SMALL STEPS Louis Sachar, Bloomsbury, 2006, 257 pages, Hardback, NZ$29.99.
ISBN 0-7475-8030-8
Stories like Holes only come along once in a lifetime, so it’s best not to think of Small Steps as its sequel.
ISBN 0-7475-8030-8
Stories like Holes only come along once in a lifetime, so it’s best not to think of Small Steps as its sequel.
Three years after being released from Green Lake, Theodore is taking a series of small steps towards rebuilding his life in Texas. He’s attending classes, has a job and is trying to lose his nickname of Armpit. He learns that most people are nervous about large, muscled African-Americans with a police record for violence – even his parents. Unfortunately his friend X-Ray turns up with a bright idea to double their money by re-selling concert tickets. Theodore finds himself fast-talked into an increasingly complex tangle of show business, counterfeiting, sharp practice, fluffy toys and attempted murder. There’s also a lot of compassion and humour.
It may not be Holes but it’s good reading.
Trevor Agnew
First published in The Press, Christchurch, New Zealand on 13th May 2006
