Title: Small Steps
Author: Louis Sachar
Type: Fiction
Page Count/Review Word Count: 266
Rating 5/5
This is essentially the sequel to Holes, except instead of following Stanley Yelnats, it follows Armpit. He’s been keeping busy (digging holes of all things) and squirreling away some money, but then his friend X-Ray comes up with an idea about how to make a little money: ticket touting.
Of course, the plan backfires in several fairly spectacular ways, and it also has unexpected consequences for Armpit. At the same time, it’s a coming-of-age story that deals with everything from racism to pushy parents and attempted murder. So there are a lot of complexities here, and while it is I guess somewhere between middle grade and young adult novel, it’s a genuine joy to read.
If you’re looking for “literature” then you might not find it here, but if you just want a good story with a decent message behind it, you need look no further. It was also super sad in places while simultaneously making me feel warm and fuzzy inside. In that respect, it reminds me of both Holes and Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
So would I recommend this? Of course I would, but I’d also recommend picking up Holes first. Both of them are fantastic and Sachar is a fantastic writer, and even before I’d picked this up I knew I wanted to add all of his books to my wish list. Then I picked this up from a charity shop, so I guess it’s a sign. Awesome!
