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Okay for Now
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Okay for Now
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Okay for Now
Audiobook9 hours

Okay for Now

Written by Gary D. Schmidt

Narrated by Lincoln Hoppe

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

4.5/5

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Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

"The Dump" is what Doug Swieteck calls his new home in upstate New York. He lands there in the summer of 1968, when the Apollo space missions are under way, Joe Pepitone is slugging for the New York Yankees, and the Vietnam War is raging. At home he lives with a father who has lost his way and a brother accused of robbery. And Doug's oldest brother is returning from Vietnam. Who knows what wounds his missions have given him?

But Doug has his own mission, too, and it begins when he first sees the plates of John James Audubon's Birds of America at the local library. His mission will lead him to Lil Spicer, who shows him how to drink a really cold Coke, to Mrs. Windermere, who drags him to a theater opening, and to the customers of his Saturday grocery deliveries, who together will open a world as strange to him as the lunar landscape.

Swieteck, who first appeared in Gary D. Schmidt's Newbery Honor book The Wednesday Wars, will discover the transforming power of art over disaster in a story about creativity and loss, love and recovery, and survival.

Editor's Note

Heart melting…

Schmidt’s companion novel to “The Wednesday Wars” is sure to melt your heart. Set in the tumultuous 1960s, “Okay for Now” shatters stereotypes & redeems even its most condemnable characters.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateApr 5, 2011
ISBN9780307915931
Unavailable
Okay for Now
Author

Gary D. Schmidt

Gary D. Schmidt is the bestselling author of The Labors of Hercules Beal; Just Like That; National Book Award finalist Okay for Now; Pay Attention, Carter Jones; Orbiting Jupiter; the Newbery Honor and Printz Honor Book Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy; and the Newbery Honor Book The Wednesday Wars. He is also contributor to and co-editor of the acclaimed short story collection A Little Bit Super, co-edited by Leah Henderson. He lives in rural Michigan.

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  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    In 1968, Doug Swieteck already has to face an abusive father, a bullying older brother, and another brother who is off fighting in Vietnam, so when his father loses his job and moves the family to Marysville, New York in search of work, Doug is suddenly also the new kid. But Marysville gives Doug the chance to become something more than a skinny thug like his older brother and his deadbeat dad. A chance meeting with a girl gives him a delivery route, where he meets the eccentric Mrs. Windemere, and trips to the library to see the Audubon paintings introduces him to the kind librarian Mr. Powell, who teaches Doug how to draw, and the start of a new school year introduces him to Mr. Ferris, a science teacher, who figures out Doug's big secret. And when Doug's brother, Lucas, comes home from Vietnam, Doug finds that he is no longer the same kid as when Lucas left - and that's not always a bad thing.

    The Audubon connection is an odd one, but refreshing in its oddity. Each chapter is prefaced by a depiction of the painting which becomes the theme for that chapter. The sharp, minimalist drawings of Audubon match perfectly well to Doug's own sharp edges and outwardly simple character, and it is easy to see where the urge to replicate the beautiful plates comes from. The only complaint to be made about the bird theme is the way that Schmidt sometimes is a bit too "on the nose" with his symbols. One chapter begins with the Red-Throated Divers, and Mrs. Windemere a little too shrewdly comments that the mother is not aching to fly away, as Doug originally suggests, but protecting her smallest child. The analogy is a little too clear. Schmidt seems to be one of those writers who cannot bear to trust the reader to make the connection, and so must constantly nudge them until he is content they have gotten the point. This mistrust of the readers' abilities can also extend to the characterization. In one scene, Doug stands up to his father, but is later confronted by his brother, who delivers an impassioned speech that is a little too self-aware to be honestly moving. Particularly in young adult novels, authors sometimes feel reluctant to allow things to go unspoken, worried that their audience will miss it, but having faith in younger readers to pick up on the underlying themes and characters without the author expressly saying it can lead to a richer story. Schmidt's eagerness to spell things out also comes to play when balancing the realism of the novel.

    Doug is a member of a poor family and his father is abusive, but the severity is mostly hinted around aside from one, major incident. Doug's reaction to it underscores its regularity - he knows how to avoid it, knows what will trigger it, and mostly acts like it is part of his life, which it is. Schmidt never falls into the trap of an afterschool special, but focuses on Doug, not just as a child abuse victim, but a fully-realized character with traits completely separated from the abuse. His smart-aleck comments are genuinely funny, his narration feels real, and his character arc is superb.

    Unfortunately, Schmidt cannot quite hold onto this realism. About three-quarters into the book, the story rushes to reassure the reader that it will all work out in the end: the teachers and librarian who previously ostracized and tormented Doug for his shady brother all have secrets that excuse their bad behavior, or they experience a miraculous change of heart; Mrs. Windemere coincidentally happens to have a first-edition book of Aaron Copland's music that Doug uses to barter for the puffins plate; Mr. Gregory, a Broadway producer, happens to need an actress to play a part which happens to be perfect for Lil Spicer; Professor Peattie, who previously told Doug that all of the teachers had given up on him and he would amount to nothing, suddenly tells Doug that he will go wherever he wants to go in life; Lucas comes back from the war and finds a job when he most needs it; and, most damning, the father who forced a "Mama's Baby" tattoo on his twelve-year-old son and regularly beat his sons so as not to show bruises suddenly recants his ways and shares a sentimental moment with his wife.

    There is a line of suspended disbelief that readers and authors agree upon; readers will happily approach the line, willing to take a great many far-fetched coincidences and quirky characters and miraculous events on faith, but the author must carefully know exactly where the line is to avoid crossing it completely. Schmidt, in this at least, has missed the mark. There is something to be said for a young boy realizing that the two-dimensional jerks he has previously assumed people to be are more than that, with their own rich inner lives, but when every single one turns out to be secretly a good person, it strains belief, and readers quite rightly balk. To put it simply, some people are jerks because they are jerks. They are not the bully in a 1980s film, who only bullies others because of the abuse he faces at home; they are jerks. In some ways, this is an even more important lesson to learn than that people have their own rich inner lives and may be secretly good, simply because it is a much harder one to learn. And in the case of a child abuser, his inner life must be very rich indeed to make up for such a heinous sin. Schmidt comes very close to pulling these unlikely turns of events off, but crosses one coincidence too many for the ending to feel genuine.

    Additionally, the setting is in 1968, but aside from some obligatory references to space missions, a few ironic comments from oddly prescient teachers that were old when Back to the Future made them (An actor as a president? How absurd!), peppered slang from the sixties, and Lucas's return, the historical part of this historical fiction is never fully realized. Lucas returns from the Vietnam War, but could have just as easily returned from World War II, or Desert Storm, or the Iraq War. Though the connection of the possibility of space travel and all it represents with the way Doug blooms is a good one, there is never a moment of solidity that confirms that 1968 is the only time that this story could have taken place. In some ways, that speaks to the universality of the story, but in others, it makes the "history" part feel lacking. Historical novels are difficult to pull off, because while references to the time period and period-appropriate slang are essential to pulling off an atmosphere, they are not enough by themselves.

    And yet, there is something here that deserves to be noticed. When Doug's mother meets Lucas at the bus station and does not hesitate over the bandages over his eyes or the space where his legs used to be, but just holds his face in her hands and kisses him while her blue coat spreads like wings over them, or when Doug finds a drawing of dead bodies with a simple note at the bottom saying, "My Lai. I was there", it's hard not to get a chill. It is in the small moments that Schmidt excels. There are too many neat ends, but where Schmidt allows them to be frayed and ragged, the prose shines. It is not in the neat and happy endings that Schmidt finds his place, but in the ones that are uncertain and bitter and angry. Giving his villains backstories and characterization and making them three-dimensional works, but only if he allows them to stay villains.

    As a story, Okay for Now is compelling enough, though the plot threads are all a little too neatly tied up at the end to be believable; as historical fiction, it feels oddly lacking. Historical fiction should, ideally, capture the spirit and atmosphere of a time. Novels set during the Great Depression should hint at the desperation of the times, underscored by uncertainty; novels set during WWI should reflect the betrayal and horror and existential crisis that marked the time; and novels set in the 1960s should do more than parrot old jokes and bring in constant references to the space race and the Vietnam War, or at least have something more meaningful to say about them. Doug is a likable enough character, with real problems and real people in his life; had the story kept with that, Okay for Now could have made up for its lack of historical atmosphere. The too-tidy ending and urge to shield the reader from any possibility of bad things, particularly in a novel that deals with both child abuse and the Vietnam War, leaves this novel feeling a little flat.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Listen to the elements of this middle school novel:
    John James Audubon’s Birds of America, an emotionally abusive father, a Vietnam veteran brother, the classic novel Jane Eyre, the New York Yankees, an eccentric playwright, a business executive who is both an expert at horseshoes as he is at cultivating orchids. Gary Schmidt has woven a story full of heartache and hope.

    Doug Swieteck, has moved to Marysville in upstate New York, to a place he refers to as "The Dump."He shares a tiny room with his also abusive brother. Doug is the new kid on the block in a school where the kids have known each other since kindergarten. With the help of multiple friends and teachers, Doug is able to navigate the difficulties associated with 8th grade, and the increased tension at home. Doug discovers the public library and meets Mr. Powell who helps him with his newly developed artistic talent studying Audubon prints. After getting a job delivering grocers for Mr. Splicers deli, he develops a sweet relationship with Lil Spicer, his daughter.

    This is a story about the rebuilding of a family, the strength of a young man, and the beauty of a friendship.

    Reading this book and hearing the birds described gave me a greater appreciation for the art of John James Audubon.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Wonderful. Can't wait to read more books by this author!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Doug hates that his family had to move to Marysville. Hates that his dad is quick to temper (that's why they had to move in the first place). Hates that his brother is a jerk, and his other brother--also kind of a jerk--is in Vietnam. Hates that he--well, he doesn't want to talk about that. Doug has a chance to make Marysville his own, but it's going to take a lot. Getting out of his delinquent brother's shadow is just the beginning. The rest is up to a girl, some birds, and Doug himself.

    (Hmm. Gonna have to work up a better booktalk than THAT.)

    It's good--there's a lot going on, some of it given far too cursory a treatment and easy resolution. The overall somber tone is tempered with bits of levity, and it's really nice to see a kid with a really good relationship with his mom--even if it does factor into the plot in a significant way. I liked this; I thought it was a fantastic book, but the appeal to middle-schoolers may be limited. It's going to need some hand-selling, and I'm going to have to do a better job than the above.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Doug Swietek from the Wednesday Wars is back. His father is fired from his job, and moves to upstate Marysville to work. Doug and his brother Chris find themselves earmarked by the local people as troublemakers. Doug finds some friends and supporters who help him through rough times with his family and friends.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Okay for Now is way better than Okay, it's fantastic! Schmidt has a possible Newbery book in this tear jerking story that somewhat picks up where Wednesday Wars left off. Doug Swieteck moves to Marysville and struggles to fit in. Readers learn a lot about Doug through his narrative tale of how he's treated and how he fights back. It's why he fights back that makes this story memorable. Doug finds a lot to like in a town he calls stupid and you'll find a lot to like in Okay for Now. Have tissues handy and be ready to laugh too!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A very enjoyable read, Okay For Now tells the story of a boy whose family keeps moving as his abusive father loses job after job. They have landed in a small town, where he meets a girl who helps him (with the help of a wise librarian) with his literacy problems and self-esteem. A heartwarming story that boy and girl teens are sure to enjoy.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Okay For Now was my first Gary Schmidt novel and I loved it! It had an excellent mix of funny, sad and inspiring. I was reading in the office and my co-worker was looking at me weird because I was chuckling one minute and then crying and blubbering the next. The writing is simple but gorgeous and heartfelt. I loved that even the minor characters were fleshed out and held their own during the course of the story. At the risk of sounding like a chump, I started reading with absolutely no idea who Audubon was. I came across the first drawing - The Arctic Tern - and I thought meh. I just breezed past it. Less than 30 minutes later, I was falling in love with Audubon's drawings. I was going back and forth from the text to the drawing at the beginning of each chapter and googling Audubon's works so I could see them in full color, trying to see the lines as Doug saw them. I especially liked the chapters about the snowy heron and the brown pelican. Halfway through the story, I was in love with Doug and Lil (Mrs. Windermere too) and by the time I was finished, I was in love with the entire book! I would recommend this to everyone and I'm sure both kids and adults would enjoy reading this wonderful story.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Once I started this book, I did not want to put it down - I even missed church Sunday because I couldn't pull myself away. After listening to Schmidt's Trouble and now reading this and loving them both, I think I need to run right out and read the rest of his books. So, why not 5 stars? Well, I thought Schmidt got a wee bit cutesy with his historical setting at the end - "Could you ever imagine an actor becoming president?" and someday slide rules will be antiques and we'll all be carrying around little computers - I suppose someone might be able to convince me that these are deliberately done to bring notice to the historical setting, but I thought they were a little too winky. Also, I don't know that I believe the dad would have turned himself around at the end like that. In fact, every adult ended up having something redeeming about them, which is nice and hopeful, but in the end didn't ring true for me. My final quibble is one I'm not sure kids would even notice, but Doug's mom made me mad. Those boys worshipped her and I know it was a different time when divorce wasn't as common, but it did happen sometimes and who wouldn't leave after the tattoo incident? I'm probably underestimating kids, but I feel like Schmidt paints her as a saint (as makes sense since the story is told through Doug's eyes) when she's not really and I'm not convinced kids can see that difference the way I do. Anyway, I still think this was really excellent and look forward to all the discussions that are bound to occur around it during Newbery season this year.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Doug Swieteck is doing just fine until his father loses his job and decides to move them to Marysville, New York. Stupid Marysville is a small town where Doug knows no one, and everyone expects him to be a troublemaker. But then he meets Lil Spicer, and her dad gives him a job. Can he make his own way here, or is he doomed by his father and his brothers' shadows?Readers of The Wednesday Wars may remember Doug as the prankster Holling Hoodhood knew - but if you haven't read the first book, there's no need before diving into this one. Doug is a great character, the youngest of three boys and wanting to be his own person in the midst of a troubled home. His oldest brother Lucas is away at Vietnam, his brother Chris is a troublemaker and Doug just knows everyone judges him by his brothers' actions. His growth as a character was really fun to follow, and my only complaint was that a few items seemed just a little too neatly tied up - but it is a middle school novel, after all.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I loved this one. Themes of family conflict, loss, redemption, art, war, and the power of adult attention and praise to turn around the life of a kid headed for failure. This is a sequel to the Wednesday Wars, but each book can stand independently. In the Wednesday Wars, Hollis is the main character and Doug is a minor character. This is Doug's story, a year after the Wednesday Wars. The characterization is strong and it's fascinating to watch some characters finding ways to change their lives and others remaining stuck on the same track. There are also some very powerful scenes addressing the impact of the Vietnam war on the lives of families, soldiers, and survivors, and the author does a good job of showing the depth of the split in American society over the war. This book nicely portrays the realities of the impact of war without being overly graphic or violent reading for kids. Excellent.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I don't think I've cried this much over a book since Mockingjay. Okay for Now must be one of the most bitter-sweet stories out there. Exhilarating is probably the best word to describe it.If you've read The Wednesday Wars, you already know the main character of this novel - Doug Swietick. While this companion novel follows the formula and themes of The Wednesday Wars, Doug's story is a heavier one. Holling's problems are nothing compared to Doug's. His father is quick with his hands, his elder brother is a bully, his mother is powerless, he himself is defined by what his family is and can't seem to break away from the image everyone has of him.But, thankfully, there are new people in Doug's life who expect the best of him, who give him a fair chance at succeeding in life, who empower him to become the best person he can be and he, in turn, empowers others.It is amazing how complex and multi-layered Schmidt's characters are. You think of them in one way and then there comes a moment when they reveal another side of themselves, and suddenly a bully is a loyal brother, a prejudiced school principal is the best supporter... I love it that everyone in this book has redeeming qualities that are ready to be expressed, if only you give a person a chance.The book took me on an emotional roller-coaster ride. It made me cry my eyes out in sorrow one moment and grin (and again, cry) in delight and of pride the next. Schmidt has a wonderful way with words and a skill of showing and not telling, when by saying nothing, he says it all.I have no doubt Okay for Now will be a serious Newbery contender in 2011 and, dare I say, it is even superior to The Wednesday Wars. The book is not out until April of the next year, but it is so worth waiting for. Too bad this cover doesn't do this terrific book justice.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I loved the way that he interweaved Audubon's paintings into the story and made them the foundation and reference point for all the metaphors. The characters were sufficiently complex and likable. I felt myself developing a STRONG dislike for his father in the first couple of chapters and I could really visualize the scene where his mom is delivering all her plants to the neighbors before they move and his dad won't let Doug help. I wanted to scream!!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I listened to the audio recording of this book and thought it was FABULOUS. I quickly became fully invested in Doug's life and struggles. Schmidt does an incredible job of conveying strong feelings through simple sentences. One of his reoccurring lines is, "Do you know how that feels?" It's an uncomplicated question, but the answer made me feel strongly each time it was asked - whether I wanted to cry with Doug, laugh hysterically with him, or give him a high-five. This was truly fun to listen to; I'm not sure if I would have the same strong reaction just from reading it.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The only problem with this book is that it feels like a Hallmark movie. It takes you on such an emotional roller coaster ride. However, it is an amazingly well written roller coaster. Schmidt does such a good job helping you relate to Doug that you will be drawn into his world completely. The absolutely horrible things others do to him will make you wince in pain and you will want to grab them and make them see how much pain they are causing. When Doug struggles to and eventually does respond to these people with nobility and respect, you will cheer his growth of character; all the more so for the changes his actions cause in others. You may even learn a thing or two about art through the amazing analogies. The friendships Doug forges, the wrongs he rights, the scorn he endures, the things he learns about his own talents will all have you cheering, and then yet another barb will be driven into Doug. The ending of the book will both exhilarate and devastate you. Highly recommended.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    There are times I question why I read middle-grade and YA books. If I read too many of them I feel as if I'm not getting enough "serious" literature in, or that I'm not challenging my brain enough or.. you know, all the little excuses why reading fluffy, fun, imaginative stories are not good for a 34 year old woman to read - especially if she's not involved in any official way with the lives of reading youth.But then I pick up a book like Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt. And I'm reminded that great books don't always have to be over 500 pages long with tiny font sizes and filled with heavy, ponderous thought-matter. Instead they can be unassuming, with a slightly tacky cover and filled with the every-day life of a boy, Doug, who deals with an abusive father (although you wouldn't hear him admit it), a bully of a brother, a mother with a beautiful smile and a whole cast of characters making up the stupid town life of a stupid small town in New York.With such a cast of characters, and a setting that relies heavily on a series of bird pictures out of a famous book (added to illustrate the story), Gary Schmidt works his magic. I loved The Wednesday Wars for teaching me what it would be like to be a youthful boy, with all its awkwardness and trials, and Schmidt shows me again what it is like - but this time with different challenges, with heart-breaking life happening around and with the guts given to a character you can't help but fall in love with, allowing him to raise his chin and push forward and find that bit of good in everyone, everything and every place around him.I cannot recommend this book enough and, like it's predecessor, The Wednesday Wars, if this book isn't sporting a medal on it soon there is simply no justice in the world.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Fourteen year-old Doug has had the worst start to a school year - a new town, an abusive father, a nasty older brother, and another brother returned from Vietnam in a wheelchair. With everything against him, Doug still manages to face down adversity with hilarious quips, and during his escapades he finds a new friend and the strength to follow big dreams.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    "Okay for Now" by Gary Schmidt is probably one of the best books I've read in a long time. It is a fascinating account of life in the late 60's with the lunar landing as a small backdrop. The young man of this story, Doug Swieteck, is a familiar face from "The Wednesday Wars." He has a very troubled home life which becomes quite apparent from the first page of the book. But despite all this, he's an interesting boy who quickly endears himself to so many characters in the small town of Marysville where his family has moved. The primary story of this book is Doug's never ending mission to completely restore the 3rd volume of Audubon's set of sketches which is housed in the town library. Many of the sketches have been sold to private owners in order to meet stupid (Doug's opinion, not mine) Marysville's budget shortfalls. Throughout the book, Doug discovers his artistic talents (with the help of the town librarian), welcomes an older brother home from Vietnam, discovers love, becomes an actor and lodges himself into the hearts of so many of his fellow townsfolk. Tears flow easily throughout this book, especially for those of us who grew up during that era. I highly suggest this book to lovers of historical fiction, baby boomers, and anyone looking for a beautifully written solid, wonderful story. Who could ask for more?
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book is, by far, the best book I've read in recent memory. (And by recent, I mean years.) It was so good, I cried a little when it was over. I'm not lying. Everything was right about it - the voice, the metaphors, the setting. I haven't read any other books by Gary Schmidt, but I'll be looking for them.

    Recommended by: Lindsay R.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I'd read this again, I liked it so much! The way he talks about art and relates the birds to his own life was awesome.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    One of the best books of 2011. I loved "The Wednesday Wars," but this book tops it.Doug Swietech moves from Long Island (where his friend Holling Hoodhood lives) to upstate New York. While in the small town of Maryville, Doug finds himself fascinating by an Audubon book and begins drawing them.Beautifully crafted, the plot touches on the Vietnam war, child abuse, fractured families and adolescence.A cinch to win the Newbery or at least get an honor. Bravo!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Fans of Gary Schmidt may remember tough kid Doug Swieteck from The Wednesday Wars. In Okay for Now, Doug's family moves to a small town upstate New York because his dad has a friend there who can get him a job at the paper mill. Doug's home life is rough, no two ways about it, and he doesn't have a lot going for him. In fact, at the beginning of the book, you might suspect that Doug is just another punk kid headed for juvie -- but then Doug meets Mr. Powell, and the works of John James Audubon. He meets a few caring teachers who are willing to look beyond his rough exterior. He meets Mrs. Windermere, who teaches him a thing or two about creativity and inspiration. And he meets Lil Spicer, who gives him an ice-cold Coke, gets him his first job in her father's store, and teaches him a thing or two about love and friendship.The real beauty of this book is how Schmidt manages to foreshadow events expertly, but they still come as a surprise to the reader. Life lessons come hard for Doug, and he doesn't get a perfect ending for every little problem. Still, readers will find themselves cheering for him long before they reach the final page.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Gary Schmidt's The Wednesday Wars made my Favorite of 2007 list, so I was eagerly anticipating the sequel Okay for Now. I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book, but I was hesitant to start it. How often do sequels for great books live up to the original? Well no disappointment here! Doug Swieteck, who plays a minor role in The Wednesday Wars is the main character of this story. At the start of this story, Doug's family is moving to a new town after his father's temper results in being fired from his job. The Swietecks move into a small house in Marysville, NY where Doug's father has found a job at the local paper mill. Doug's life in the new town is difficult. His father has a mean temper, his second brother has a reputation as a troublemaker, and his oldest brother is fighting in Vietnam. But gradually, Doug creates a life in Marysville by working as a delivery boy at the local store and befriending Lil Spicer, the spunky daughter of his boss. The story is funny and poignant, both good for laughs and tears. Although it is categorized as middle school level - I loved it and it has wide appeal. And 'I'm not lying.'
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    BOOK #100Okay For Now by Gary D. SchmidtI find that when a book has a heartfelt impact on me, it is most difficult to write a review that would do the story justice. I'm about to try to tell you why this is the best book I've read this year, and in a number of years!This is written by one of my favorite authors, who also wrote the incredible books The Wednesday Wars and Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boys. Truly, this author is a rare genius. Each and every page is filled with well written, heart-warming and heart- breaking text. It is an understatement to say Schmidt knows how to work with the beauty of words and to weave a masterful story that stays with the reader long after the last page is finished.This is much more than a coming of age tale of young eighth grade Doug Swieteck. It is in fact a complicated story which deals with the heavy issues of an alcoholic father (I had one of those), a passive mother, the loneliness of moving to another town and finding it difficult to adjust when you are blamed wrongly by the town folk and your teachers for the dysfunction of your family.It is also a tale of hope and the search for wholeness. It is a tale of the need to protect oneself from outside forces that are out of your locus of control. It is a tale of trying to survive in a hostile environment of a new school, an alcoholic father, a brother who is acting out and another brother who returns from the nastiness of Vietnam emotionally maimed and physically crippled.Upon his arrival back to the United States, the anti war crusaders pummel and spit at Doug's crippled brother in his helplessness much like the teachers originally treat Doug. Both were placed in out of control situations of which they had no power or choice.One might wonder how Gary Schmidt accomplished so much within a mere 360 pages, the answer is the book is timeless and anyone who has been impacted by even one of these issues, will rapidly relate to young Doug.And, those of us who find solace in the love of books, will particularly embrace the fact that one of Doug's saving graces is found in the local public library where he finds art in the form of a rare book filled with original plates of Audubon birds. A wonderful, kind, elderly librarian opens the world of symbolism in art and develops Doug's artistic abilities to draw the birds.Sadly, the town is selling the Audubon plates one by one, and through wit and calculation, Doug determinately tracks down the plates and creatively finds the way to return them back to the original book. Thus, the marvelous theme of wholeness is woven intimately with Doug's search to overcome a terrible childhood in an attempt to get things in their rightful place.Doug finds a young soul mate who regularly visits the library and through this spunky young lady, Doug learns to trust and heal.With the backdrop of the turbulent 1960's when Vietnam was raging and when America was forging the brave frontier of space travel, Schmidt deftly weaves the agitated, violent forces occurring with a nation in a senseless war and a lonely child tempest torn like an Audubon tern trying to stay afloat amid chaos and the longing for hope in a brave new world.HIGHLY recommended!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Another amazing book from one of my most favorite authors, surely another Newbery is on the way.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Gary Schmidt creates characters you want to live with. Beset by difficulties, they get the strength to overcome them.

    Doug Sweiback has a dad who is a stinker. Once he quits his job, and follows his no good friend to a lumber mill up in Marysville NY, upstate, the family is uprooted to a rundown house Doug refers to as the Dump. It is definitely on the wrong side of the tracks.

    The good side of the tracks is inhabited by people like the owners of the lumber mill, and a playwright, and the owners of the grocery store where Doug gets a job as a delivery boy.

    To the playwright who orders a different kind of ice cream every week, Doug remains only "skinny delivery boy," but somehow coming from her, it can sound like a term of endearment. Doug has a relationship with his mother that is every good. He loves to see her smile. Doug's older brother, Christopher, however, is another story. Christopher is suspected of being a thief and worse, which makes up the mystery portion of the novel. Even though the resolution of the mystery comes as a relief, it is not completely satisfying or adequately explained to be believable.

    Doug's most winning quality is his tenacity. He overcomes illiteracy, beatings, and the loss of his beloved Joe Pepitone baseball cap. Not only does he prove to be capable of learning to read, he holds three or four jobs at once, on Saturdays, while learning to draw forma set of John James Audubon prints on display in the library. It is in the library that he meets Lil Spicer, daughter of the grocers and it is Lil who sets him on the right path.

    This book has a ton of plot, all of it rooted in the late 1960s as NASA prepares for its moon landing. It is completely charming and moving and funny and lots of other things besides. Students who like realistic fiction should treasure it.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Touching realistic fiction story about a boy growing up in 1968. How the Vietnam war touches his family and how he learns that he can do whatever he wants, makes a very touching story. It has some sad moments but the ending is hopeful.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Fabulous! Touching, endearing, heartbreaking and beautifully paced.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Doug Swieteck is no chump. Even though he's moved from New York City, where he once threw a ball around with Joe Pepitone, to stupid Marysville. And even though he goes into the Marysville Free Public Library, he's not reading. Because, in case you don't remember, he's no chump. But when he sees the paintings in the library's copy of Audubon's Birds of America, Doug begins on a path that will change his definition of chump.Schmidt's novel is an intriguing insight into Doug's life in a family that is the definition of dysfunctional against the background of the late 1960s. Doug's voice is extremely distinctive and images from Audubon's book are interwoven with the narrative to great effect. The exploration of Doug's character is a fascinating one. My only complaint is that some of plot elements that came out towards the end of the novel were a little to easy. Overall, however, the book was a great journey to watch Doug grow up.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Doug and his family move away. He deals with new romance, an abusive father, a brother in the war.