Okay for Now

by Gary D. Schmidt

When Doug's father loses his job, he uproots their entire family to small, seemingly boring Marysville, New York. His dad and two older brothers are borderline abusive, and Doug is miserable with the move, and life in general. But soon he finds a little comfort at the library. Not in the books, but in a display of the works of John James Audubon, a famous painter and naturalist. As he begins working with the librarian, who helps him with his art, and begins a friendship (plus a little more) with Lil Spicer, life starts to look up. But every time something good happens to Doug, something else always seems to come along to mess it up.

This is a story of a young man making something of himself under very difficult circumstances. His struggle is both original and familiar. Doug is a character you won't want to leave. The writing is almost flawless. Schmidt has Doug's voice pinpointed so well that it's hard to believe he's not a real person. I picked this up because I've heard so much about it being a contender for the Newbery Medal. I'll be disappointed if it doesn't at least win an Honor. Just read the first chapter and try to put this down. And while it's not really a sad story, you might just shed a few tears along the way.