Okay for Now: A National Book Award Winner

Gary D. Schmidt

Apr 2011 · Sold by HarperCollins

About this ebook

2011 National Book Award FinalistAs a fourteen-year-old who just moved to a new town, with no friends and a louse for an older brother, Doug Swieteck has all the stats stacked against him. So begins a coming-of-age masterwork full of equal parts comedy and tragedy from Newbery Honor winner Gary D. Schmidt. As Doug struggles to be more than the “skinny thug” that his teachers and the police think him to be, he finds an unlikely ally in Lil Spicer—a fiery young lady who “smelled like daisies would smell if they were growing in a big field under a clearing sky after a rain.” In Lil, Doug finds the strength to endure an abusive father, the suspicions of a whole town, and the return of his oldest brother, forever scarred, from Vietnam. Together, they find a safe haven in the local library, inspiration in learning about the plates of John James Audubon’s birds, and a hilarious adventure on a Broadway stage. In this stunning novel, Schmidt expertly weaves multiple themes of loss and recovery in a story teeming with distinctive, unusual characters and invaluable lessons about love, creativity, and survival.

Ratings and reviews

Really one of my favourite books. I read it again and again. I think it's even better than Schmidt's Wednesday Wars, and that's one of my favourites too. Schmidt has the ability to make the ordinary, extraordinary.

The first time I read the book, I was 14 years old and I connected with it 100% It also kind of helped me understand and see life in a different way 🖤 I recommend people to read this book, it is amazing!

This book had funny things that made me laugh and sad things that made me cry. I loved the ending but I never wanted it to end!

About the author

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 a contributor to and coeditor, with Leah Henderson, of the acclaimed short story collection A Little Bit Super. He lives in rural Michigan.