Following My Own Footsteps — Mary Downing Hahn

The sequel to the award-winning Stepping on the Cracks. “Sometimes heart-rending, sometimes funny, Gordy Smith will prove memorable to all who meet him.” -- Booklist (starred review)
 
In Following My Own Footsteps, sixth-grader Gordy Smith comes to grips with the fear that he'll turn out no better than his abusive father . . .
 
With his father now in jail and one brother hospitalized, Gordy's mother has no choice but to take the family to their wealthy grandmother's house in North Carolina. There Gordy meets William, a boy who had polio and is now wheelchair bound. Though they become friends, Gordy's plans to help William fail spectacularly. Matters only get worse when Gordy's father is released from prison and his mother is poised to give him a second chance. Gordy must decide where he belongs -- with his dysfunctional parents or with the grandma who is more than his match in toughness, in courage, and in love.
 
“A cast of unforgettable characters inhabit this work, seasoned with WW II setting but utterly contemporary in its concerns. Hahn is in top form, proving through Gordy's first-person narration that real love can triumph over all kinds of adversity, and often does.” -- Kirkus Reviews
 
“The complex characterizations, period setting and Gordy's brave attempts to break a cycle of violence will hold readers' interest.” -- Publishers Weekly
 
“It's a timeless social issue really, in any era, of having a dysfunctional abusive parent . . . A very good story showcasing complex friendships, familial relationships, and inner conflict, all set in WW2 America.” -- Cats and Fiction