Advanced
Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.
Title details for Small Steps by Louis Sachar - Available

Small Steps

#2 in series

by Louis Sachar
McClarin, Curtis
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
1 of 1 copy available
Two years after being released from Camp Green Lake, Armpit is home in Austin, Texas, trying to turn his life around. But it’s hard when you have a record, and everyone expects the worst from you. The only person who believes in him is Ginny, his 10-year old disabled neighbour. Together, they are learning to take small steps. And he seems to be on the right path, until X-Ray, a buddy from Camp Green Lake, comes up with a get-rich-quick scheme. This leads to a chance encounter with teen pop sensation, Kaira DeLeon, and suddenly his life spins out of control, with only one thing for certain. He’ll never be the same again.
In his first major novel since Holes, critically acclaimed novelist Louis Sachar uses his signature wit combined with a unique blend of adventure and deeply felt characters to explore issues of race, the nature of celebrity, the invisible connections that determine a person’s life, and what it takes to stay on course. Doing the right thing is never a wrong choice – but a small step in the right direction.

  • Creators

  • Series

    Holes

  • Publisher

  • Awards

  • Release date

    January 10, 2006

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780739345030
      • File size: 149842 KB
      • Duration: 05:12:10

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • Lexile® Measure: 690
    • Text Difficulty: 3

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      November 14, 2005
      This companion to Holes
      follows a former detainee at Camp Green Lake Juvenile Correctional Facility (where he was sent after a spilled-popcorn-mishap-turned brawl at a cinema), in his life on the outside. Armpit now works for a landscape company while he finishes up high school. The earnest teen is back on track, in no small part due to the mutually restorative friendship he has forged with Ginny, a 10-year-old neighbor born with cerebral palsy. This bright, perceptive girl has given Armpit a great deal ("For the first time in his life, there was someone who looked up to him, who cared about him") and has "released him from his anger." X-Ray, another Camp Green Lake alum, nearly derails Armpit's new life when he convinces Armpit to buy into a ticket-scalping scheme for a concert by teen rock star Kaira—a scheme that goes horribly awry. In a rather contrived plot twist, Armpit winds up meeting Kaira who then falls for Armpit—and he for her. Even less likely is the novel's final, sensational melodrama (Kaira's evil stepfather and manager futilely tries to murder her and frame Armpit for the crime). Sachar does inject some credible intrigue here (notably surrounding the potential legal consequences of Armpit's and X-Ray's involvement in the ticket scam) and effectively emphasizes the importance of taking "small steps." Unfortunately, although Armpit's steady small steps result in some big strides, this is a disappointingly flat spin-off of Sachar's resonant Newbery winner. Ages 10-up.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Curtis McClarin takes no small steps in his energetic reading of Sachar's sequel of sorts to HOLES (1998). He gives a distinctly African-American voice to this story of ticket scalping, teenage love, crime, and redemption. Two years after their release from a juvenile detention camp, Armpit and X-Ray meet up to join in a ticket-scalping venture. Armpit has no idea that he's taking the first steps on an adventure that will lead him into the worlds of entertainment, intrigue, romance, and heartbreak and will put his own life at risk to foil a plot to murder a teenage diva, Kaira DeLeon. McClarin gives honest, believable voices to Armpit, Kaira, and the rest of the characters. In particular, he gives a touching portrayal of Armpit's neighbor Ginny, a 10-year-old white girl with cerebral palsy. S.E.S. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from February 27, 2006
      Though Sachar's companion to Holes
      isn't as intricately crafted as that Newbery winner, McClarin's multi-layered reading helps the author's words shine on this audiobook that improves upon the print reading experience. The accomplished actor brings to his characterizations a sassy energy and verisimilitude that injects Sachar's dialogue and descriptions with some memorable zing. The story picks up with 16-year-old Armpit, one of the kids who served time at juvenile detention center Camp Greenlake with Stanley Yelnats, two years after their release. Armpit has been taking the titular small steps to a respectable life—holding down a landscaping job, finishing school, being a protective best friend to a young neighbor with cerebral palsy. But when X-Ray, a fellow Camp Green Lake detainee, comes up with a risky get-rich-quick ticket-scalping scheme, Armpit temporarily gets lured into taking a few steps backward. A contrived twist of plot has him appropriately righted again, saving the day (and a teen pop star). Listeners will no doubt compare this to its quirkier, more dream-like predecessor, but will be entertained by McClarin's vibrant work on this detour from Green Lake. Ages 12-up.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:690
  • Text Difficulty:3

Loading