A Year Down Yonder The 4 5 A class just finished reading A Year Down Yonder This Newberry Award winning sequel to A Long Way From Chicago is written by Richard Peck A Year Down Yonder stars Mary Alice Dowdel and her trigger happy grandma the one and only and feared Grandma Dowdel Mary Alices parents have gone off to find better jobs amidst the Great Depression and her older brother Joey has joined the C C C Civilian Conservation Corps And the only place left for Mary Alice is her not so ladylik