Step on a Crack

by Mary Anderson

Step on a crack, break your mother's back

Sarah has a super mom. In fact, she has just about everything a girl could ask for: looks, brains, popularity, a happy home and plenty of spending money. So why does she dream of murdering her mother?

The nightmare is always the same. And it's so strong it holds her in its grip throughout the next day until she is driven to steal something - one special item that attracts her irresistibly. But why?

Now her eccentric aunt Kat, a relative Sarah has never met, has come for a visit. And suddenly the nightmares get worse. Sarah starts sleepwalking, she feels herself losing control. That's when her extra-brainy friend Josie steps in...and together they discover the amazing, tormenting secret locked in Sarah's past.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Audiobook, Suspense, Teen

180 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author with this name in the Goodreads database.

Born in 1939, Mary Anderson is an American author of mystery novels for children and young adults.

Reviews

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first time I read this was in 1985 or 86, and it stuck with me so much that I had to hunt it down and reread it. I've done this with a few books, and while I still thought the story was wonderfully laid out, knowing exactly where it was going took a lot out of it. However, the fact that after 25 years I vividly remembered exactly where it was going, almost every twist and turn, from having read it when I was in 6th grade has to be some sort of a testament to just how much the book took hold.

It was an interesting introduction a to the mystery genre, before I even realized that's quite what it was (not just a typical "parent issues" YA novel) - the clues are nicely laid out for you, but not so obvious you realize from page 5 whodunnit (or in this case, what-was-dun).

I was most surprised at how little of it felt dated. Okay, shopping for a "pants suit" might have done it slightly, but the book was already just republished from a 1978 release when I read it in the 80s, and still most of it felt realistic to this day. Some of the science around psychology has changed a bit, of course, but if you can step beyond that, it doesn't really alter the story much.

[Papercuts1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Xe Sands and BECAUSE of Xe Sands. After tweeting back and forth with her for a while, I was curious to listen to a full book carried by her exceptional voice.

The story itself is interesting: A teenage girl troubled by a recurring, frightening nightmare which she tries to figure out with a smart, over-ambitious classmate instead of seeking professional help. The book is a warning of amateur psychology, and I also see it as encouragement for troubled youths to turn to a specialist instead of dealing with psychological problems themselves.

Writing-wise, the book is typically YA - a quick and easy read, focussing on the typically insecure and blasé teens. Even Kat, Sarah's aunt, appears remarkably immature (but we find out why eventually).
For me as an adult, the writing was a bit flat and patchy, lacking the exploratory depth I like in books.

The ending, though, came as a surprise: Frightening, with the shudder-inducing appeal of a ghost story in places. Certainly more sinister in its resolution than expected.

Xe Sands didn't disappoint my expectations. I knew she had a voice for mystery, for drama. There is a husky, cool velvet quality to her manner of speaking that befits stories with dark aspects. But I was positively surprised how well Xe also mastered the naive, arrogant teenage way of talking. Their haughty ennui, their giggly silliness - she was on top of all of that.

The story itself probably would've captured me more if I'd read this as a teenager (and this is what it's for!), but the narration certainly was worth the time spent listening to this audiobook.

[AudioBookFans · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing audiobook! Step on a Crack by Mary Anderson was originally published in 1978 by Atheneum Books and is making a comeback after the recent audio production by Iambik Audio.

This novel opens the flood gates into the mind of a teenage girl with a dark past. Sarah lives a wonderful life with her parents and only has two secrets. She has horrible nightmares about murdering her mother and after the nightmares, she steals. Nothing important, nothing fancy. The items Sarah “has” to steal to make the nightmares go away for awhile. It might be a scarf, a box of colored pencils or something similar. She always has the money to purchase the things but she has to steal them. Stealing seems to push the nightmares further away.

This is my second listen for narrator Xe Sands. What an outstanding job! I loved the narration of Sarah and Josie. Even though they’re both teenage girls, she gave them both such different voices. Sarah sounded so much more mature while Josie had a sweet, innocent tone. Sands’ narration brought this novel to life!

Check out my FULL review at www.audiobookfans.com

[Andria · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars for the lasting impact it had on my life. I was probably 7 or 8 years old the first time I read this book. So much of it went over my small head, but the fragmented parts that did get in there took root and haunted me for two decades. When I became a YA librarian and had reference skills and sources, I set about trying to find it again. No easy task, because all I remembered was spiky iron bars imprisoning a terrified child, and, ironically, a theme of repressed and recovered memories. But there's a lot going on here, way more than can comfortably fit in such a relatively short book. There are Alice in Wonderland references, recurring nightmares of matricide, kleptomania, child abuse, Abnormal Psychology textbooks, sleepwalking, family secrets, visits to libraries, museums, and even a psychic in search of clues, and did I mention an unreliable narrator? (Oh, and also frequent use of the word "gypsy" to mean "Stevie Nicks-ish," which is not cool and is one of many ways this book is sadly dated.) Basically, this is Gillian Flynn for 1970s teens. I'm still drawn to the same kind of stories today.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this at least half a dozen times when I was a kid. I recently saw the audio version offered super-cheap on Amazon so I decided to revisit the old days.

This is a teenage psychological thriller, a bit dated now. Sarah adores her mother, but all her life she's had dreams where her mother dies--by Sarah's own hand. The dreams are accompanied by bizarre behaviour: after she has one of the dreams Sarah has to shoplift. Normally a well-behaved kid, Sarah hates the shoplifting and is troubled by her dreams. Her friend Josie, an amateur psychiatrist, starts to explore Sarah's psyche...and that's when things really start to get weird.

The audiobook reader, Xe Sands, was wonderful. She brought a whole new depth to the book, breathing life into the characters and heightening the tension in the dramatic scenes.

Despite the tension and the wonderful reader, the book hasn't aged well. Although they think of themselves as normal, Sarah's family is wealthy by today's standards even though Sarah's mother has decided to forego a lucrative career in order to raise her daughter. Sarah has plenty of pocket money to buy whatever she wants (her reason for hating her shoplifting habit) and although her family can't afford to go to Europe like Sarah's friends, they're just going to spend the whole summer in their vacation home on Fire Island. It's hard to remember (or believe) that there was a time when everyone had money to spend and three-month vacations in a second home were normal. And Sarah is firmly (and amusingly) a member of the Me Generation (as opposed to the Suck It Up generation that came before her or the Nobody Cares generation that came after): everything that was done to her as a child--every single teeny tiny thing--is significant and had an impact on the rest of her life.

3.5 stars. Good for its time but I think teens today would have a hard time relating.

[MissSusie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one grabbed me from the first sentence, “Does a person know when they are going crazy?” Sarah thinks that because she keeps having nightmares about killing her mother but her nightmares have elements of Alice in Wonderland to them, every time she has these nightmares she shoplifts something the next day and now she is also sleepwalking. The dreams themselves were interesting to me of how your subconscious uses something familiar like the Alice in Wonderland story to try to help you deal with things you’d rather forget.

I think I may have read this book years ago, but I still enjoyed this story very much, even though I did figure out one thing the actual reveal was more than I was expecting it to be. This is also a story of sisters and family and friendship since Sarah’s friend Jessie tries to help her find out the root of her nightmares. I really enjoyed this book.

Audio production: Xe Sands narrated this with perfect inflection in all the voices I never wondered who was talking; she made each character unique and true to their personality. I was impressed by the narration as it enhanced this story very much. I will definitely be listening to more by Xe Sands!

I highly recommend this book and give the audiobook a try you won’t be disappointed!

4 ½ Stars

[Lisa Houlihan]

There's this thing called the Internet now, and I looked up the fenced-in grave. The Amiable Child Monument does exist (http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park...).

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the big secret was predictable, this was an enjoyable mystery about the girl's past and the details were pretty interesting.

[Jennifer D · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had just recently heard about this book, so I went ahead and read it. It wasn't terrible, but I knew what had happened nearly from the first few chapters, which left little suspense at the end when the secret is revealed. It was hard for me to believe that such a little girl could have such a strong memory. I can see remembering the main event, but not all the little details. The entire research the girls did made no sense at all. The only real evidence was an a fortunate accident, in finding the drawing of the mansion. Anyway, I know a lot of people love this, and if I had read it when I was younger, it probably would be really well done. It was a nice enjoyable read, that I'll probably soon forget about.

[Toni Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book helped me through my mom's death and fueled my love for Alice in wonderland. It also spiked my interest in psychology. I lost a lot of my favorite books when moving from family to family as a kid and I forgot the title and author of this book. It took a few years of searching to find this book and all I needed was the Aunt's name and the Alice in Wonderland reference to find it. So glad I did!

[Layne]

I first read this, probably when it came out in 1978, and found it again. The story actually keeps up with the times, and it's interesting to see how things have changed as far as kids having personal freedom. Kids could leave for the day, WITHOUT AN ADULT OR A CELL PHONE, and would actually make it home alive!

[Kerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this back when I was in elementary school. Then a couple weeks ago someone on "what was that book" jogged my memory and I decided I wanted to read it again. Fairly interesting, a little dated. I guess it's interesting and scary to a kid, but to me as a grownup it was just OK.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just remembered this book which I read many years ago and I loved it. I actually would read it again. I forget when I exactly read it but I think I was in high school or shortly thereafter.

[Betsie Bush · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nostalgia from my childhood.

[Asra Nolan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this when I in Junior High and did a book report on it it is a very good book.

[Stacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I LOVED this book when I was in middle school and I am not sure how I feel about it now. I was supremely annoyed by the misspelling of "pored" and worse, "its!" Come on proofreader!

[Stephanie Pieck · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novel follows Sarah Carpenter as she discovers painful secrets about her family. The plot was interesting, but the dialogue was stilted and the plot a little too convenient in places. It was still an enjoyable diversion for a chilly November night.

[Ashley Pangilinan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unexpected plot twist. Her aunt turns out to be "mother".

[Cole · Rating 1 out of 5]

Having just finished this book, I have to say, the utter and complete garbage that is the final third takes what is any otherwise predictable and decent if not great story and demolishes it. Not only will you most likely guess the largest plot point by approximately half way if not sooner, you then get to deal with SEVERE childhood physical and emotional abuse and neglect 1) being excused by as well as on behalf of the abuser 2) implicated that the child the abuse was perpetrated against has some responsibility in it ("all victims of victims, none of us villans" < BS!). And of course the child should have daydreams about rebuilding a relationship with their abuser now cause ...seriously?