Louis Sachar Small Steps

[Flingo]

Rescued Thread

 

Flingo 13th October 2006, 07:02 PM

 

Small Steps is the sequel to Holes. It tells the story of Armpit and X-Ray as they adjust to being back in a "normal" life. Armpit is working for a garden landscaper (he did like digging holes!) while studying for his high school diploma, and X-Ray is just trying to earn a quick buck where he can. Throw in a famous popstar, and a hilarious string of events is about to unfold.

 

Told with all the same warmth and wit as Holes, this is a read-in-one-sitting story. You really get to know Armpit so much more than from the earlier novel - although some of the details about his sweat problem you may not wish to know!

 

Sachar is obviously making his living from his back catalogue and the Marvin Redpost series he has written for younger readers, and as a result he can put more thought into his more "serious" literature. Small Steps is certainly of a high quality for plotting, style and narrative and through the popstar he can also fit some poetry in in the form of song lyrics.

 

Momo 14th October 2006, 09:27 PM

 

I read this book a while ago as a follow-up to Holes. I picked it up simply because it was in the house (my younger son read it) but really enjoyed it. The story is told just as well as Holes and even though it revolves around a different character in quite a different setting, it reminds you of that novel.

[Huntress]

I like small steps a lot more than holes. The story had more substance and seemed to flow better.

[Momo]

I never thought about comparing them. But I see your point. Small steps is more in the ordinary world, as well, so maybe more believable.

[Huntress]

Small steps and Holes are compltly diffrent books so its easy not to compare them. However at the same point if you look at x rays life in small steps you begin to understand why he was the way he was in holes.

[Momo]

That's what I liked about Small Steps. It answered so many questions you didn't ask while reading Holes. No, honestly, a lot of things just became clear after reading Small Steps. I would recommend this to anybody who read the first book.

[Huntress]

i would even recommend it as a book on its own. Its one thing i love about it is that you dont need to have read holes to be able to read small steps.

[Flingo]

I agree Small Steps does stand alone, although they complement each other so well. I did feel a little that it was written and published to tie in with the film release (but maybe not quite so much as Stanley Yelnat's Survival Guide to Camp Greenlake!), but it is a good book.

 

Just out of interest - are there any other characters that you would like to see get their own book? I think I'd quite like to know what happened to Twitch.

[Momo]

Good question, Flingo. I think I wouldn't mind a book on any single one of the major characters but maybe mostly about "Zero".

[Huntress]

i think if they make a book about other charters the book my start losing there indenty. i dont this louis sachar would do it, I met him at the austin book festival and hes a really nice man. very quiet i doubt he would overuse the charters

[megustaleer]

Well, late to this discussion, but I really enjoyed Small Steps.

It's about 18 years since I read Holes, but I must have a lingering soft spot for the characters, as I was quite anxious for Armpit when he and X-Ray were buying the tickets, I was sure that he would lose all his money. And of course, again later when he was being questioned by the police, and when El Genius was framing him for the planned murder of Kaira.

Of course, my fears were nonsense - Armpit was the hero, he would be OK in the end.

 

And he was OK in the end - back on solid ground and taking more small steps to achieve his goals.. I was so glad that, this time, the ends were not all neatly tied together,  and that there were possibilities still to be explored.

A lovely book - made me feel good!