<DIV>The return of one of children's literature's most memorable characters is a gift indeed.<p> The eccentric, forceful, big-hearted Grandma Dowdel is the star of the Newbery Medal?winning <i>A Year Down Yonder</i> and Newbery Honor?winning <i>A Long Way from Chicago</i>. And it turns out that her story isn?t over?not even close.<p> It is now 1958, and a new family has moved in next door to Mrs. Dowdel: a Methodist minister and his wife and kids. Soon Mrs. Dowdel will work her particular brand of charm?or medicine, depending on who you?re asking?on all of them: ten-yearold Bob, who is shy on courage in a town full of bullies; his two fascinating sisters; and even Bob?s two parents, who are amazed to discover that the last house in town might also be the most vital.<p> 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.<BR><BR></DIV>