Kristen's Reading Nook
I'm currently obtaining my masters in Library Science and Information from the University of Alabama. I graduated from Texas A&M in 2006, and have been teaching and coaching ever since. I love reading new books, and finding books that I can share with my students. I read a little bit of everything, but a large majortity of that is YA and Classics (or anything else that interest me when I pick it up).
Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt
(This review is written for a grad school assignment.)
It's 1968, and Doug Swieteck just moved to a new town with his family. Doug has a very volatile home life; with a violent father who flies off the handle at the littlest things, a bully older brother recently accused of committing a crime, and an eldest brother recently returning home injured from the Vietnam War. The only thing helping Doug fight the negative attitudes people have for himself is drawing copies of the book of Audubon prints at the public library, and befriending a feisty girl from class, named Lil Spencer.
You instantly feel protective of Doug because he struggles with reading, and the fact that adult seem to be very distrusting of him. Doug's voice and tone make him instantly relatable, and make you understand exactly what is important to him. This is a very serious book, but there are a lot of humorous moments that will make the reader laugh out loud. The book has the similar quirky writing style as the book The Wednesday Wars, but much heavier in tone. This books is one of those inspirational stories that shows the impact of giving a person a chance, and how that can empower them. This is one of those few books, that I feel like everyone should read.
