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Book Reviewed by:Two years after being released from Camp Green Lake, Armpit is home in Austin, Texas, trying to turn his life around. But it’s hard when you have a record, and everyone expects the worst from you. The only person who believes in him is Ginny, his 10-year old disabled neighbor. Together, they are learning to take small steps. And he seems to be on the right path, until X-Ray, a buddy from Camp Green Lake, comes up with a get-rich-quick scheme. This leads to a chance encounter with teen pop sensation, Kaira DeLeon, and suddenly his life spins out of control, with only one thing for certain. He’ll never be the same again.
In his first major novel since Holes, critically acclaimed novelist Louis Sachar uses his signature wit combined with a unique blend of adventure and deeply felt characters to explore issues of race, the nature of celebrity, the invisible connections that determine a person’s life, and what it takes to stay on course. Doing the right thing is never a wrong choice – but a small step in the right direction.
If you're looking for a book for a 5th grader or older and he/she has not read Holes, we recommend it enthusiastically, especially for boys. If Holes has been read and enjoyed, go out and get Small Steps. Serious fans might also want to get their hands on a copy of Stanley Yelnat's Survival Guide to Camp Green Lake, which Sachar wrote shortly after Holes...continued
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(Reviewed by BookBrowse Review Team).
When asked why, of all the characters
from Holes, he chose to revisit
Armpit, Louis Sacher (pronounced loo-is sack-er) replies, "I tend to write
about underdogs. It seemed to me that
life would be tough for an
African-American teenager from a
low-income family with a criminal
record. Especially someone stuck with
the name, "Armpit."
He says, "I never talk
about a book until it is finished. It
took me a year and a half to write
Holes, and I never told anyone
anything about it during all that time.
I do this for a variety of reasons, but
...
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If you liked Small Steps, try these:
As Easy as Falling Off the Face of the Earth
by Lynne Rae Perkins
Published 2012
Train. Car. Plane. Boat. Feet.
He'll get there.
Won't he?
The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin
by Josh Berk
Published 2011
Those who prefer their heroes to be not-so-usual and with a side of wiseguy will gobble up this witty, geeks-rule debut.
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