A Year Down Yonder A Year Down Yonder By Peck Prologue What was in Mary Alice's purse when she got on the train at Dearborn Station in Chicago? A sandwich How old was Mary Alice when she left her mother in the train station? 15 What year does the book begin in? 1937 What were people starting to call the recession that was now happening? The Roosevelt Recession How much were mom and dad paying a week to move into the “light housekeeping” room? $7 a week Who went out to the Civilian Conservation Corps to plant trees out west? Her brother, Joey – Joe Was Mary Alice a city girl or country girl? City girl Where did you have to go at Grandma's to use the bathroom? Outside to the privy Rich Chicago Girl How much did a bottle of pop cost on the train? 10cents Who had Mary Alice brought with her in the picnic hamper? Bootsie, her cat What else had Mary Alice carried on the train with her? Her portable radio, a Philco with a leatherette cover and handle, weighing 10 pounds What did Grandma tell Mary Alice to do with her trunk? Leave it there and someone would bring it to her house Where did Grandma lead Mary Alice when she first got off the train? To school What was growing in the main street? Grass What did Grandma stop to look over outside the schoolhouse? A swaybacked horse – a big gray one with a tangled tail Grandma had never been to high school. Why had she not even gotten to eighth grade? She was expelled Who did Grandma talk to in the gym/basement of the school to enroll Mary Alice? The principal, janitor, coach, shop teacher – Mr. August Fluke Who did Grandma tell Mary Alice to steer clear of in her school? Mildred Burdick What did the boys say (all 3) when Grandma opened the classroom door to get Mary Alice in? “Don't shoot! We give up!” Who did the teacher, Miss Butler, sit Mary Alice with? Mildred Burdick What was different about Mildred's eyes? One was blue and one was green How many students are there in the high school? 25 How did Mary Alice get home from school on her first day? Walking, with Mildred riding her horse behind her Why did Mildred follow Mary Alice home? She said Mary Alice owed her a dollar What did Grandma offer the girls to drink? Buttermilk Where is Mildred's pa? In the penitentiary (the clink) What did Grandma do while Mildred was stuffing her face with corn bread? Tied Mildred's boots on her horse and set the horse free What did Grandma carry, hidden in her mouth? A toothpick Why does Grandma say Mildred won't be at school tomorrow? Cuz that wasn't her horse and she won't walk 5 miles to and from school for an education Where did Grandma put Bootsie? In the cobhouse Mary Alice is scared Bootsie will run away and go home. What did Grandma do to make sure Bootsie feels at home? Buttered all 4 of Bootsie's paws Vittles and Vengeance What holiday is widely and vehemently celebrated in Grandma's town? Halloween What is Grandma's favorite holiday? Halloween What kind of pie is Grandma famous for? Gooseberry What kind of pies are they making to take to the school party? Pumpkin and pecan What did Bootsie start eating, now that she was becoming a country cat? Birds and field mice What did Bootsie come out of the bushes with tied on her tail? Length of twine with a nasty old rusted-out tin can What was Grandma cooking on the stove that smelled so horrible, the smell of which was “enough to skin my eyes” according to Mary Alice? Glue What were the town boys knocking over, leading up to Halloween? Privy's What did Grandma pour on the boy who tripped over the invisible wire she had placed outside the cobhouse? The glue she had made What were the boys sneaking up to Grandma's house to do? Saw through her privy boards and knock it over What did the boys drop when they ran that Grandma thought they could use for baking their pies? A bag of flour Who was the leader of the girls at school? Carleen Lovejoy Mary Alice got a red wagon out of the cobhouse. Whose was it? Her dads', when he was a boy What did Grandma and Mary Alice go to Old Man Nyquists' house for? Pecans from his tree What did Grandma tell Mary Alice to be careful not to pick up while gathering pecans? Dog poo Old Man Nyquist had told Grandma she could have all the fallen pecans, but there weren't enough to make a pie. How did Grandma get more? Drove the tractor into the tree to make the pecans rain down out of the tree. How does Grandma plan to get pumpkins to make a pie? From the Pensingers' pumpkin patch, the last house on their street How many pumpkins did Grandma slice out of the patch? 3 – two nice big ones and a medium-sized one What does Grandma say they'll do, to thank the Pensingers for the pumpkins? Leave a pie on their porch What did Grandma put in her hat, which was dressing up for her? A pheasant feather Who is Grandma's best friend or worst enemy, depending on the day? Mrs. Effie Wilcox Who turned out to be the boy who'd had the glue dumped on him by Grandma? August Fluke, Jr., the principals' son A Minute in the Morning Mary Alice listened to her radio at night, muffled in her covers. She didn't listen to much news, but when she did listen she found that people were still searching for whom? Amelia Earhart And how many men were out of work? 10 million How does Grandma wake Mary Alice in the mornings? She bangs a spoon against a pan What does Grandma let Mary Alice drink with her breakfast? Coffee Why was there no school one day, the day of the turkey shoot? Armistice Day What kind of turkeys do they shoot at on turkey day? Paper cutouts Where was the turkey shoot held? At the Abernathy Farm What does 'going on shanks ponies' mean? Going on foot, walking Who were the men selling chances to shoot the paper turkey cutouts? American Legion, veterans of the Great War What is 'burgoo'? A stew made with whatever you had on hand, meat (red, white, and squirrel), vegetable (heavy on the turnips), potato wedges, stewed tomatoes, onions What did a Legionnaire hand to Mary Alice as she walked past the shooting area? A rifle Who did Mary Alice pass the rifle she had been handed to? Augie Fluke What darted out from under the barn that Augie took aim at with his rifle? A scared rabbit, a big cottontail Augie missed the rabbit, but what did he hit? A white sidewall tire on a black Buick parked on the sideline “Silence fell. Some in the crowd took out their watches to make sure. It was the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, the moment when the armistice of the Great War had been signed in 1918. We all turned to face east as people did, toward France.” How long do they stay silent for, facing east for Armistice Day? One minute How much does a tin cup of burgoo cost? 10 cents What does Mary Alice think Grandpa Dowdel's hunting jacket smelled like? A dead duck Where does the money from the sale of the burgoo go? To Mrs. Abernathy Who did Mrs. Abernathy take Grandma and Mary Alice to see in the wheelchair? Mrs. Abernathy's son What happened to Mrs. Abernathy's son in the war? He was gassed in the trenches and shot up What kind of soap is the ad for with the poster of Kate Smith, songbird of the south? Sweetheart soap Away in a Manger What do the girls learn to make in Home Ec. class for Christmas? Hot pads, made by crocheting used bottle caps into circular patterns What part will Mary Alice play in the school Christmas program of the Nativity? Baby Jesus' Mother, the Virgin Mary When Grandma came tromping home in the dark with a big basket strapped to her back, what was inside that basket? Walnut hulls (shells) Grandma and Mary Alice headed out into the cold moonlit night, Grandma armed with a single shot .22 pistol. What did she shoot? A red fox Grandma was carrying a small vial of amber liquid. What is it? Fox urine What does Grandma do with the fox fur? Sells it to the fur broker Whose baby doll was brought in to play baby Jesus, with opening and closing eyes? Ina-Rae's (rumor had it she still plays with it) What mail order catalogue does Grandma give to Mary Alice, open to “Fashions in Footgear for the Junior Miss and the Younger Active Woman”? Sears Mary Alice picked a gunmetal gray colored pair of lace up boots with a Cuban heel. How much does that one pair of boots cost? $2.75 Grandma and Mary Alice headed out pulling on old handmade sled to get greens? What were they getting? Branches of long-needled pine and blue spruce, and a little fir tree What had Grandma cut up to get a star on top of their tree? A tin can What kind of cuffs had Grandma added to Mary Alice's plaid coat from last year? Red fox fur What had Grandma made for Mary Alice to wear during her Christmas program? A coil of baling wire with tiny tin stars twisted in it – a halo What had Carleen shaved off, only to draw on new ones? Her eyebrows What were the sheep onstage at the United Brethren Church made of? Cardboard Who was in the manger when the lights went up? A real baby, a Burdick baby with one blue eye and one green eye Whose baby was the one in the manger? Mildred Burdicks' Who had Grandma brought with her to the Christmas program? Joey How had Joey gotten the train ticket to Grandma's house? Grandma had sent him one Where was Grandma sending Mary Alice and Joey for Christmas? To Chicago Hearts and Flour What has happened to Mrs. Vottsmeier? The Change of Life (menopause) – hot flashes, night sweats What does Mrs. Vottsmeier bake for the Washington's Birthday Tea? Cherry Tarts What is the DAR? The Daughters of the American Revolution Who is the president of the DAR? Mrs. Weidenbach What did Mrs. Weidenbach want Grandma to do? Bake the cherry tarts for the tea What county does Grandma live in? Piatt County Who was the new boy in school, the son of the surveyor? Royce McNabb Grandma agrees to bake the cherry tarts, on what condition? That the tea take place at her house Who got the most Valentine's Day cards in Mary Alice's class? Ina-Rae What time do all the students stand to say the Pledge of Allegiance? Eight o'clock What happened to Carleen when she got angry about Ida-Rae's Valentine's? She was sent home, as you were in those days for a smart mouth And what was the plan that Mary Alice and Ida-Rae had plotted? That Mary Alice made those Valentines for Ida-Rae What was the big shock that Aunt Mae Griswold told the DAR, specifically to Mrs. Weidenbach? That she had been adopted by her family and was really a Burdick who was taken away when she was a baby And what did Mrs. Effie Wilcox add to the story? That she was also a Burdick, Mrs. Weidenbach's long-lost sister What had Grandma used to make the punch that was served to the ladies' at the Washington's Birthday Tea party? One part strawberry juice and two parts Kentucky straight bourbon (Old Turkey) Who was the author of the “Newsy Notes from Our Communities” in the Piatt County Call? Mary Alice – she wrote them and dropped them off at the post office on her way to school A Dangerous Man How old did Mary Alice turn in March? 16 Who sent her a dollar, all folded up, for her birthday gift? Her mother What types of gifts did Bootsie begin bringing in the spring? Dead animals – a robin's egg, a dried-up grasshopper, a field mouse, part of a frog Then one day what did Bootsie bring to show Mary Alice that was alive? A kitten – hers, Mary Alice named it April on the spot How long is Grandma's hair? To her waist A strange man from New York showed up at Grandma's asking for a room to rent. What brought him to Piatt County? He was to paint a mural in the post office. He was from the WPA – Works Progress Administration How much rent did Grandma say he was to pay? $2.50 per day What was the traveling muralists name? Arnold Green What room did Arnold Green use as his studio? The attic What class was Mary Alice having a hard time with? Math Who did Mary Alice ask Grandma if she could invite over to help her with her math? Royce McNabb What did Mary Alice make to drink for her and Royce? Lemonade Why did Mary Alice want to invite Royce over on a Sunday afternoon? Because that's when Grandma slept, when the whole town slept Who was screaming from up in Arnold Greens' room? Maxine Patch, the postmistress What did she had draped and coiled over her when she came downstairs? A huge snake What was Maxine wearing, other than the snake? Nothing, but a rose in her hair Come to find out, who was living in Grandma's attic that had caused all the thumping noises Mary Alice had heard? That giant snake Why did Grandma have a snake living in her attic? To keep down the birds What did Maxine say Arnold had to do, since he ruined her reputation? Marry her Who did Grandma insist that Mary Alice invite to supper? Her teacher, Miss Butler What was so special about the Starved Rock pillow? It was a souvenir Who else had Grandma invited to dinner, unknown to Mary Alice? Arnold Green Gone with the Wind What was chosen as the senior class motto? We finish – only to begin What sounded, as the sky turned a shade of yellow that Mary Alice had never seen? A tornado siren What did Miss Butler have on her, that was about an eighth of a carat? An engagement ring from Arnold Green As everyone filed into the basement during the tornado siren, where did Mary Alice go? She shied off and was heading for home Which corner should you take cover in during a tornado, since they tend to some from that direction and will hopefully blow the house off you and not onto you? The southwest What had Grandma saved from the cobhouse? Bootsie and her kitten, April Mary Alice grabbed gum boots, gloves and a crow bar and headed off with Grandma after the tornado passed through. Where did they head to? Old Man Nyquists' Where was Old Man Nyquist? Pinned under a collapsed iron bedstead Who did Grandma and Mary Alice go to check on next? Mrs. Effie Wilcox Who was Valedictorian of the graduating class? Royce McNabb What happened at the all-school party on the hayride? Royce put his arm around Mary Alice and asked if he could write to her from U. of I. at Champaign Which animal did Mary Alice take home to Chicago with her? The kitten, April Ever After Where did Mary Alice get married? In the front room at Grandma's house Where did Mary Alice ride the El to work everyday? The Tribune Tower Mary Alice wore a new suit and new shoes from the basement store at Marshall Field, and wore a hat and gloves. What did she not have to wear? Nylons Who gave Mary Alice away at her wedding? Grandma Who did Mary Alice marry? Royce McNabb What work was Royce doing? He was a soldier About the Author How many novels has Richard Peck authored? Over 25 Where did Mr. Peck grow up? Decatur, IL Where does Mr. Peck now live? New York City