Okay for Now

By: Gary D. Schmidt

Narrated by: Lincoln Hoppe

“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.

Best Christmas gift to myself.

Don’t miss reading/listening to this book. If you do you will miss out on one of the best human interest stories ever!!

Brilliant Writing

Gary D. Schmidt has a brilliant way of writing that is compelling for teenage readers (my junior high-age son loved this book) and even more so for adults who understand the depth and layers woven throughout the story that youth readers may miss. His way of telling this story is simply outstanding.

Made me cry

This book was so good and so heart touching it made me cry, this book was for summer reading for my school and I'm so happy it was 10/10 recommend this book

Great for a tween

A really good coming of age story. A few interesting twists. The audible version takes some getting used to, as the 12 year old vernacular and repetitions begin to get old. However, as the character changes so does his language, making it more listenable. I preferred reading it, though, the performance is excellent.

Pleasant Surprise

I didn’t expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. I care so deeply about Doug and was cheering him on. (I legit hate his dad and although the author tried to redeem him in the end, I couldn’t get over how awful he was to his family.)