Joey and his little sister are not too excited about their first visit to Grandma Dowdell in smalltown Illinois. She's an old lady - how can she possibly entertain them for a whole week! But from the moment they step off the train from Chicago, they know they had Grandma all wrong. What follows, over seven annual visits , is a hilarious and often touching account of a childhood spent with a larger than life grandmother. If she isn't holding her nasty neighbours at gunpoint, or catching the local sherriff in his underwear, Grandma Dowdell is doing a spot of poaching or cooking up a storm in her kitchen. Joey and Mary Alice observe all, and learn a thing or two about themselves in the process . . .

Narrated by Joey, this is an unmissable novel - to be read and loved for years to come.

There are 160 pages in this book. This book was published 2000 by Hachette Children's Group .

Richard Peck lives in New York City. His extensive list of honors includes the Newbery Medal, the Edgar Award, the Margaret A. Edwards Award, and the National Humanities Medal. He has twice been a finalist for the National Book Award.