Springville Library Kids' Book Nook

Small Steps

Small Steps by Louis Sachar carries on the story of the character Armpit from Sachar’s Newberry award winning book Holes . However, beyond the character’s continuation in this book, the two books have little in common. While both books are charming, they are charming in very different ways. Small Steps is written around the idea that Armpit should take small and realistic steps to succeed in his life. It is a boy-growing-up book rather than the fast paced adventure that Holes was. Because of this Small Steps may be more appropriate for a group a couple of years older than the readers of Holes with a higher patience level for the slower parts of the book.Small Steps also includes some material that would be more appropriate for an older teenage group. It has some very brief discussion of more adult topics and brief language.The story is set up in Austin, Texas where Armpit is trying to get himself back into a normal life. He has befriended a young girl with cerebral palsy. Armpit’s care for this girl adds to the story general feeling of Armpit being a genuinely good kid.Overall, Small Steps is a pretty good teenage drama/coming of age –ish story, but isn’t one of Sachar’s best works.