Customer Reviews
Couldn't Put it Down! 
2008-01-21
This book was amazingly great. It was completely different from Holes. In my opinion I thought it was way better. When I started this book I thought it would be good just like Holes. I was way wrong. It was so much better. I started reading it and I just couldn't put it down. I'm 13 and I loved this book. I think it's a great book for anyone.
Excellent 2008-01-01
When a book is called children's literature or teen literature or young adult literature, that's just the marketing people talking. I've been a Sachar fan for a long time, and he simply writes literature. But as this one has sat upon my bookshelf in hardcover for a year or so, I somehow missed the fact that it was published only a year or so ago. His latest and he's still writing! Yahoo wahoo and yippee skippy! The guy wins so many awards for juvenile writing that I'm too lazy to list them all, but I believe this is his finest effort. I enjoyed it tremendously. If it's not in your library, run to your local bookstore. You will love it.
Small Steps - a must read 2007-12-20
What would you do if an old troublemaking friend of yours offers you a way to make a ton of money? Well in the book Small Steps by Louis Sachar you will follow a teenage boy's story as he goes through the same problem. Theodore Johnson (Armpit) is a teenage boy living in Austin, Texas, and is trying to regain his life after spending a year in a correctional facility when an old friend offers a way to double his money, but he will have to take a risk. He hits some rough spots but will get an adventure along the way.
I enjoyed this fictional sequel to Holes because of the great adventure Armpit finds himself in following a difficult situation. Louis Sachar kept my interest by explaining how Armpit met the young rock star Kaira DeLeon. This book seems more appropriate for a middle school audience or slightly younger. If you want a book that will show you a good time read this book.
Excellent Reading on the Kindle 2007-12-13
This is my 2nd book read on the Kindle, and wow, I really enjoyed it! I've been a fan of Louis Sachar since I discovered the Wayside series 7 years ago and read them to my students who loved them. I read Holes before I saw the movie, and it's one of the very few DVD's that I have.
This book is definitely different than Holes, but different is a good thing. Although the primary characters are black, you wouldn't really know or care about race while reading this book. The writing style of Sachar keeps things neutral, while at the same time, gripping. I found this book much more direct, with much more heart (especially with the character Ginny), and it had a good ending to the book that leaves you smiling.
Fans of Sachar should definitely read this book. It's a bit easier to follow if you have read Holes, but it's not a prerequisite.
L.A. book review 
2007-11-28
Ever wonder what happened to armpit from holes? Small steps by Louis Sachar is the story after Camp Green Lake for Armpit. Small steps is about how Armpit, or Theodore, tries to get back on track after Camp Green Lake.
Theodore tries to do well in school, work, and have a social life. Ginny, his new friend with Cerebral-palsy helps him make decisions and overall be there for him. X-ray Theodore's friend for Green Lake also gets involved with him trying to get some more money. Armpit has a job, but X-ray doesn't so he wants to make some spending money scalping tickets, and he gets Theodore involved with his plan. They are scalping tickets for a Kaira Deleon concert and the duo gets involved with the police and stars they usually only dream of. This book is a good read for anyone who read Holes, or anyone who likes teenage adventures. I enjoyed this book and I think most kids my age will, too.
Great Author 2008-07-12
Lois Sachar is a wonderful author, for children and adults alike. Interesting stories, life lessons, etc.
great family book 2008-06-19
This was a great entertaining sequel. My 11 son read and enjoyed it very much as did I (his 44 yr old mom). Sachar is a great author!
Small steps for getting Armpit's life back on track...and small lessons in stereotypes 2008-05-04
It's a year since I read 'Holes' so the characters Armpit and X-ray felt like they were almost new to me again. Although the characters are in both books and there are references to Camp Green Lake, you don't really lose anything from not having read 'Holes'.
That said, it's nice to see what happens when the boys are back in society, and how apt their jobs are!! :)
Running alongside the story about Armpit and X-ray is another, the day to day life of pop star Kaira DeLeon. She's as confined by her lifestyle and entourage as the boys were when they were back in Camp Green Lake, and is desperate for a little teenage normality.
Ginny is a great character, she is ten, has cerebral palsy and lives next door to Armpit. Stereotypes in general are given a gentle bashing in this book, which is a good thing and makes you question your own unintentional prejudices or behaviour.
I'm not the target audience for 'Small Steps' but still found it enjoyable.
Create Your Own Review 2008-03-27
Braden W. Review of Small Steps by Louis Sachar, March 18, 2008.
Small Steps is a book by Louis Sachar. It is a sequel to his previous book Holes, telling the lives of armpit and X-Ray after "Camp Greenlake." Armpit is trying to take small steps in order to get his life on straight. The two of them are attending a high school in the slums of Houston. When X-Ray tries to convince Armpit to join him in a get-rich-quick scheme Armpit is reluctant. Once X-Ray suggests ticket scalping, Armpit finally gives in and gets into a real mess. It just so happens that the tickets are fake and Armpit is caught by the police. Armpit's eternal conflict is keeping his life on straight and out of the hands of the law. Eventually people (Including a celebrity) start to realize he is a good person that he didn't do anything wrong. It is hard not to root for Armpit in this story of struggle after "Camp Greenlake."
Small Steps - Louis Sachar 2008-03-15
Great book - well worth reading. Written for kids, but adults will enjoy it too. A warning to parents that some mild adult language is used. The book will be most enjoyed if Sachar's earlier work, Holes, is read first.
