We last saw Doug in The Wednesday Wars, a 2008 Newbery Honor Book, when the focus was on Holling Hoodhood. When Doug's father mouths off at work he gets canned and the family is forced to move to Marysville, New York. Or as Doug calls it - The Dump.
The year is 1968, the Vietnam war is waging and his older brother Lucas is overseas fighting. There is also fighting at home as everyone tries to watch out for his father's fast temper and even faster fists.
Despite being sure that he was going to hate Marysville, Doug makes some important new friends that will change his life forever.
Schmidt tackles big issues in an approachable way - an unpopular war, domestic violence, illiteracy, budget deficits and major illnesses. But it is the character of Doug that pulls the reader through his experiences and wants him to succeed even when others are doing their best to make sure he fails.
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