NPR and Gary Schmidt's Okay for Now

Hey, Kids!

I just heard that Gary Schmidt's Okay for Now is going to be NPR's next Backseat Book Club selection!  WooHoo!  I know, too many exclamation points, but how exciting is this?  What a great way to share this amazing book with a whole NATION!

Gary has long been one of my favorite authors and Okay for Now is just a brilliant book about friendship and abuse, being lost and being found, and knowing that heroes are made in the simple act of getting out of bed and setting a foot to the ground.  Sometimes, just facing another day like the last one is the bravest thing you can do.

Gary came to the Pacific Northwest in 2011 where we welcomed him to Third Place Books.  He held the adults in the room firmly in the palms of his hands.  Tears were shed, gasps were heard, books were signed.

Then next day, I got to watch him work his magic with school libraries filled with kids, most of whom were familiar with his work, all of whom were mesmerized by his stories.

There are a couple of blog posts with more information about Gary's trip to Seattle here and here if you'd like know more about him and his books.

I am thrilled to be a small part of sharing Gary's books with more people.  I was asked to encourage you all to submit questions for the interview with Gary on NPR's All Things Considered which will air at the end of February.  NPR's website is http://n.pr/US2QSs and you can leave questions or thoughts there.

NPR will be tweeting about Okay for Now between now and the end of February, sharing your favorite moments and quotes from the book at hashtag #OK4NOW.  Okay for Now's Twitter handle is @HMHKids (and NPR's is @NPRBackseat).  The publisher will be offering books for giveaway, the paperback edition is on its way! 

If you haven't read anything by Gary Schmidt, especially The Wednesday Wars and the Okay for Now, please run out to your bookstore or library now and bring one home to read.  Share it with your kids.  You won't be sorry you did and you can be a part of the Gary Schmidt book community!  Hey, this is like being part of a national book read, like the all-city reads so many towns have started.  How cool is it that we can all be a part of a NATIONAL book group!

Okay, get out there and read, people!