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Dec 21, 2010

Tatiana rated it:

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 Swieteck. 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, More...

6 comments like (37 people liked it)

Jul 29, 2011

Donalyn rated it:

I read this in one evening, staying up until after midnight on a school night to read it. Gary Schmidt is a genius and I fell in love with Doug.

5 comments like (13 people liked it)

Jan 05, 2012

Melissa rated it:

Consider the following: an author proposes writing a middle grade novel involving 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 – you would probably consider him crazy and usher him out the door. But only author Gary Schmidt could weave all the above in a story so full of heartache More...

2 comments like (6 people liked it)

Aug 14, 2011

Jess rated it:

Copied from my review of the audio version.

If you liked The Wednesday Wars, you must read this. Schmidt hits a lot of the same notes again, but his style - the voice, the characters, the whole thing - is so pitch perfect that I immediately wanted to start it over from the beginning (a rare feeling for me). In fact, I listened to the audio and then read the print version a few months later. The only downside to the audio is that you'll want to look up the Audubon illustrations in a bo More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Jan 23, 2012

Jess rated it:

If you liked The Wednesday Wars, you must read this. Schmidt hits a lot of the same notes again, but his style - the voice, the characters, the whole thing - is so pitch perfect that I immediately wanted to start it over from the beginning (a rare feeling for me). In fact, I listened to the audio and then read the print version a few months later. The only downside to the audio is that you'll want to look up the Audubon illustrations in a book or online, because they're really key to the stor More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Apr 06, 2011

John rated it:

If there's any justice in the world, this should be sporting a Medal or two after next ALA Midwinter. If anything, though, I think Doug Swieteck's experiences in a new small town as he finds his balance and helps several other people regain their own is a TOO rich melange of themes, metaphors, characters of varying intellectual and emotional depth, chain-pulling lines for teachers and librarians, twists on conventional triumphs (specifically the Meeting A Famous Real Athlete one and the Being In More...

0 comments like (13 people liked it)

Dec 30, 2011

Becky rated it:

3.5 stars?????

Doug Swieteck is a minor character in Schmidt’s "Wednesday Wars", but "Okay for Now" is Doug’s book.

The story takes place in the small town of Marysville, NY where Douglas Swieteck and his family have just moved to accommodate his abusive father’s new job. Doug is not happy about the move. The adjustment to the new town and school are difficult and create the backdrop for much of the story. One of the heroes in this story is the town libr More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 23, 2011

Abby rated it:

Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. This book broke my heart about 17 times and patched it back together each time.

Review: http://www.abbythelibrarian.com/2011/09/...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jul 08, 2011

GraceAnne rated it:

Funny, heartbreaking, and so emotionally true it will wring readers right out. It captures 1968-69 with effortless exactitude.

1 comment like (5 people liked it)

Aug 03, 2011

Amy rated it:

I just finished the book and found it an amazing read. If you read Schmidt's "Wednesday Wars" you are in for the same authentic voice. Gary D. Schmidt has to be one of the finest authors out there and I am overwhelmed by his talent. His novels are penetrating, deep, funny and always moving. There is rarely a false moment and his characters are believable and therefore maddening.

This particular novel is difficult at times because it deals with an abusive father. There is More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Sep 11, 2011

Jennifer rated it:

There's not much I can say that will do this story justice.

Suffice it say that is an excellent companion piece to "Wednesday Wars" which I thoroughly enjoyed. Yet, While "Wednesday Wars" centers around adorable Holling Hoodhood, who, sure has some crap he has to deal with (namely: shitty dad), "Okay for Now"'s Doug has a whole plethora (thank you Kaitlyn Warren for your high school obsession with that word) of crap to deal with.

Again, we hav More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 10, 2012

Rachel rated it:

This book has one of my favorite plot arcs- the kids who starts out on his own finds himself by finding a community. I love this plot in all its many forms, and Gary Schmidt, the old pro, certainly does justice to it.

Okay For Now is one of those books that adults who read Children's and YA lit will love, but that tweens and teens are unlikely the gravitate towards on their own. It would be ideal for tween/teen books clubs, 7th and 8th grade English classes, and summer readings li More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 23, 2012

elissa rated it:

We (2 librarian parents, one 13 yr old boy and one 10 yr old boy) listened to this in the car on a family vacation, and we all agreed that it's one of the best books on CD that we've ever listened to, or at least one of the best in recent memory. This is Schmidt's most emotional book, and while it may not be the best written (and somewhat hard to suspend disbelief a few times--the idea that the ending turns to magical realism works pretty well for me, though), he's such a great writer that it's More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 17, 2011

Natalie rated it:

Amidst conflict at home, Doug Swieteck makes his way in a new town. Set in the time of the Vietnam War this story discusses family, friendship, and growing up in a creative way. Between his Saturday delivery job and his art lessons at the local library Doug learns to deal maturely with his problems in life as well as develop friendships.
I enjoyed this book very much. The characters were well developed and I appreciated the story line and the underlying messages. My favorite part of the bo More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 22, 2012

Arthur rated it:

Reading Level: Grades 6+

Doug Swieteck and his lousy older brother just moved to a brand-new town that will be probably just as lousy as the old one - and with less baseball. And, just like in his old town, everyone who's anyone (teachers, the police, his dad, Lil Spicer down the street) thinks that Doug's just a skinny good-for-nothing kid who won't ever amount to anything except for trouble.

Despite Lil and Doug's initial dislike of each other, they begin to bond nonethel More...

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Feb 14, 2012

Brandy rated it:

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.

More...

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Feb 14, 2012

Chris rated it:

Summary:
Doug Swietech, and his very dysfunctional family have just moved to a "dump" of a town in upstate New York. His home life is dominated by his abusive father and his bullying older brother, while another brother is off fighting in Vietnam.

The library and the town's kind librarian, Mr. Powell, play a key role in the story. On the second floor of the library, Doug finds a special room with a huge book displayed under glass, Audubon’s Birds of America with one pa More...

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Feb 13, 2012

Barb rated it:

I’m picking this as a Newbery contender for 2012. Doug Swieteck has moved to a new home in “stupid” Marysville, New York. His school is stupid. His house is stupid. His neighbors are stupid. Yes, Doug has an attitude. The reader learns why as the story reveals an abusive brother and dad. When Doug meets spunky Lil Spicer he makes an unlikely friend who gets him a job at her father’s grocery story and isn’t afraid to give him a piece of her mind about his “stupid” attitude every now and then. Dou More...

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Feb 12, 2012

Wandering rated it:

Doug Swieteck (last seen in The Wednesday Wars) and his family have moved to stupid Marysville in upstate New York in the summer or 1968. Doug struggles to overcome the label of a "thug", with a no-good father and a brother that's getting accused of robberies. Doug's not like that, but what does it matter if no one gives him a chance? Luckily, a few people do give him a chance, like Lil Spicer who's in his class at school, and one of the librarians who's teaching Doug to draw.
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Feb 10, 2012

Sean rated it:

A pure delight! At first, this book felt like a throwback to a more innocent era of coming-of-age novels, and not just because of its Wonder Years-era setting. The early chapters have a hazy, warm, late summer sentimentality to them, as Doug Swieteck's family moves to "stupid Marysville, New York," leaving behind Doug's friends and introducing him to a small-town full of mildly quirky characters. However, Doug's story runs far deeper than its initial episodes suggest, weaving a true co More...

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Jan 21, 2012

Kermit rated it:

4.2 stars

This book has been on almost every blog/list where readers are predicting the winner of the 2012 Newbery.
I read The Wednesday Wars when it won a Newbery Honor Book several years ago, but I don't remember the character of Doug Swieteck. It doesn't affect the enjoyment of this book at all, though.
The older I get, the harder it is to read about situations where adults treat children and young people poorly. Maybe this is one of the reasons why I prefer fantasy to More...

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Jan 17, 2012

Preethi rated it:

To start off, I LOVED this book. It was so charming and witty and heart-warming. I picked it up a couple of days ago (and by picked it up, I mean that my library graciously sent it to my kindle in 30 seconds) and could not put it down.

I especially adored the humor in this book. Doug has this fabulous deadpan, slightly self-deprecating wit that is just so amusing. Schmidt did such a fabulous job with Doug's characterization and I felt like I was his friend from the start. His voice More...

2 comments like

Jan 05, 2012

Katie rated it:

I'm glad I got this book because I wasn't interested at first. When I got to the second chapter I was hooked. I started reading it not because I had to but because I really wanted to find out what happend. I could relate to Doug a lot in the book. I loved how he talked about the birds like they were his friends. At the end when Lil said they could move together some where else and he said he wanted to stay in Marysville it shocked me. I guess everybody had grown on him. When I finished the book More...

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Dec 28, 2011

Lisa rated it:

A wonderful, character driven novel with plenty of heart. It leaves you almost breathless and grateful for the reading experience it provides. Doug Swieteck is an unlikely hero, one who you will root for to succeed despite improbable odds. As for teen and tween readers, I don't know if it will find its niche, but savvy readers will enjoy it with a bit of a sell job. Overcoming adversity and making the best of a craptastic situation should resonate with teen, any, readers. My favorite lines:
More...

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Dec 23, 2011

Eva rated it:

There's something excruciatingly appealing about tough-guy characters with a heart of gold - think of Harlan Coben's Myron Bolitar, Robert B. Parker's Spenser, and plenty of other laconic guys with chips on their shoulders and sweetness in their souls.

Such a character is 8th-grader Doug Swieteck. He's the third boy in a family of guys who act like jerks, from his dad on down - but to Doug's credit, he does struggle against this legacy. When his dad moves the family to a house Doug ca More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Dec 23, 2011

Sam rated it:

We expect fictional universes to play by a set of rules. The rules can be as close to those of reality as the form of the fiction will allow; they can be utterly fantastic; they can even, as in much of Lewis Carroll, have the sense of being constantly shifting, controlled by something that never quite becomes visible. However, once the rules are set up, the author is generally obligated to play by them.

One of my two biggest complaints about this book was that it failed to play by its More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Dec 21, 2011

Kate rated it:

When Doug Swieteck's father looses his job in the big city, he moves his whole family to a small town in Maryland to work at a mill. Doug isn't excited about the move, and when his punk brother is blamed for a series of thefts in town, people start looking down on him. The only thing Doug likes about this small town is the book of Autobahn's prints in the Library. Unfortunately, the town has hit a bit of a financial rough patch and is selling off the prints, one by one, to keep the town afloa More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Dec 19, 2011

Rosalyn rated it:

At first this seemed like a fairly average story, of a fourteen-year-old boy named Doug Swieteck who's just moved to a new town in the late 1960s. Things seem stacked against him: no one knows him, his older brother's a bully, his oldest brother is in Vietnam, his dad hangs out with a no-good friend and beats on Doug when he gets angry. Plus, Doug is hiding a few secrets himself. However, a chance encounter with one of Audubon's original bird books in the library, a kind librarian, and a girl he More...

2 comments like

Dec 17, 2011

Julie rated it:

I read this title as a participant in Maryland's Mock Newbery selection. The first chapter or two made me grimace and want to put the book down and stop there. It quickly picked up once the family moves to Marysville and starts meeting some new, quirky characters in the town. The story is a rollercoaster of emotions, of highs & lows, of hope and despair. Takes place in the late 60's - during Vietnam and the preparation for the Apollo flight. Deals with sibling rivalry, abusive father, doting More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 12, 2011

Mary rated it:

I love this book. It is not a fast-paced, action-filled story, but more a coming of age exploration of character. Doug's voice is authentically (and charmingly) inarticulate for an eighth grade boy, and his observations are sharp and accurate. The Goodreads summary suggests that this is a story about forming and changing relationships, which is true, but I think it is more about the fact that family does not inevitably determine character. This is a lesson that the people of Marysville, who over More...

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