He tiptoed down the hall, eased the front door open, and was out. When he pulled on the front gate, he found it locked tight. He quickly slid the ends of his tennis shoes into the oblong squares of the fence. He was over in a few seconds. Freedom at last! He was delirious. He ran to the brick lot that was just across the way from his back door. He would show them; if they didn't want him, he would go to Africa and join up with Tarzan and be lord of the jungle. Or maybe he would go to Arabia and be a foreign legion soldier and fight all them Sheik fellers, and he might even get one of them magic lamps with his own genie. As he worked his way through the brick pile he had a great idea: he would build his own fort, right here in the brick lot. So says Timmy Garvey, the most imaginative kid on the block! Born into a dysfunctional family, Timmy learns to take care of himself and lead an upbeat life. After moving between foster families, Timmy's father, Harold, finally remarries and takes him back in. But Harold has become an abusive man, and his wife can't get away. Timmy and his stepmother work together to avoid Harold and they find a balance of harmony in their united front. As Timmy grows he learns what real life is like, charming all those he meets along the way. Discover how to overcome the most unfortunate childhoods in Johnnie Rye Gibbon's enlightening novel, Barefoot.