Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this is pretty edgy for a book aimed at 10-year-olds. There are references to sex and drugs, a bit of pretty nasty violence, the hero is involved, mostly through stupidity, in some shady dealings.
Families who read this book could discuss what it's like for a convict trying to get his life together. How would you deal with the difficulties and unfairness? Why are his own parents so suspicious of him? Issues of race are also raised. Why are people afraid of Armpit? Is this reasonable? Another important theme is fame, which here is presented in a negative light. After reading about Kaira's life, would you want to be famous? Why or why not?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Matt Berman
Holes was a masterpiece of craftsmanship, a complex symphony of disparate thematic elements and vibrant characters woven together in intricate pattern that resolved perfectly. It's hard to believe that Small Steps was written by the same author: this is more of a tangle of elements that resolves into an ill-fitting mess. It seems like the author couldn't quite decide which way to go, and he picks up characters, situations, and ideas, and then drops them again. For example, Ginny, the girl with CP, is a major character in the first half of the book. Then, when presumably she has fulfilled her function of showing what a great guy Armpit is, she virtually disappears.
None of this keeps the book from being entertaining. Sachar doesn't seem to know how to write a book that isn't fun and enjoyable. But Holes set the bar a lot higher, and for the sequel to that Newbery Medalist and National Book Award winner something more is expected -- a higher degree of craftsmanship, depth, sophistication, emotional power, all of which are missing here. Fans of the first book will no doubt want to read it and may even enjoy it (though the whole romance section of the book appeals to an entirely different audience), but they won't find it as memorable or as powerful.
From The Book
"That's what you think? That I came here to screw things up? Man, I'm offering you an opportunity. An opportunity. If the Wright brothers came to you, you would have told them it's impossible to fly."
"The Wright brothers?" asked Armpit. "What century are you living in?"
"I just don't get it," said X-Ray. "I don't get it. I offer my best friend an opportunity to double his money, and he won't even listen to my idea."
Plot Summary:
At the end of Holes, Camp Green Lake had been shut down and the boys released. After spending time in a halfway house, Theodore (nicknamed Armpit) is working hard to get his life back on track. He has a job, is taking extra classes to graduate from high school, and is saving his money while trying to stay out of trouble. He has even befriended the young girl next door who has cerebral palsy. But then X-Ray shows up with a get-rich-quick scheme that involves scalping tickets to a concert by Kaira DeLeon, the latest teen pop sensation.
From there the story gets complicated. Armpit meets Kaira and they strike up a tentative romance. X-Ray goes beyond scalping to counterfeiting, and both the police and rival scalpers come after both of them. And Kaira's manager/stepfather plans to murder her and pin it on Armpit.
Related Books:
Other Books by Louis Sachar
Sideways Stories from Wayside School
Someday Angeline
There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom
Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger
Wayside School is Falling Down
Holes
Marvin Redpost: Class President
Dealing with a Criminal Past
Edge by Michael Cadnum
Monster by Walter Dean Myers
The Rag and Bone Shop by Robert Cormier
Hole in My Life by Jack Gantos
You Don't Know Me by David Klass
The Wish List by Eoin Colfer
Related Websites
Author's Site
Teacher Resource Site
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Sexual ContentSeveral kisses. Kaira's bodyguard sees her with her top open, X-Ray hoots at a girl, who flips him off, Kaira tells an audience she's a virgin. |
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ViolenceFights, a stabbing, attempted murder with a baseball bat. |
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LanguageA few mild epithets. |
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Social BehaviorArmpit and X-Ray scalp tickets and lie to the police. |
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Commercialism |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoX-Ray sells parsley as if it's marijuana, Armpit's parents believe he's using drugs and ask for urine samples, an ex-ball player used steroids, band members drink and smoke. |
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