Iris is an orphan, sent to live with her aunt and cousin. From the beginning, Iris struggles to fit in with her new life. Her only comfort comes from her aunt’s goats, for which Iris is responsible. Things go from bad to worse when Iris’ aunt threatens the goats, and Iris determines to take a stand to protect them.

The suspense of this book just about killed me. From the opening pages, you know what will happen to Iris, but not how she gets to that point. For the rest of the book, you are left anticipating the worst. While the plot was engrossing, there were points throughout the book when it became too intense for me and I had to put the book down for awhile. Overall, it was a great story and I was inspired by Iris’ courage and resilience.

Schmidt has done it again. He wrote a book about a seventh grade bully that I, a 30-something mother of 2, could not put down. Somehow, Schmidt managed to tie the Vietnam War, an alcoholic father, the Apollo space missions, Audubon’s Birds of America, a playwright, a grocery store and the library into an amazing story of friendship, overcoming obstacles, and standing up for yourself. If you (and your kids) need to pick just one book to read this summer, choose Okay For Now.

Abby Johnson was passionate about helping women in crisis, and served as the director of her local Planned Parenthood clinic. Although she worked at Planned Parenthood, Abby truly disliked abortion, and made it her goal to reduce the number of women who needed to receive abortions. Then, Abby witnessed an ultra-sound guided abortion at her own clinic, and instantly knew that things would never be the same for her again.

I could not put this book down. From the opening chapters, I was drawn into Abby’s story. She tells her story honestly, and points out the good and the bad in both the pro-choice and pro-life movements. It was amazing to see how God worked in her life to bring about change for the good, and how God used the faithful prayers of believers to reach out to Abby. It was eye-opening to read about how some in the pro-life movement have been so hurtful to the very women they proclaim to be helping. If you are truly sincere in wanting to end abortion in this country, Abby’s story is one you must read.