Book Review: Small Steps

“There was something special about being in a strange place, all alone in a mass of people even if you had just screwed up your life, or perhaps especially if you had just screwed up your life.” 



I really like Louis Sachar, and I especially like his book, Holes.  Therefore (I decided I use the word "so" too much), when I found out that Louis Sachar had written a sequel of sorts, I was ecstatic.  Small Steps, which takes place in Armpit's life after Camp Green Lake, did not disappoint.  

File:Small Steps novel cover.jpg

But it is not the same as Holes.  Though Small Steps keeps some of the fun-loving, off-beat mystery of Holes, it deals with much deeper social issues at its root.  The questions of the lives of ex-convicts in our society, the ingrained racism of Texas and questions of forcing children into near-slavery via stardom are all things that Louis Sachar touches upon in this book.  He does all of them well and still manages to keep that curious and lovable narrator character that he is famous for. 

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who liked Holes.  Really, I'd recommend it to people who didn't like Holes, but I don't think you'd enjoy it as much.  Five stars!

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