelief as they trace Mouse Minor’s exciting journey.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
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The Mouse with the Question Mark Tail
by Richard Peck
Newbery Award-winning author Richard Peck is at his very best in this fast-paced mystery adventure. Fans of The Tale of Desperaux, A Little Princess, and Stuart Little will all be captivated by this memorable story of a lovable orphan mouse on an amazing quest.
The smallest mouse in London’s Royal Mews is such a little mystery that he hasn't even a name. And who were his parents? His Aunt Marigold, Head Needlemouse, sews him a uniform and sends him off to be educated at the Royal Mews Mouse Academy. There he's called "Mouse Minor" (though it's not quite a name), and he doesn't make a success of school. Soon he's running for his life, looking high and low through the grand precincts of Buckingham Palace to find out who he is and who he might become.
Queen Victoria ought to be able to help him, if she can communicate with mice. She is all-seeing, after all, and her powers are unexplainable. But from her, Mouse Minor learns only that you do not get all your answers from the first asking. And so his voyage of self-discovery takes him onward, to strange and wonderful places.
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Fair Weather
by Richard Peck, Joe Matt
Thirteen-year-old Rosie Beckett has never strayed further from her family's farm than a horse can pull a cart. Then a letter from her Aunt Euterpe arrives, and everything changes. It's 1893, the year of the World's Columbian Exposition-the "wonder of the age"-a.k.a. the Chicago World's Fair. Aunt Euterpe is inviting the Becketts to come for a visit and go to the fair! Award-winning author Richard Peck's fresh, realistic, and fun-filled writing truly brings the World's Fair-and Rosie and her family-to life.
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Fair Weather
by Richard Peck, Joe Matt
From Newbery Medal-winning author Richard Peck comes a dazzling slice of American History, set during the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893.
In his celebrated, Newbery-winning novels A Year Down Yonder and A Long Way from Chicago, Richard Peck carried us happily back to the Midwest of the 1930s. Now the master of historical fiction transports us to the1890s, to the Chicago World's Fair and its incredible mix of personalities and new inventions that gave glimpses of the future. Here is a tour de force that combines the real people of the time with an enormously engaging new fictional family, spinning them all into a whirlwind of humor, misadventure, and charms beyond measure.
On the brink of adulthood (not to mention a whole new century), Rosie makes her first trip to the big city, along with her wide-eyed siblings and their rascally old granddad. There, amidst the breathtaking Ferris wheel and other wonders of the fair, Rosie discovers the world and herself, while coming face-to-face with some of the era's most famous peopleincluding showgirl Lillian Russell and Colonel William F. Cody (a.k.a. Buffalo Bill).
Peck's unforgettable characters, cunning dialogue and fast-paced action will keep readers of all ages in stitches as he captures a colorful chapter in American history.”Publishers Weekly
An engaging historical novel that will please a wider audience than the target age group.”Booklist (starred review)
This marvelously funny story set in 1893[
] paints an accurate picture of a small Illinois farm and of the first World's Fair.”School Library Journal
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Fair Weather
by Richard Peck, Joe Matt
For over ten years Joe Matt has been notorious in cult circles for the embarrassing frankness with which he reveals his distressing habits and predilections. Utterly shameless and completely self-absorbed, Joe Matt writes with an exhibitionist's enthusiasm for his favorite subject, himself.
In his new graphic novel, Fair Weather, Joe examines his 1970s suburban childhood. In a surprisingly tasteful and thoughtful memoir young Joe Matt is a selfish child who steals from stores, takes advantage of his friends, threatens to burn his mother's house down, teases those weaker than himself, and reveals himself to be a fairly normal child. Completely unsentimental and strangely kind of endearing, Fair Weather continues the American tradition of hilarious self-exhibitionism.
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Amanda/Miranda
by Richard Peck
Intrigue, romance, and scheming aboard the Titanic
This updated edition of the popular Richard Peck novel, available in time to commemorate the anniversary of the Titanic's fateful voyage in 1912, starts with a chilling prophecy. When Miranda begins her position as maid-servant to the glamorous and selfish Amanda Whitwell, Amanda wastes no time in using Miranda to suit her own cruel purposes. Miranda becomes the lynchpin to a plot that Amanda devises to marry an American who can maintain her lavish lifestyle, but also keeps the rogue she loves close at hand. However, destiny intervenes, and they board the ill-fated Titanic. This story has all of the romance, glamour, intrigue, and tragedy of the Titanic but ends, satisfyingly, with redemption and forgiveness.
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Amanda/Miranda
by Richard Peck
In 1911 in England, eighteen-year-old Mary Cooke is hired as personal maid to the willful and arrogant Amanda Whitwell and is astonished to find that her new employer is her near-double, a coincidence that has lasting consequences for Mary, especially when she accompanies Amanda on the Titanic's fateful voyage.
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Are You in the House Alone?
by Richard Peck
An updated look for the classic YA thriller from genre heavyweight Richard Peck
Sixteen-year-old Gail is living the upper-class suburban life when she begins receiving terrifying phone calls and notes in her locker. And the calls keep coming. When she's attacked by the town's golden boy everyone refuses to take action against him and his powerful family. A frightening drama that deals with heavy teen issues and the idea of justice (or lack thereof) from bestselling author Richard Peck.
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Strays Like Us
by Richard Peck
Molly Moberly knows she doesn't belong in this small Missouri town with her great-aunt Fay. It's just a temporary arrangement--until her mother gets out of the hospital. But then Molly meets Will, a fellow stray, and begins to realize she's not the only one on the outside. In fact, it seems like the town's full of strays--only some end up where they belong sooner than others. Richard Peck has created a rich, compassionate story that will go straight to the heart of every kid who's ever felt like an outsider."This sensitive heroine is one readers will want to take under their wing." --Publishers Weekly, starred review
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Strays Like Us
by Richard Peck
Dumped at the house of her Aunt Fay after a lifetime spent following her mother from one faceless city to another, Molly believes her new home is also temporary and enters a reluctant relationship with her neighbor, another stray like herself.
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Dreamland Lake
by Richard Peck
Flip and Brian have been best friends since grade school. But everything changes during the spring of seventh grade. That's when they find a man lying dead in the leaves near Dreamland Lake. What happens in the summer that follows will change the course of their friendshipand their livesforever.
"A finely tuned shocker."Kirkus Reviews
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The Dreadful Future of Blossom Culp
by Richard Peck
It's Halloween, 1914. Teenage psychic Blossom Culp sneaks into the house where the rest of her class is having a party-and that's when everything goes haywire. Suddenly Blossom is hurled into a time warp. Her psychic powers have found a way to send her into the future-our time. But will they be able to send her back?
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Ghosts I Have Been
by Richard Peck
Blossom Culp is the outspoken outcast of Bluff City, always getting into trouble. No one wants to cross her, especially now that she's revealed that she can see the Unseen. Then Blossom herself is stunned, because her lie turns out to be truth. She actually does have second sight...and she is "on board" the sinking Titanic.
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A Long Way From Chicago (Puffin Modern Classics)
by Richard Peck
Join Joey and his sister Mary Alice as they spend nine unforgettable summers with the worst influence imaginable-their grandmother!
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The Teacher's Funeral
by Richard Peck
If your teacher has to die, August isn't a bad time of year for it," begins Richard Peck's latest novel, a book full of his signature wit and sass. Russell Culver is fifteen in 1904, and he's raring to leave his tiny Indiana farm town for the endless sky of the Dakotas. To him, school has been nothing but a chain holding him back from his dreams. Maybe now that his teacher has passed on, they'll shut the school down entirely and leave him free to roam.
No such luck. Russell has a particularly eventful season of schooling ahead of him, led by a teacher he never could have predicted-perhaps the only teacher equipped to control the likes of him: his sister Tansy. Despite stolen supplies, a privy fire, and more than any classroom's share of snakes, Tansy will manage to keep that school alive and maybe, just maybe, set her brother on a new, wiser course.
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Past Perfect, Present Tense
by Richard Peck
Compiled for the first time, here are all of Newbery Award– winning author Richard Peck’s previously published short stories and two brand-new ones. From comedy to tragedy to historical to contemporary; from "Priscilla and the Wimps," Peck’s first short story, to "Shotgun Cheatham’s Last Night Above Ground," which inspired both A Long Way from Chicago and A Year Down Yonder, to "The Electric Summer," Peck’s jumping-off point for Fair Weather, readers will thrill at Peck’s engaging short fiction. Complete with the author’s own notes on the stories as well as tips and hints for aspiring writers and two new stories, this vibrant and varied collection offers something for everyone.
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Monster Night at Grandma's House
by Richard Peck
After spending many nights in fear, Toby decides to confront the monster which is probably lurking in the halls of his Grandma's house, in a tale first published in 1977.
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The Teacher's Funeral : A Comedy in Three Parts
by Richard Peck
"If your teacher has to die, August isn't a bad time of year for it," begins Richard Peck's latest novel, a book full of his signature wit and sass. Russell Culver is fifteen in 1904, and he's raring to leave his tiny Indiana farm town for the endless sky of the Dakotas. To him, school has been nothing but a chain holding him back from his dreams. Maybe now that his teacher has passed on, they'll shut the school down entirely and leave him free to roam.
No such luck. Russell has a particularly eventful season of schooling ahead of him, led by a teacher he never could have predicted--perhaps the only teacher equipped to control the likes of him: his sister Tansy. Despite stolen supplies, a privy fire, and more than any classroom's share of snakes, Tansy will manage to keep that school alive and maybe, just maybe, set her brother on a new, wiser course.
As he did in A Long Way from Chicago and A Year Down Yonder, Richard Peck creates a whole world of folksy, one-of-a-kind characters here--the enviable and the laughable, the adorably meek and the deliciously terrifying. There will be no forgetting Russell, Tansy, and all the rest who populate this hilarious, shrewd, and thoroughly enchanting novel.
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A Long Way from Chicago: A Novel in Stories (Puffin Modern Classics)
by Richard Peck
This Newbery Honor Winner and National Book Award Finalist is an unforgettable modern classic and features the debut of the larger-than-life Grandma Dowdel
What happens when Joey and his sister, Mary Alice—two city slickers from Chicago—make their annual summer visits to Grandma Dowdel's seemingly sleepy Illinois town?
August 1929: They see their first corpse, and he isn't resting easy.
August 1930: The Cowgill boys terrorize the town, and Grandma fights back.
August 1931: Joey and Mary Alice help Grandma trespass, poach, catch the sheriff in his underwear, and feed the hungry—all in one day.
And there's more, as Joey and Mary Alice make seven summer trips to Grandma's—each one funnier than the year before—in self-contained chapters that readers can enjoy as short stories or take together for a rip-roaringly good novel. In the tradition of American humorists from Mark Twain to Flannery O'Connor, popular author Richard Peck has created a memorable world filled with characters who, like Grandma herself, are larger than life and twice as entertaining.
Newbery Honor Winner
National Book Award Finalist
ALA Best Book for Young Adults
ALA Notable Book
New York Times Best Seller
“A rollicking celebration of an eccentric grandmother and childhood memories.”—School Library Journal (starred review)
“A novel that skillfully captures the nuances of small-town life […] Remarkable and fine.”—Kirkus (starred review)
“Fresh, warm and anything but ordinary.”—Publishers Weekly
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Past Perfect, Present Tense: New and Collected Stories
by Richard Peck
Offers a complete compilation of this celebrated author's short stories, including "The Electric Summer" and "Shotgun Cheatham's Last Night Above Ground."
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Three Quarters Dead
by Richard Peck
Kerry is chosen by the coolest clique in school and so she thinks life has finally begun. But then it seems all over when her three friends are killed in a shocking car accident. Or are they? Only weeks after the accident, Kerry receives a text from one of the girls: We're all 3 here at my aunt's in the city. Take the 3:50 train. B there.
Exhilarating, terrifying suspense is crossed with a thought-provoking examination of peer pressure in Richard Peck's return to his contemporary teen- and ghost-story roots. This is a master author's gift to the Gossip Girl/Twilight generation: his own smart, stylish, and fun take on the paranormal.
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The Best Man
by Richard Peck
Newbery Medalist Richard Peck tells a story of small-town life, gay marriage, and everyday heroes in this novel for fans of Gary Schmidt and Jack Gantos.
Archer Magill has spent a lively five years of grade school with one eye out in search of grown-up role models. Three of the best are his grandpa, the great architect; his dad, the great vintage car customizer,; and his uncle Paul, who is just plain great. These are the three he wants to be. Along the way he finds a fourth—Mr. McLeod, a teacher. In fact, the first male teacher in the history of the school.
But now here comes middle school and puberty. Change. Archer wonders how much change has to happen before his voice does. He doesn't see too far ahead, so every day or so a startling revelation breaks over him. Then a really big one when he's the best man at the wedding of two of his role models. But that gets ahead of the story.
In pages that ripple with laughter, there's a teardrop here and there. And more than a few insights about the bewildering world of adults, made by a boy on his way to being the best man he can be.
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The Best Man
by Richard Peck
Newbery Medalist Richard Peck tells a story of small-town life, gay marriage, and everyday heroes in this novel for fans of Gary Schmidt and Jack Gantos.
Archer Magill has spent a lively five years of grade school with one eye out in search of grown-up role models. Three of the best are his grandpa, the great architect; his dad, the great vintage car customizer,; and his uncle Paul, who is just plain great. These are the three he wants to be. Along the way he finds a fourth—Mr. McLeod, a teacher. In fact, the first male teacher in the history of the school.
But now here comes middle school and puberty. Change. Archer wonders how much change has to happen before his voice does. He doesn't see too far ahead, so every day or so a startling revelation breaks over him. Then a really big one when he's the best man at the wedding of two of his role models. But that gets ahead of the story.
In pages that ripple with laughter, there's a teardrop here and there. And more than a few insights about the bewildering world of adults, made by a boy on his way to being the best man he can be.
Copies
No copies available.
The Best Man
by Richard Peck
Newbery Medalist Richard Peck tells a story of small-town life, gay marriage, and everyday heroes in this novel for fans of Gary Schmidt and Jack Gantos.
Archer Magill has spent a lively five years of grade school with one eye out in search of grown-up role models. Three of the best are his grandpa, the great architect; his dad, the great vintage car customizer,; and his uncle Paul, who is just plain great. These are the three he wants to be. Along the way he finds a fourth—Mr. McLeod, a teacher. In fact, the first male teacher in the history of the school.
But now here comes middle school and puberty. Change. Archer wonders how much change has to happen before his voice does. He doesn't see too far ahead, so every day or so a startling revelation breaks over him. Then a really big one when he's the best man at the wedding of two of his role models. But that gets ahead of the story.
In pages that ripple with laughter, there's a teardrop here and there. And more than a few insights about the bewildering world of adults, made by a boy on his way to being the best man he can be.
Boston Globe Horn Honor Book
Amazon Editors’ Picks for Fall (Ages 9-12)
New York Times Notable Children's Book
Horn Book Fanfare
School Library Journal Best Books of 2016
Kirkus Best Books of 2016
Chicago Public Library Best Books of 2016
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A Long Way From Chicago
by Richard Peck
Read by Ron McLarty
4 hours 17 minutes, 3 cassettes
Newbery Honor Book
National Book Award Finalist
When Joey and his sister, Mary Alice, travel from their home in Chicago to their Grandmother's small town, they certainly don't expect the crazy adventures they encounter there. Joey and Mary Alice make seven summer trips to Grandma's, each one funnier and more surprising than the year before. In the grand storytelling tradition of American humorists from Mark Twain to Flannery O'Conner, Richard Peck has created a memorable world filled with characters who, like Grandma herself, are larger than life and twice as entertaining.
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Acting Out: Six One-Act Plays! Six Newberry Stars!
by Katherine Paterson, Patricia MacLachlan, Sharon Creech, Avi, Richard Peck, Susan Cooper
Six masterful children's authors have become master playwrights in this collection of one-act plays that might just make you want to ACT OUT!
In The Raven, Sharon Creech spoofs a publishing office while Susan Cooper shows the environment fighting back against overdevelopment in The Dollop. Patricia MacLachlan puts a twist on detention in The Bad Room and Katherine Paterson gives us a new twist on a classic fairy tale in The Billionaire and the Bird. Richard Peck's Effigy in the Outhouse is the story of schoolboys doing their best to trick a spooky substitute while Avi's Not Seeing Is Believing has words playing tricks on everyone.
With a star-studded lineup of writers there's a stage full of drama, comedy, and great storytelling waiting behind these curtains!
Newbery Medal-winning and beloved authors Avi, Susan Cooper, Sharon Creech, Patricia MacLachlan, Katherine Paterson, and Richard Peck have come together and written six original one-act plays to be read, shared, and acted out by the audience they know best.
The playwrights could write about anything and anyone they wanted, but one thing would need to tie the stories all together. Each author had to choose one word and share it with the group. These six words then had to be written into each of the plays.
The words they chose were "dollop," "hoodwink," "Justin," "knuckleball," "panhandle," and "raven." To find out the funny, odd, and creative ways they were used...Well, you'll have to read for yourself.
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The Ghost Belonged to Me
by Richard Peck
Only Alexander knows why the barn is haunted—-and by what
When Alexander notices an eerie light coming out of the barn,. He thinks his friend Blossom Culp is trying to spook him. But strange things really are happening there. Slimy footprints appear out of nowhere, and whimpering sounds float down from the hayloft. And when he ventures into the barn in the dark of night, his breath catches in his throat. Suddenly Blossom's words come back to him: "You can make contact with the Unseen...." Now there's a girl ghost standing right in front of him, telling him of great danger ahead. But is there time for Alexander to act on her warning?
Blossom Culp #1
“Peck’s blending of mystery and humor makes an unusual and entertaining ghost story.” —Booklist, starred review
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