When I sat down recently to read "A Season of Gifts" by Richard Peck, I felt like I was settling in for a visit with an old friend.

Marathon County READS chose another title of Peck's, "A Long Way From Chicago," back in 2003. As part of that community literacy initiative, Peck himself visited Wausau. So, I already knew what a great storyteller Peck was and was anticipating that some of the characters from his previous books would reappear in this one, in particular the infamous Grandma Dowdel.

Though this story takes place some 20 years later, and is told from the perspective of a neighbor rather than a grandson, the flavor of the original books remains. Think of Mrs. Dowdel as a loaf of French bread, crusty on the outside, but soft and squishy on the inside. When the new Methodist preacher's family moves in next door, she is sure to let them know that she doesn't "neighbor" and doesn't go to church.

But as their encounters with Mrs. Dowdel unfold, she proves to be an important part of the preacher's family's new life. Told in a series of episodes, which Peck is a master at constructing, the book starts out in fall of 1958 and ends on Christmas Eve. Filled with references to the Fuller Brush man, Toni Perms and other staples of the '50s, the stories have an appeal for a much larger audience than just young readers.

Twelve-year-old Bob Barnhart relays how Mrs. Dowdel saves him from encounters with the town bullies and even talks him into "stealing" the family car, in order to bring home a couple of Christmas trees. Peck's ability to create rich characters and explore the human spirit is second to none. I consider this one of the best books of the year. Highly recommended for both teens and adults.

Beth Martin is the instructional media center coordinator at D.C. Everest Middle School in Weston. Follow her on Twitter @bookwoman87.