Following My Own Footsteps [Hardcover]

Mary Downing Hahn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 16, 1996

In this companion story to the award-winning "Stepping on the Cracks," tough-talking Gordy Smith comes to grips with the fear that he'll turn out no better than his abusive father.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

As World War II rages in Europe, there are battles closer to home for sixth-grader Gordy, even after his physically and verbally abusive, alcoholic father is put behind bars. Gordy knows his family is a mess?as readers of Stepping on the Cracks will remember, his four younger siblings are like "puppies nobody'd bothered to train," one of his older brothers has deserted the Army, and his mother has become "dull and vacant." Still, the feisty protagonist is quick to defend them in front of his prim (and wealthy) grandmother when the family moves from Maryland into her house in North Carolina. Before long Gordy wonders if the new clothes and regular meals provided by his grandmother are enough to change his life?especially when his mother decides to give her husband a second chance. While some elements of the plot are predictable if not overdramatized, the complex characterizations, period setting and Gordy's brave attempts to break a cycle of violence will hold readers' interest. Ages 10-14.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6-Sixth-grader Gordy Smith flees College Park, MD, with his mother and younger siblings to escape an abusive, alcoholic father, seeking refuge with his affluent maternal grandmother in Grandville, NC. Always an outsider, the boy protects himself from rejection with a veneer of insolence and pugnacity, bragging about his brother Donny who is fighting the Nazis in Germany. He jeopardizes his only friendship when he tries a dangerous experiment to get the boy, a fatherless polio victim, to walk. Donny's return from the war brings further disillusionment when the young man shares his horrible experiences and falls short of Gordy's expectations of a conquering hero. When their father arrives to reclaim his family, Gordy refuses to fall back into the old pattern of violence, choosing instead the uncertain security of remaining with his grandmother. The story is absorbing and, for the most part, believable, and details of the period are accurate. But Gordy's first-person narrative renders characterization incomplete, and readers are left with some stereotypes, particularly of the boy's parents. The writing is uneven, and particularly jarring is the repetition of the phrase "the old man" (as Gordy calls his father) as often as seven times on one page. References to Gordy's brother Stu raise questions that are unresolved here. Readers of Hahn's Stepping on the Cracks (Clarion, 1991), a companion to this book, do know Stu's fate, however, and will be interested in Gordy's story despite its flaws.
Marie Orlando, Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Clarion Books; None edition (August 16, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395764777
• ISBN-13: 978-0395764770
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,119,294 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Mary Downing Hahn, a former children's librarian, is the award-winning author of many popular ghost stories, including Deep and Dark and Dangerous and The Old Willis Place. An avid reader, traveler, and all-around arts lover, Ms. Hahn lives in Columbia, Maryland, with her two cats, Oscar and Rufus.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Following In My Own Footsteps, February 13, 2004

By 

Sunni (Mississippi) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Following My Own Footsteps (Paperback)

This book was awesome. It was set in the time of World War two
and the details of this book grabs you into the story, and you dont want to put it down. It gives the mind to think of the other people in the world who do get abused like the family in this book. It also gives a bit of history about the president Roosevelt and how the war began/ended. This book is a must read book to anyone who come across it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Book Was Great!!, December 26, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Following My Own Footsteps (Paperback)

If you liked Stepping on the Cracks, this is the book for you!! When Gordy's family moves in with his Grandmother, Gordy acts tough, but when he meets William, things start to unwind and Gordy realizes that it's time to change his attitude!! This is a great book for all ages because it teaches you something!! A MUST READER!!

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book!, October 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Following My Own Footsteps (Paperback)

If you like to read about how people change from being snotty, to actually helping someone, this is the book for you. There are just so many great things about this book, that it's hard to decide where to start. Gordy has trouble fitting in at his wealthy grandmother's house, until he meets the boy next door. The boy next door has strict limitations, and is in a wheelchair. Gordy thinks that the boy's mother is babying him, and when he tries to do something, he just makes it worse. His VERY abusive father ends up coming back later in the story, so read the book if you want to know more. This is definitly a must read!!!