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Summary and Reviews of Small Steps by Louis Sachar

Small Steps by Louis Sachar

Small Steps

by Louis Sachar
  • BookBrowse Review:
  • Critics' Consensus (6):
  • Readers' Rating (34):
  • First Published:
  • Jan 10, 2006, 272 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Jan 2008, 288 pages
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About This Book

Book Summary

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.

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Reviews

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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

Full Review (307 words)

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(Reviewed by BookBrowse Review Team).

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Beyond the Book



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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