Small Steps

Armpit, or Theodore, a character from Holes, is going straight, working hard, saving his money, going to school, getting tested regularly for drugs by his suspicious parents, making friends with the girl next door and generally scaring people by doing nothing but being big and black. X-Ray, another Camp Green Lake alumni, ropes Armpit in to a ticket-scalping scam, not illegal but definitely dodgy, but that doesn't stop it from threatening Armpit's fragile and precarious existence.

Funny, sharp, warm and clever, this is the story of someone trying to keep on the straight and narrow despite the travails and temptations and surprises of modern life. Armpit's a great hero, dogged and down-to-earth and straightforward with a heart as big as show more the planet, but constantly being misunderstood or mistaken, except, perhaps, by his best friend, Ginny. Terrific. show less

Last we saw Armpit, he was digging holes at Camp Green Lake. Now, Armpit (nicknamed for a wasp bite on his armpit) is still digging holes, but now he's getting paid for it, working for a landscaper in his hometown of Austin, TX. Armpit (or Theodore, as he prefers to be called) is trying to straighten his life out after two years of juvie, while everyone is expecting the worst of him. The only person who believes in him is his feisty ten-year-old neighbor Ginny, who has cerebral palsy. He is earning honest money and going to summer school and trying to stay on the straight and narrow. His life is slowly beginning to get back on track when X-Ray, his old buddy from Camp Green Lake, shows up, with a double-your-money ticket-scalping show more scheme. Armpit fronts him the money, and ends up taking Ginny to the concert. An incident at the concert vaults him and Ginny into arms of teen pop star Kaira deLeon - and into more excitement that Armpit expected.

There are certain books that come together perfectly, as if the author has stumbled across the secret - and it is almost certain that, even though they will write other excellent books, they will never hit upon that secret to perfection again. Holes was one of those books, and as such, Small Steps is not. It is, however, quite a good book on its own. It is a quieter book. It lacks the excitement and magic of all the pieces coming together, of a generation-spanning curse and a rags-to-riches happy ending. But it has something possibly much better. Armpit never gets the happily ever after. What he has are the small, more realistic steps on the way to a happy life. He is realistic and world-wise, and even as Sachar keeps telling us that he has violent tendancies (what sent him to Camp Green Lake in the first place) we keep seeing his gentle side. His relationship with Ginny (especially in contrast with his relationship with Kaira) is wonderful to read, and I'd love to read a Ginny-centric book. I especially enjoyed the lack of a happily ever after ending. Armpit is not a character who would be comfortable with a fairy tale ending. Armpit is a character who wants to work his way to a succesful life on the straight and narrow, and as such, he is a character we can sincerely care about and relate to, and cheer for every step of the way. show less

When I added this book to my TBR, I looked no further than "WHAT THERE IS A SEQUEL TO HOLES WHY DID I NOT KNOW THIS" which, honestly, is not great criteria to go by when you are deciding to read a book. Besides, Small Steps is not so much a sequel as it is a companion novel... the two exist very well on their own.

And this book? It was great.

Sevent Things I Loved About Small Steps

1. The racial prejudice is real here - Sachar doesn't shy away form letting you see how people treat Armpit because of his size and skin color. That's quite a bit deal in MG.

2. Ginny, Armpit's 10 y/o neighbor has cerebral palsy and she is *wonderful*.

3. The love story moves too fast and too slow, and ends in a mess. It's perfect for the story, and a lot closer show more to real life than a lot of books show.

4. The X-Ray/Armpit relationship resonates their social hierarchy from Camp Greenlake, and their give take is painful in a good way (because you want Armpit to make healthier choices).

5. Armpit's time at Camp Greenlake shapes a lot of this novel. I really like it when authors commit to stuff like that, instead of acting like it was in a parallel universe.

6. Sploosh makes an appearance and honestly, it just made me chuckle.

7. This book absolutely stands on its own two feet. Like I said, I didn't know what I was getting into, and while I would have been down with a similar story to Holes, that's not what's going on here. Armpit is a very different person than Stanley, and his story reflects a different world.

And four things I wish Small Steps did differently:

1. The loose ends tied up waaaaay too easily. The police investigation honestly ended mostly with a wink and a nod and after doing such a good job following through on other things, this aspect felt very phoned-in.

2. Sachar wanted to tackle a lot of different social and cultural issues here - race, celebrity, disability, socio-economic classes, prejudice against ex-cons, broken families, etc. - that I think he took on too many things for such a small book. I think I would have liked the book better if it was more about Ginny and Armpit.

3. All the family dynamics were awkward... Ginny and her mom only interacted once, Armpit had a closer relationship with his boss than his parents, and Kaira's family dynamic was just a mess.

4. Tatiana's character just seemed... pointless. It would have flowed a little better if she had been either cut, or there was more follow-through after the fallout.

Generally speaking, this is a book worth reading. I wouldn't say it has the strongest plot in the world, but the themes are so strong. The relationship between Armpit and Ginny is so precious - I would love to see a third book (haha 12 years later) just about Ginny. I adored this book, I respect the points Louis Sachar was trying to make, and I'd like to have this one on my shelf. show less

It was hard to follow up Holes, but Sachar has indeed produced another winner. I like how although they share some of the same characters, both books can stand alone on their own quite nicely. Armpit's struggle to stay on the straight and narrow was realistic and his relationship with Ginny was touching. Kiara's life showed the reader the downside of being a teen pop star—although she wasn't a drugged-out nympho train wreck like some real pop stars I know of, her life was not her own, everyone around her was using her and she did not know who she really was. I would highly recommend Small Steps to readers who liked Holes. I think it might be suited to a slightly older age group though, since it's a bit darker.

Kaira is a lonely teen pop star, managed by her controlling stepfather; Theodore (Armpit) Johnson has returned from Camp Green Lake and strives to keep his life together-- he works for a landscaper, takes summer classes, and has a close friendship with his young neighbor, Ginny. However, Armpit's friend X-Ray develops a scheme that, when it goes horribly awry, will bring Kaira and Armpit together when Kaira's life is in terrible danger.

Like its predecessor Holes, this sequel uses good humor and storytelling to confront a number of social issues, including race, class and celebrity culture. Armpit finds himself discriminated against and being treated unfairly by the police because he is a large, African-American man (and even his own show more parents assume he uses drugs). He works digging holes for minimum wage, yet encounters people willing to spend a hundred times that just for concert tickets. However, this sequel lacks the whimsey of Holes (there are no yellow-spotted lizards) and its villain is disappointingly flat and one-dimensional and not as delightfully villainous as the Warden.

Small Steps works alone as a solid teen novel with a riveting plot that does not shy away from difficult issues, however, fans of Holes looking for a similar story may be disappointed. For middle school readers. show less

I loved this sequel to Holes.  It was a great depiction of a young man taking small steps to get his life back on track after his time in juvenile detention.  Sachar really showed how much Armpit had matured from his time at Camp Greenlake and the months after.  He had a lot going for him and some trouble set against him (his old pal X-ray).  But the best part was his relationship with Jenny, a young girl who lives next door with cerebral palsy.  It was amazing to see how his decisions were affected by wanting to be a better man for her.  This was a humorous, character-driven book and I loved  every minute of it!

Armpit is working to get his life together. Going to summer school. He is very honest and nievly thinks others are the same. It doesn't occur to him to look for deception. His friend X-ray leads him into a bad situation.
I love his relationship with Ginny.