SUMMARY: As 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.
Evaluation By Genre:
Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction,
Motivational Activities:
- Buddy reading ---one student reads a page and they take turns and each takes the test.
- silent reading.
- whisper reading ---2 curved pieces of plastic PC pipe and a short straight piece to connect
- them. It will look like a telephone receiver, students whisper in one end and can hear themselves reading.
- Read to the class mascot or any stuff animal
- Read and record a book and take the recorder and book home for the night and share with their family
- Reader Response Questions:
- Who did doug fall in love with?
- What do you think of the deli owners daughter? Who was she.
- What time period was this book taken place?
- Who where the main characters? What did you think of them?
Personal Comments: Doug Swieteck is new to town. He
shares his humorous story with us as he gets a job as a delivery boy for the
local deli and as he falls for Lil Spicer, the deli owner’s daughter. We meet a
fantastic cast of characters from the crazy customers that Doug delivers to the
grumpy Marian the librarian.
It is hard to pick a favorite part of this book. I
loved the relationship Doug has with the librarian, Mr. Powell, and the Audubon
photos that they try to preserve. Maybe I’m just a sucker for anything library
because I am a librarian?! I loved to hate the way Doug is treated by his
father. The reason why he doesn’t follow the rules in gym class by going
shirtless has everything to do with his relationship with his dad (for those
that listened to this — I was heartbroken!). Doug filling in for Lil in the
play. I can’t believe he had to do that and did it well. I was so proud!
The fact that it was a book taking place during the
Vietnam War was not that obvious to me. I hardly remembered while listening
that his brother was in the war and that this was a book that was not taking
place during current times. Doug was such a great character that the things
happening in his life today was all that really mattered to me.
Overall, this book had great character development.
I loved Doug. It made me laugh tons of times, broke my heart, and was an
overall good read. It was a pleasant experience to be able to watch Doug grow.
I’ve never re-listened to a book but this may be a first.
Bibliography
Schmidt, G. D. (2011). Okay For Now. New
York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
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