but Please Ignore Vera Dietz and How to Save a Life proved that I just needed to find the novels that dealt with it in a way I could appreciate. As a rule, I tend to avoid like the plague young adult books that are about dealing with the death of a loved one or teenage pregnancy.

I used to say I didn't like the traditional or 'high' fantasy genre, and then Megan Whalen Turner and Melina Marchetta proved that I had actually just not found the right brand of traditional fantasy to suit me. My favourite books are always those that prove me wrong, that break my own rules. Who would have thought that the public library would turn out to be a refuge and an inspiration, that a snooty librarian might be a friend, or that snarky redheaded Lil would like him-really like him? With more than his share of pain, including the return of his oldest brother from the Vietnam War, shattered and angry, will Doug find anything better than 'okay for now'? Newly arrived in town, he starts out on the same path-antagonizing other kids, mouthing off to teachers, contemptuous of everything intimidating or unfamiliar. Teachers and police and his relatives think he's worthless, and he believes them, holding others at arm's length. Schmidt expertly blends comedy and tragedy in the story of Doug Swieteck, an unhappy 'teenage thug' first introduced in The Wednesday Wars, who finds consolation and a sense of possibility in friendship and art.Īt once heartbreaking and hopeful, this absorbing novel centers on Doug, 13, who has an abusive father, a bully for a brother, a bad reputation, and shameful secrets to keep. Doug's journey to self-acceptance isn't a straight one, and several times he proves his theory that 'when things start to go pretty good, something usually happens to turn everything bad,' but readers will root for him even when he stops rooting for himself.Beloved author Gary D. When Doug says, about the first Audubon painting he sees, 'This bird was falling and there wasn't a single thing in the world that cared at all,' it's clear he's talking about himself as much as he is the Arctic tern.

Doug's artistic efforts parallel his struggles to fit into the town and rise above the preconceptions people have about his family. Following her into the library, he finds the works of Audubon on display and befriends a librarian, who coaxes him to try drawing. Lil challenges him to prove he is not the 'skinny thug' everyone assumes he is. Schmidt's Newbery Honor-winning Wednesday Wars) and his family move to a small town in upstate New York after his bad-tempered father loses his job, Doug immediately dubs the town 'stupid.' After he meets local girl Lil, everything changes. When eighth grader Doug Swietek (who was a secondary character in author Gary D.

It's 1968 during the height of the Vietnam War, with the first lunar landing on the horizon.

Okay for now book