Iowa Teen Award
2016 · Young Adult · Nominee
About This Book
As a fourteen-year-old who just moved to a new town, with no friends and a louse for an older brother, Doug Swieteck has all the stats stacked against him. So begins a coming-of-age masterwork full of equal parts comedy and tragedy from Newbery Honor winner Gary D. Schmidt. As Doug struggles to be more than the "skinny thug" that his teachers and the police think him to be, he finds an unlikely ally in Lil Spicer—a fiery young lady who "smelled like daisies would smell if they were growing in a big field under a clearing sky after a rain." In Lil, Doug finds the strength to endure an abusive father, the suspicions of a whole town, and the return of his oldest brother, forever scarred, from Vietnam. Together, they find a safe haven in the local library, inspiration in learning about the plates of John James Audubon's birds, and a hilarious adventure on a Broadway stage. In this stunning novel, Schmidt expertly weaves multiple themes of loss and recovery in a story teeming with distinctive, unusual characters and invaluable lessons about love, creativity, and survival.
Awards
Georgia Children's Book Award
2014 · Children's Book (Grades 4 - 8) · Nominee
Golden Archer Award
2014 · Middle/Junior High · Nominee
Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award
2014 · Grades 6-8 · Nominee
Nevada Young Readers' Award
2014 · Intermediate · Nominee
Nutmeg Book Award
2014 · Teen · Nominee
Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award
2014 · Grades 4-8 · Nominee
Sequoyah Book Award
2014 · Intermediate · Winner
Sunshine State Young Reader's Award
2014 · Grades 6-8 · Nominee
Virginia Readers Choice Award
2014 · Middle School · Nominee
William Allen White Childens Book Award
2014 · Grades 6-8 · Nominee
Young Hoosier Book Award
2014 · Middle Grades · Nominee
Young Reader's Choice Award
2014 · Intermediate/Grades 7-9 · Nominee
Beehive Award
2013 · Young Adult · Nominee
Buckeye Children's Book Award
2013 · Grades 6-8 · Nominee
Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award
2013 · Children's · Nominee
Grand Canyon Reader Award
2013 · Tween · Nominee
Kentucky Bluegrass Award
2013 · Grades 6-8 · Nominee
Keystone to Reading Book Award
2013 · Middle School · Nominee
Rhode Island Teen Book Award
2013 · Ages 12 & Up · Nominee
South Carolina Childrens, Junior and Young Adult Book Award
2013 · Junior Book · Nominee
Volunteer State Book Award
2013 · High School · Nominee
Volunteer State Book Award
2013 · Middle School · Nominee
Black-Eyed Susan Award
2012 · Grades 6-9 · Nominee
Capitol Choices: Noteworthy Books for Children and Teens
2012 · Ten to Fourteen · Recommended
Isinglass Teen Read Award
2012 · Grades 6-8 · Nominee
Jefferson Cup
2012 · Young Adult · Winner
Land of Enchantment Book Award
2012 · Young Adult · Nominee
Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production
2012 · Audiobook · Honor Book
Texas Lone Star Reading List
2012 · Young Adult · Commended
Audies
2012 · Teen · Finalist
National Book Award
2011 · Young People's Literature · Finalist
