Abstract
Reviewed by: Small Steps Deborah Stevenson Sachar, Louis Small Steps. Delacorte, 2006257p Library ed. ISBN 0-385-90333-2$19.99 Trade ed. ISBN 0-385-73314-3$16.95 R Gr. 7-12 Having been freed from the confines of Camp Green Lake (see Holes, BCCB 9/98), Armpit is now struggling to put his life in orthodox order, turning his digging experience into gain by working for a landscaper; he's also trying to win his family's respect and enjoying the staunch support of his ten-year-old neighbor and probably best friend, Ginny, who has cerebral palsy. When Armpit's old Green Lake chum, X-Ray, talks a reluctant Armpit into a ticket-scalping plan, it's not surprising that the plan goes awry, but it is surprising that Armpit and Ginny get to meet teen singing sensation Kaira DeLeon as a result. Armpit is further astonished when he and Kaira embark on a tentative romance, but his joy at the possibilities with Kaira are tempered by his worry about the consequences of his ticket scalping, a matter of concern to both the police and some angry competitors. This is less a sequel to Holes than a novel that overlaps with that story's consequences; as such, it's a compelling tale of an underdog who may never be able to surmount his darker history. With his matter-of-fact friendship with Ginny, commitment to hard work, and struggle against his parents' suspicion, Armpit is a deeply sympathetic hero, so much so that readers will groan at the obvious ensuing disaster when he gets sucked in to X-Ray's shady schemes. Sachar's plot displays his trademark neat three-dimensional geometry as Armpit's slide into legal trouble intersects with Kaira's becoming the victim of her stepfather/manager's embezzlement and, ultimately, murder attempt, and readers will also relish the fairy-tale pleasures of Armpit's victory over his past and his adversaries and his winning of the fair damsel. Solid drama, well-crafted prose, and a hero to root for make this a gratifying read for fans of Sachar, Spinelli, and their ilk. Copyright © 2006 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
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