JOPLIN, Mo. —
“Okay For Now” by Gary D. Schmidt
4th-8th Grade
Readers of Schmidt’s previous Newbery honor title “The Wednesday Wars” have already met Doug Swieteck, though they may not remember him -- he was a secondary character. In this companion novel Schmidt has placed Doug center stage and boy, does he shine.
It is the summer of 1968 and while Doug is moving from Long Island to upstate New York with his family, Joe Pepitone is slugging home runs for the New York Yankees, the Apollo space mission team is gearing up to undertake the first lunar landing and many men, including Doug’s eldest brother Lucas, are fighting the Vietnam War.
Marysville, the town Doug and his family move to seems to have little to offer at first glance, but Doug soon discovers the town library, where he becomes memorized by the plates of John James Audubon’s “Birds of America.” He also befriends spunky Lil Spicer and makes several friends while working as a grocery delivery boy on Saturday mornings.
These outside relationships are important in Doug’s life because his home environment is not a stable one. And even though the narrator never spells it out, readers will quickly deduce that the majority of this instability is because of an abusive and hot-headed father that rarely offers the family a glimmer of the truth.
Despite Doug’s volatile home life he is a survivor and he uses his newfound creativity and friendships to makes the best of his first year in Marysville.
Gary Schmidt has written a clever, engaging novel that will have readers rooting for Doug. Admittedly, readers may not find this title on their own, because of the understated cover. However, it is worth the hard sell to get it in their hands, because once they do start reading, they will not be able to stop.
It is unusual for an author to write a novel that has such broad appeal, from middle school students to high school students and even adults, but Schmidt has outdone himself with this powerful story that shows how hope can shape lives.
Lifestyles
Jeana Gockley: Secondary character shines in his own novel
- Lifestyles
-
-
Bearing down: Carl Junction woman has passion for bear hunting
Born and raised in Joplin, Mitchell graduated from Joplin High School in 1963. For 35 years, she has been self-employed as a real estate developer. Seventeen years ago, her husband, Steve, a bowhunter, introduced her to hunting.
-
Ryan Richardson: Appliances complicit in dog-hair problem
Despite missing having her here, her absence has given me an opportunity to clean up the small messes that have been accumulating since she has been gone. I've also given myself the opportunity to evaluate what has and has not worked in such a small living space.
-
Phyllis Seesengood: 'Six Years' fast-paced, suspenseful
Harlan Coben is a superb suspense writer who has written an intense thriller/love story, although I personally think he should stick with the thrillers and leave the romances to romance writers.
-
Frankie Meyer: Website offers digitized newspapers
Newspapers are a great source of info for genealogists. Obituaries are especially helpful, as are articles about major events that occurred in the areas where ancestors lived.
-
Roger McKinney: Touring Israel with Indian Christians is enlightening
Christians are a small minority of Indians, making up a little over 2 percent of the population. Even fewer are Protestant, which was the denomination of this group.
-
Craig Tally: God's story doesn't translate to screens well
While the "stories" can certainly be broadcast, the "Story" cannot. More is needed -- much more.
-
Museums, history and eclectic culinary culture key to Kansas City’s appeal
I get to Kansas City a couple of times a year. That’s my bad. I wish I could go more often. Every time I do, however, I realize what the metro to the north has to offer, especially now that the Old Highway 71 is the new Interstate 49.
-
Jeremiah Tucker: Vinyl may help keep record stores alive
The New York Times recently reported that the resurgence of vinyl music sales has led to a number of new record-pressing plants opening around the country, including one in Salina, Kan.
-
Benji Tunnell: Vaughn, Wilson phone it in for 'Internship'
"The Internship" is the story of a vast conglomeration in the form of Google opting to have a two-hour advertisement for all of its various products, ostensibly as a lighthearted comedy about the crushing weight of an unstable economy once someone is no longer part of the younger demographic and finds himself unemployed. Or at least I think that was it.
-
Joe Hadsall: Hummus at center of controversy? Hummus?
I don't even know why I like it so much, because it's basically a paste made out of beans, and I hate beans. Something about the tahini, lemon, garlic and olive oil removes all the beany texture, and leaves it tasting wonderful.
- More Lifestyles Headlines
-
