Okay for Now / Gary D. Schmidt / 360 pages / Notable Children's Book - Older Grades

Doug Swieteck is an endearing 14 year old with plenty of problems.  His older brother is a jerk and, potentially, a juvenile delinquent.  His father is verbally and physically abusive.  Doug has difficulty reading and hates school.  When his family moves to Maryville, New York and Doug is the new kid in school, things go from bad to worse.  His delivery job for the local grocery store is his salvation.  This was great in audio because Gary Schmidt writes as if Doug is having a conversation with the reader.  The book has great tie-ins with James Audubon's birds, Jane Eyre, the Viet Nam era, and the importance of libraries and friends.