The heartfelt young adult sequel to HOLES, the bestselling Newbery Award book and movie sensation! "Louis Sachar is magic to the toughest circle of critics: librarians, children’s booksellers, teachers – and, most of all, kids."– USA Today Two years after being released from Camp Green Lake, Armpit is home in Austin, Texas, trying to turn his life around. But it's hard when you have a record and everyone expects the worst from you. The only person who believes in Armpit is Ginny, his ten-year-old disabled neighbor. Together, they are learning to take small steps. Armpit seems to be on the right path until X-Ray, a buddy from Camp Green Lake, comes up with a get-rich-quick scheme. X-Ray's plan leads to a chance encounter with teen pop sensation Kaira DeLeon, the Beyoncé of her time, and suddenly Armpit's life spins out of control. Only one thing is certain: he'll never be the same again. Combining his signature wit with a unique blend of adventure and deeply felt characters, Sachar explores issues of race, the nature of celebrity, the invisible connections that shape a person's life, and what it takes to stay the course. Doing the right thing is never a wrong choice—but always a small step in right direction. "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 LOUIS SACHAR is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Holes, which won the Newbery Medal, the National Book Award, and the Christopher Award, as well as numerous other award-winning titles for young adults and children. His latest is The Magician of Tiger Castle , a modern fantasy classic and his first novel for adults. A rusted Honda Civic drove noisily down the street and parked across from the mayor’s house. Armpit had finished digging his trench and was attaching PVC pipe. The mayor had gone back inside. The driver-side door had been bashed in, and it would have cost more to fix than the car was worth. The driver had to work his way over the stick shift and then exit on the passenger side. The personalized license plate read: X RAY. “Armpit!” X-Ray shouted as he crossed the street. “Armpit!” The guys at work didn’t know him by that name, but if he didn’t say something X-Ray would just keep on shouting. Better to answer and shut him up. “Hey,” he called back. “Man, you’re really sweating,” X-Ray said as he came near. “Yeah, well, you’d sweat too if you were digging.” “I’ve already dug enough dirt to last one lifetime,” said X-Ray. They had met each other at Camp Green Lake. “Look, don’t call me Armpit around other people, all right?” Armpit said. “But that’s your name, dawg. You should never be ashamed of who you are.” X-Ray had the kind of smile that kept you from hating him no matter how annoying he was. He was skinny and wore glasses, which were now covered with clip-on shades. He picked up Armpit’s shovel. “Different shape.” “Yeah, it’s for digging trenches, not holes.” X-Ray studied it awhile. “Seems like it would be harder to dig with. No leverage.” He let it drop. “So you must be making a ton of money.” Armpit shrugged. “I’m doing all right.” “A ton of money,” X-Ray repeated. Armpit felt uncomfortable talking about money with X-Ray. “So really, how much you got saved up so far?” “I don’t know. Not that much.” He knew exactly how much he had. Eight hundred and fifty-seven dollars. He hoped to break a thousand with his next paycheck. “Got to be at least a thousand,” said X-Ray. “You’ve been working for three months.” “Just part-time.” Besides working, Armpit was also taking two classes in summer school. He had to make up for all the schooling he