What Are The Real Themes For Small Steps?

Friendship~ Friendship truly makes a stand in this book. The fact that Armpit and Ginny are good enough friends that Armpit can share his soft side with Ginny, means that friendship takes a big lead in the novel. Also, the friendship between Kaira and Armpit grows throughout the book.
Betrayal~ Betrayal is obviously a horrible thing. To be one that would turn on someone else, means that the one that you have just disrespected, is a loss of a great friend. There are a couple of characters in this novel that turn on someone. As Kaira's mom trusts El Genius with her whole life, Kaira on the other hand does not like him one bit. In order for a conflict to occur, something has to happen between the characters. In the book, one of those things just happens to be the dreadful theme of betrayal.
Love~ Obviously, the relationship between Kaira and Armpit strengthens throughout the novel. They become better and better friends and the trust between them grows. One thing is for sure, they both liked eachother for who they were and isn't that what love is about? Love takes an important role in this novel because it turns the conflict around.

Book Review

Small Steps

By Louis Sachar

Reviewed by Hunter B.
Rating:

When you think of novels, you think of experiences of someone else's memories. Small Steps is a book with memories containing both the truth and the untold. Small Steps takes place on the Western side of Houston Texas and is about a 15 year-old boy named Theodore (also known as Armpit from the best-seller Holes) trying to get his life back on track after being sent to Camp Green Lake, a juvenile correctional facility. He is finally starting to get his life back where it should be when his friend X-ray comes up with a get rich quick scheme by scallping tickets for a Kaira De Leon Concert. The plot then leads to another and ounce that happens, both Kaira and Armpit's lives change forever. This book is about two completely different people who's lives are somehow similar and about the way that two different life styles that can be related in so many ways.
I truly like this book because the author sticked to one main plot. He was also really descriptive with his writing and character detail that I felt really close to each of them. I could really relate to the characters feelings throughout the novel and I understood what they were going through. For example, guilt can be a pretty harsh thing and Armpit's parents haven't trusted him since he's been to Camp Green Lake. Also, I like how the author gives certain elements that really hep the reader stick to the big idea. One of the many elements that Louis Sachar used in his writing was using Kaira's lyrics to sum up what is happening in the novel. Small Steps is a great book and has made it to my top three authors because of this book. Even if you are into books that seem more fictional conflicts or settings, this book has left a pretty unreal and memorable image in my head and I now look at conflicts differently.
Overall, I highly recommend this book to others. Even if you are one of those people who likes their books to be straight forward, this novel has been one of the best that I have read. I don't think that gender matters when it comes to Louis Sachar for he does a good job introducing characters to many people who they would seem fictional. If anything, this book should go to those who think outside of the box for surprises are hidden around every corner.

Rethinking Fame

After reading Small Steps, a question pops back up in your head on weather or not being a famous musician or not would be fun. I have realized the things that may occur like being sent love/death letters or the trouble with having an evil manager but if you stick to the point of entertaining others with your talent, music is all about fun. When you get on stage and show people that the music in you is greater than anything that they have ever seen, then you will always be referred to as a great musician. However, being a famous pop star like not Kaira Deleon, you are not always taken seriously. Being a drummer myself though, I understand the reference to good music or a gimmick.For example, usually you wouldn't take a kid seriously when it comes to playing real music but isn't it the fact that you can get your self tangled in the music and not want to get out of it the thing that music is really about? Anyway, taking the different genres and using perspective of each of them, music is something that will always stick with me.

Kaira's Lyrics

Here are a couple of Kaira's lyrics. Here, I will tell you the significance of each of them and I will state the relationship between them and the novel.

A sad circus clown who has hopes to inspire
The love of the long-haired, blue-spangled trapeze highflyer,
Kicks off his floppy shoes and changes attire,
Just like Clark Klent, or Tobey Maguire,
And goes up the circus ladder, higher and higher,
'Cause a clown is someone she could never admire,
But there ain't no net beneath the high wire. lyrics
Nearing the top, he starts to perspire.
He's climbing out of the frying pan...
and into the fire!

I am sure that the author put that line in to sum up what is happening in g novel and to show the collision of the two people. Kaira is singing about a guy whose life gets more complicated, seeming more confusing and growing. It is pretty much saying that you can't trust someone who is not trustworthy. If you are going to trust someone that person must show you their trust by being honest. Kaira and Armpit come from two different lifestyles and this song is showing what happens when those two lifestyles collide.
The next lyrics that I chose was first mentioned early in the story. At first, it had no relationship but now as it all comes together, it begins to make sense with the story...

When Armpit first heard Damsel in distress, he thought that she was singing, "Save me Armpit, a damsel in distress." but after he met Kaira and they got their relationship to where it is now, as it all comes together, Kaira got on stage and sang, "Save me Armpit, a damsel in distress." This meant that she did care and that their relationship is growing stronger and there is more to it than a simple little crush.

Questions for Kaira DeLeon

If I were to meet Kaira Deleon, a famous pop star in the book Small Steps, I would ask her...

1. Do you see a future for you and Armpit?

2. Will your relationship with Armpit effect the songs that you write?

3. What do you like about Armpit?

4. Why do you want to fire El Genius first when you turn 18?

5. How long have you been singing? How did you get a start in your musical career?

About Me

I am a fun guy who loves music. I love my family and am so happy to be writing this blog. At first it seemed like more work and it was just going to be one of those projects that was on and off and was not focussed on as much however with the exception of the reading Small Steps, I am begging to like the idea of posting blogs. That being said I love to wright howevber it is not something that I see in my future. I am drummer and not a bad one at that. Not to brag or anything but music is my passion and I believe that it is not just an activity but a way to express your self. Every one has a special talent and the fact that each one is unique is interesting. I know that philosophy is when one studies the meaning of life and put the meaning in a whole new perspective. If you were to take the things that you experience and look up to every concept greatly, I am sure that this world would be a better place. This note however may seem stupid because as a writer, I tend to speak what's on my mind and push all of the other objects out of the way and stay clear. Please note to me about any musical related thing if you are nice enough to read this for I love it very much and it would be great to no some one who shares the same passion as I do.

Armpit's Trip To The Police Station

Every one knows that a trip to the police station is never a good thing however, this time Theodore is not the suspect. Instead, he has been brought in for the questioning for his friend, X-ray. You see, Detective Newberg is now nicer to Armpit but does not no that Armpit and X-ray know each other. It was really strange for Armpit to be listening to his friend lie to have to stay out of being arrested. This chapter was one of those things that was throne in to tie something else in or to move the story one step closer to it's finish. That is one of the things that I really enjoy about the author. He uses conflicts that lead to a complicated solution however then twist into another conflict which ends up with an even bigger conclusion.

Kaira's Letter

It was about two weeks since Armpit's "date" with Kaira and he was beginning to think that the moments he had with her were the past and she had forgotten every second that they shared. However, out through the mist, he received a letter in which he later found out he was not supposed to read. Kaira, like him had been thinking about the other one and she was thinking about him by writing pretend letters in which she was never going to send. She was really talking to a "fake" Armpit in her letter. She clearly stated in her letter that the letter was not going to be sent and that it would never reach his hands however, it did due to a little thing called love. In her letter however, she didn't state in words that she loved him but instead she told him that the love songs that she wrote weren't about a made up guy. Instead, they were written about the bond between them and when she sung the songs, she had a picture of his face in her head. I really enjoyed this chapter because it really brought together two different life styles in a bond that would seem unreal.

Small Steps

The wonderful book Small Steps, is about Armpit, a boy who had a rough child hood. You see he was sent to camp Green lake, a camp for juvenile delinquents. The name however tricks you because there was no water involved with this lake. Camp Green Lake is at a dry lake bed and the only thing you do is dig. If you have read the book Holes this book takes place after that. This book shows Armpit's life trying to regain trust and get it back. It shows the struggles of being famous and the interaction between two different lifestyles. I really enjoy this book because it is really realistic and shares the truth that sll goes on in our world today.

My Favorite Character

The reason that my favorite character in the book is Theodore is because he is really real to me. His life is as close as mine is to me is mine because I understand him. The fact that I can here the thoughts in his head makes me feel closer than another character. Although the auther did a good job managing the other characters and describing their emotions as well, I am truely stuck with the way Armpit shares his soft side with his friend Ginny who is the disabled nabor who lives across the hall.