The Missing Drawing of the Arctic Tern

Each Chapter in Okay for Now involved one drawing of the Bird of America that Doug imitated. It is the most amazing part in the novel that Doug transformed the power of the drawing over his disaster, or loss, or love, or even survival.

Take the Arctic Tern for example, it was the first drawing Doug saw in the public library. At that time he just moved to this new place with his parents which seemed awful for a boy. Everything and everyone is strange to him until he met Lil and happened to see the birds of Audubon's book.

When he saw it he couldn't take his eyes off it.
"He was all alone, and he looked like he was falling out of he sky and into this cold green sea.... His eye was round and bright and afraid,...."
"This bird was falling and there wasn't a single thing in the world that cared at all."
"It was the most terrifying picture I had ever seen."
"The most beautiful."
Doug described the bird as he said about himself terrified in this new town.

At the last chapter, when Doug finished his Arctic Tern, he described the bird the different way like this:
"He was beautiful. He was diving into the water because there was so much for him to find.... He was going to go wherever he wanted to go. And he wasn't alone, you know."
At this time, everything there around him was okay. His father unified with his family members, his brother Christopher was proofed to be innocent, his elder brother Lucas got the job as the coach in the junior school, and Doug received the love and confirmation from the local people and became a good and diligent student at his school. He got the strength from the art and grew up as a whole person.

The Transforming Power of the Novel I've Got!

In this novel, Doug found the "transforming power of art" over his dark times by imitating the drawings in Audubon's Birds of America with the instruction and encouragement of Mr. Powell. 


He accomplished many unbelievable missions like like playing the role of Helen Burns in the Broadway play, keeping his Saturday grocery deliveries no matterhow cold or hot it was, and practicing drawings in the public library, etc. Doug finally grew up and became mentally strong.


After i finished the story, I got the same experiences like Doug in some way. And his strong will and his transforming power of art impress me a lot. 

The group discussion circle is terrific!

At beginning, I only read the novel for my group discussion circle. After I finished chapter one, I couldn't stop to read the next page. The main character, Doug, and his unpredictable met with beautiful girl Lil in the new town attracted me to follow them and to share with them the amazing story hereafter. 

It made me even happier that together with other members in my YA Lit group discussion circle, we shared our understanding, images and predictions with each other. Moreover, we also brought with our questions and had debates from different aspects. I never had this kind of experience at my English classes before. The discussions we had brought me many good understanding and ways of thinking.

Thank you girls, my dear group members!

SURPRISE!!!!

You know what? 


Gary D. Schmidt, the author of Okay for now came to our YA Lit class and gave us a warm and rich speech right this afternoon! I'am not lying! 

He sat right in front of me, smiling and eye-contacting, talked about the ideas he brought into his novels naturally and answered everyone's questions gently with plenty of thoughts and examples. That is just the way I could feel when I was reading his novel. There is no direct comments on the characters or convinces to the readers. What I saw in his novel is full of the characters' behaviors and words that make sense. 

OKAY FOR NOW BY GARY D. SCHMIDT

A interesting book for me to read.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9165406-okay-for-now