Okay for Now

GARY D. SCHMIDT

One of the best YA books I've read so far this year. Schmidt has crafted a hilarious, genuine, and touching story that had me laughing and crying in turn throughout the novel. Okay For Now is the story of 14 year-old Doug Swieteck, whose sorry excuse for a father moves the family from the city to small-town Marysville, New York. There, Doug meets Lil Spicer, smart daughter of the town grocer, and must deal with prejudice at school thanks to his older brother's hoodlum reputation. Then his oldest brother, Lucas, returns home from Vietnam in a wheelchair, and the family must learn to adjust. Schmidt weaves James Audubon's famous bird paintings, Broadway shows, Jane Eyre, Yankees baseball players, the Apollo 11 moon landing, the Vietnam war, horseshoes, and other seemingly-disparate elements into a seamless narrative that, coupled with Doug's distinct, believable voice, makes it a must-read. I'm not lying.