Gary D. Schmidt

How do I accurately describe a book that broke me in so many ways, and I’m not sure I can forgive the author—even now, more than two months after I first read it and then immediately listened to it all over again with my siblings—yet I love the book and almost want to reread it already?

I’m not sure I can.

This book is the hardest one I’ve read this year. I’m not a crier, but it made me cry. And yet…there are threads of hope all the way through it, so I came away with very mixed show more feelings about this story.

In typical Schmidt style, the characters are incredibly well-drawn. I connected with Jack right away, and Joseph quickly came to feel like a real person to me. And I loved Jack’s parents; they’re role models, if I’ve ever seen any!

I came away from this book with some tears and a good dose of gratefulness to have had the chance to experience this story. It’s not an easy one, but it’s made it to my top ten list for the year, for sure. Be prepared to travel deep with these characters, but also know that you’ll come away with a profound sense of the power of love and will be inspired by the hope that can arise even in the most difficult circumstances. show less

Wow. Read for Newbery discussion, enjoyed because it's a great book. Almost epic in scope - it's certainly not just about Holling's singularity on Wednesday afternoon, but it's also about a damn fine teacher who is also a real person, and about middle school politics, and about how to read and to appreciate Shakespeare, and about the Vietnam War & its era, and about town politics, etc... and it's funny!

I love that our boy uses the Shakespeare he learns. One of the first things he does is show more riff off the curses in *The Tempest.* "'Toads, beetles, bats light on me if I let it out.'"

I want to look up the song that has the line "I'm just a poor wayfaring stranger..." And those titles "Going Down the Road Feeling Bad" and "Worried Man Blues." They sang these in music class!

I can't stand Holling's parents. They prioritize the Bing Crosby Christmas show instead of attending his performance as Ariel, for example.

Here's just one example of how Mrs. Baker talks about what Shakespeare intended us to learn (or at least what we can think about when we read his works). In this case, *Macbeth;* "That we are made for more than power. That we are made for more than our desires. That pride combined with stubbornness can be disaster. And that compared with love, malice is a small and petty thing."

And how to think about the 'happy ending' of the 'comedy' *Much Ado About Nothing.* Everyone is paired up except Don Pedro. Holling says " they all go off to dance and leave him behind. And they don't even remember that he's the one who has to deal with the traitor tomorrow, or that he hasn't got anyone."

Baker says: " maybe his whole country will split into pieces. He doesn't have any idea what's going to happen to him. I think he became a man who brought peace and wisdom to his world, because he knew about war and folly. I think that he loved greatly, because he had seen what lost love is. And I think he came to know, two, that he was loved greatly.... A comedy is about characters who dare to know that they may choose a happy ending after all."

I love that Mrs. Sidman comes back. I won't spoil it for you, but, just, yes, good role model.

I do wish we knew more about the other family members, but it's authentic that Holling didn't know a whole lot more, and didn't tell us, at least directly, quite all that he knew. I'd read a sequel, if only to learn how Holling and Heather turn out.

Btw, I read the large print version (from MORE) and despite a few typos it was a treat to have access to the large font. I do hope to reread it, and when I do so, to get LP again. Now I have to see if the author has anything else. show less

BOOK #100

Okay For Now by Gary D. Schmidt

I find that when a book has a heartfelt impact on me, it is most difficult to write a review that would do the story justice. I'm about to try to tell you why this is the best book I've read this year, and in a number of years!

This is written by one of my favorite authors, who also wrote the incredible books The Wednesday Wars and Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boys. Truly, this author is a rare genius. Each and every page is filled with well show more written, heart-warming and heart- breaking text. It is an understatement to say Schmidt knows how to work with the beauty of words and to weave a masterful story that stays with the reader long after the last page is finished.

This is much more than a coming of age tale of young eighth grade Doug Swieteck. It is in fact a complicated story which deals with the heavy issues of an alcoholic father (I had one of those), a passive mother, the loneliness of moving to another town and finding it difficult to adjust when you are blamed wrongly by the town folk and your teachers for the dysfunction of your family.

It is also a tale of hope and the search for wholeness. It is a tale of the need to protect oneself from outside forces that are out of your locus of control. It is a tale of trying to survive in a hostile environment of a new school, an alcoholic father, a brother who is acting out and another brother who returns from the nastiness of Vietnam emotionally maimed and physically crippled.

Upon his arrival back to the United States, the anti war crusaders pummel and spit at Doug's crippled brother in his helplessness much like the teachers originally treat Doug. Both were placed in out of control situations of which they had no power or choice.

One might wonder how Gary Schmidt accomplished so much within a mere 360 pages, the answer is the book is timeless and anyone who has been impacted by even one of these issues, will rapidly relate to young Doug.

And, those of us who find solace in the love of books, will particularly embrace the fact that one of Doug's saving graces is found in the local public library where he finds art in the form of a rare book filled with original plates of Audubon birds. A wonderful, kind, elderly librarian opens the world of symbolism in art and develops Doug's artistic abilities to draw the birds.

Sadly, the town is selling the Audubon plates one by one, and through wit and calculation, Doug determinately tracks down the plates and creatively finds the way to return them back to the original book. Thus, the marvelous theme of wholeness is woven intimately with Doug's search to overcome a terrible childhood in an attempt to get things in their rightful place.

Doug finds a young soul mate who regularly visits the library and through this spunky young lady, Doug learns to trust and heal.

With the backdrop of the turbulent 1960's when Vietnam was raging and when America was forging the brave frontier of space travel, Schmidt deftly weaves the agitated, violent forces occurring with a nation in a senseless war and a lonely child tempest torn like an Audubon tern trying to stay afloat amid chaos and the longing for hope in a brave new world.

HIGHLY recommended! show less

After reading and loving multiple stories by Schmidt, I decided that when I had the chance, I’d collect whatever of his books I could find when thrift shopping. Lizzie Bright is a book I picked up at one stage, but unfortunately, my first copy had a lot of distracting annotations in it, so I wasn’t able to get into the story. Eventually, I found another annotation-free copy, and got to enjoy it.

In my opinion, this isn’t one of Schmidt’s best books, but there was much to love in these show more pages anyway!

Schmidt does an excellent job of striking a balance between humor and gravity. This story as a whole is generally sad and/or hard, but I found myself laughing even when the situation was difficult because of the masterful way Schmidt told the story.

For example, I was tickled in the first few pages when Turner first thinks about “lighting out for the Territories”. That’s a phrase that appears multiple times through the book, and always at just the right time—it’s a ludicrous thought, but something that helped Turner get through a difficult situation, and it was perfect for the story. Or there’s the old lady who is determined to have the grandest-ever last words; it’s a theme throughout the book, and the resolution to that one was surprising and hilarious!

Other parts of this book aren’t so easy. Lizzie’s story is heartbreaking, and I loved watching her befriend Turner even though she and her family were going through a rough time. The racism she and her community experienced was terrible, and Schmidt does a great job at showing us the effects of racism not just on those who receive the injustice, but also on those who embrace wrong attitudes.

If you’re looking for a gripping, heart-touching historical read that will make you think, I’d recommend you read this book. It’s an unusual story, and not the easiest to read, but well worth taking the time for. Also, be sure to read the author’s note at the end—I found it fascinating to see how he used historical facts as the framework for this story. show less