Small Steps (Holes, #2)

by Louis Sachar

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

When I added this book to my TBR, I looked no further than "WHAT THERE IS A SEQUEL TO HOLES WHY DID I NOT KNOW THIS" which, honestly, is not great criteria to go by when you are deciding to read a book. Besides, Small Steps is not so much a sequel as it is a companion novel... the two exist very well on their own.

And this book? It was great.

Seven Things I Loved About Small Steps

1. The racial prejudice is real here - Sachar doesn't shy away form letting you see how people treat Armpit because of his size and skin color. That's quite a bit deal in MG.

2. Ginny, Armpit's 10 y/o neighbor has cerebral palsy and she is *wonderful*.

3. The love story moves too fast and too slow, and ends in a mess. It's perfect for the story, and a lot closer to real life than a lot of books show.

4. The X-Ray/Armpit relationship resonates their social hierarchy from Camp Greenlake, and their give take is painful in a good way (because you want Armpit to make healthier choices).

5. Armpit's time at Camp Greenlake shapes a lot of this novel. I really like it when authors commit to stuff like that, instead of acting like it was in a parallel universe.

6. Sploosh makes an appearance and honestly, it just made me chuckle.

7. This book absolutely stands on its own two feet. Like I said, I didn't know what I was getting into, and while I would have been down with a similar story to Holes, that's not what's going on here. Armpit is a very different person than Stanley, and his story reflects a different world.

And four things I wish Small Steps did differently:

1. The loose ends tied up waaaaay too easily. The police investigation honestly ended mostly with a wink and a nod and after doing such a good job following through on other things, this aspect felt very phoned-in.

2. Sachar wanted to tackle a lot of different social and cultural issues here - race, celebrity, disability, socio-economic classes, prejudice against ex-cons, broken families, etc. - that I think he took on too many things for such a small book. I think I would have liked the book better if it was more about Ginny and Armpit.

3. All the family dynamics were awkward... Ginny and her mom only interacted once, Armpit had a closer relationship with his boss than his parents, and Kaira's family dynamic was just a mess.

4. Tatiana's character just seemed... pointless. It would have flowed a little better if she had been either cut, or there was more follow-through after the fallout.

Generally speaking, this is a book worth reading. I wouldn't say it has the strongest plot in the world, but the themes are so strong. The relationship between Armpit and Ginny is so precious - I would love to see a third book (haha 12 years later) just about Ginny. I adored this book, I respect the points Louis Sachar was trying to make, and I'd like to have this one on my shelf.