Reviews: (by author)

Sachar, Louis. Small Steps. NY: Delacorte, 2006. ISBN 0-385-73314-3. $16.95.

Sachar does it again! Like his Newbery winner Holes, this novel zips along and ends perfectly-but too soon; I could have kept on reading. Among the book's many pleasures are a cast of fully-developed, highly sympathetic misfits, a plot full of surprises, the memorable message about taking "small steps," and a satisfying but intelligently open ending-will she call again or won't she? We like the protagonist so well that we assume she, a lonely rock star, will indeed contact the hero, Armpit, again. Armpit, you'll remember from Holes, was also at Camp Green Lake , as was another of the book's enjoyable characters, X-Ray. Some allusions to the previous book increase a Sachar fan's pleasure; for example, Splooge, the shoe deodorant invented in the previous book, is used liberally by Armpit.

One reason Armpit is so compelling a protagonist is his friendship with his young neighbor, Ginny. Ginny has cerebral palsy, and by creating so lively, smart, and affectionate a character as Ginny, Sachar goes a long way toward teaching people that disabled people are people too; Armpit's friendship with her not only brings the plot into focus but models as well that by taking just a little bit more time and having just a little bit of patience, we can be rewarded emotionally in ways we never imagined.

You will love this book. I sure did.

A. Allison, March 2006

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