Skip to Main Content (Press Enter)
Small Steps by Louis Sachar
Add Small Steps to bookshelf
Add to Bookshelf
Small Steps by Louis Sachar
Paperback $10.99
Jan 08, 2008 | ISBN 9780385733151

Buy from Other Retailers:

See All Formats (2) +
  • $10.99

    Jan 08, 2008 | ISBN 9780385733151 | Young Adult

    Buy from Other Retailers:

  • Feb 28, 2006 | ISBN 9780375840692 | Young Adult

    Buy from Other Retailers:

  • Jan 10, 2006 | ISBN 9780307282248 | Young Adult

    313 Minutes

    Buy from Other Retailers:

Buy the Audiobook Download:

Product Details

Praise

"Louis Sachar is magic to the toughest circle of critics: librarians, children’s booksellers, teachers – and, most of all, kids."
USA Today

"Sachar’s touch is as deft as ever and the book is a page-turner."
Detroit Free-Press

"Mr. Sachar’s gentle but surefire approach nails down challenging issues such as racism, teen romance and drugs."
Dallas Morning News

"Sachar has a talent for creating realistic relationships between unlikely friends. Although that’s a staple device of children’s literature, it often works by drawing on clichés. Sachar’s characters, though, are never stereotypes, but always vividly alive."
Los Angeles Times

"
His prose is clear and relaxed, and funny in a low-key, observant way."
New York Times

"Part of what makes Small Steps so believable and appealing is that its characters do have insecurities, and they aren’t ashamed to let them show."
BookPage

"Sachar is a master storyteller who creates memorable characters."
School Library Journal

"Cleverly wrought…heartwarming, witty and suspenseful."
Time Out New York Kids

Praise for Louis Sachar’s Holes:

"A dazzling blend of social commentary, tall tale and magic realism."
Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"A brilliant achievement."
–School Library Journal


"A smart jigsaw puzzle of a novel."
The New York Times

"Imaginative plotting and memorable characters make this novel a winner."
Book Magazine

Awards

Schneider Family Book Award WINNER 2007

Author Q&A

A Few Words From Louis Sachar

Q: Of all the characters from Holes, why did you choose to revisit Armpit in Small Steps?

A: I tend to write about underdogs. It seemed to me that life would be tough for an African-American teenager from a low-income family with a criminal record. Especially someone stuck with the name, "Armpit."

Q: Although this new book is about a character from Holes, the two books are very different. How would you explain to a fan of Holes what to expect from Small Steps?

A: I can’t. I’m no good at describing my books. Holes has been out now for seven years, and I still can’t come up with a good answer when asked what that book is about.

Q: Could you imagine future novels about any of the other boys? Do you think about what Stanley is up to now?

A: I don’t think too much about Stanley or Zero. I left them in a good place. Although money doesn’t bring happiness, or give meaning to someone’s life, the problems Stanley and Zero face now (and I’m sure they do face many problems) are less interesting than those faced by someone like Armpit.

Q: Plenty of teenagers fantasize about what it would be like to be a young rock star. You portray it as lonely. Tell us about that decision.

A: The media tends to portray the teenage world as one where drinking and sex is taken for granted. In fact, I think most teenagers don’t drink, are unsure of themselves, and feel awkward around members of the opposite sex. I thought it was important to show Kaira, a rock star no less, as such a person. Her situation, in many ways, is made more difficult as she has no social contact with anyone her age. She is trapped in a world of agents, record producers, and hanger-ons.

Q: I’m imagining that off all the books you’ve written, Holes is the one that has changed your life the most. Not only did it win the Newbery Medal, it’s also simply a popular sensation. Is this assessment accurate? What is this novel’s continuing impact on your life? Would you consider it the book that you are proudest of?

A: Not counting Small Steps, I think Holes is my best book, in terms of plot, and setting, and the way the story revealed itself. It hasn’t changed my life, other than that I have more money than I did before I wrote it. I’m still too close to Small Steps to compare it to Holes.

Q: Why do you typically write only two hours each day?

A: Small steps. Every time I start a new novel it seems like an impossible undertaking. If I tried to do too much too quickly, I would get lost and feel overwhelmed. I have to go slow, and give things a chance to take form and grow.

Looking for More Great Reads?
21 Books You’ve Been Meaning to Read
Back to Top