As Ever, Gordy Book

Gordy’s life seemed to be on the right track—until he had to move back to his hometown, where everybody knows his family’s troubled history. The principal at Gordy’s school immediately has it in for him, his old pals encourage him to cause trouble, and his one-time nemesis, Elizabeth, hates him more than ever. It seems to Gordy as though the whole world is against him. Will he slip back into his old ways, or will he be able to keep growing into the successful person he was striving to become?

VOYA

This sequel to Stepping on the Cracks (Clarion, 1991) and Following My Own Footsteps (Clarion, 1996) is set just after World War II. For the past three years, things had been going pretty well for thirteen-year-old Gordy Smith. Gordy and his younger sister, June, were living with their grandmother in North Carolina after their mother, three little brothers, and abusive father left for California without them. During that time, Grandma managed to get Gordy's poor behavior on track, and a new school and friends gave him a chance at a fresh start. All this changes when Grandma dies suddenly.

Gordy and June, who have no idea where their parents are, are forced to move back to their old town in Maryland to live with their married older brother, Stu. Once there, Gordy finds himself again lashing out at the world while trying to get a girl, his old enemy "Lizard," to like him. The problem is, Gordy's negative behavior has the opposite effect. His old buddies Toad and Doug are no help, and before he knows it, Gordy finds himself in all sorts of trouble. Through intervention by caring adults in his life, Gordy manages to get his problems ironed out and his anger under control.

The dialogue, language, and situations are realistic and the characters are well drawn. Unfortunately, the cover on As Ever, Gordy is inaccurate and less attractive than those on the first two. Even though this book could stand alone, reading the previous ones first would be a plus.

VOYA Codes: 5Q 3P M J (Hard to imagine it being better written, Will appeal with pushing, Middle School-defined as grades 6 to 8 and Junior High-defined as grades 7 to 9).