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Small Steps (novel)
Encyclopedia
Small Steps is a young adult novel by Louis Sachar
written in 2006. It is a sequel
to the Newbery Medal
-winning Holes
. The novel follows the lives of characters Theodore (nicknamed 'Armpit') and Rex (nicknamed 'X-Ray
') after they leave Camp Green Lake.
Oregon Children's Theatre
has commissioned Louis Sachar to adapt the novel into a full-length play, which opened on April 24, 2010 in Portland, Oregon
.
trying to build a stable lifestyle by digging trench
es and caring for his neighbor Ginny McDonald, a ten-year-old girl who has Cerebral Palsy
, and is persuaded by his former companion Rex "X-Ray" Washburn to make a deal selling tickets to a musical performance at higher price than the original. Of the twelve tickets, they sell ten; whereafter Armpit decides to attend the concert with his classmate Tatiana, using the remaining two to admit themselves. When Tatiana is unable to come Armpit decides to take Ginny instead. When the remaining tickets are proven counterfeit
, Armpit is beaten and handcuffed by the police while Ginny begins a seizure
. Here, the mayor intervenes; Armpit Ginny; and singer Kaira DeLeon, upon discovering the situation, invites Armpit and Ginny to watch her from backstage. After the concert, they join her to share ice cream.
The next day, X-Ray gives Armpit the money gained by selling the missing genuine tickets. Armpit, angered, is about to attack him when Kaira invites him to breakfast at her hotel. Taken there by X-Ray, Armpit meets with Kaira and goes running beside her for recreation, while avoiding her bodyguard. After a few days, Armpit receives a love letter from Kaira.
Some time afterward, Detective Debbie Newberg of the Austin Police Department
questions Armpit about the counterfeit tickets; whereupon Armpit invents a culprit to avert suspicion from himself and X-Ray.
Later still, Armpit is invited to San Francisco by Kaira; but is accosted by counterfeit-ticket sellers Felix and Moses, who beat X-Ray and threaten to expose both boys to the police unless Armpit gives them the letter that Kaira sent earlier. Having agreed to do so, Armpit meets Kaira in San Francisco but Kaira belives Armpit is after her money and does not care about her as a person when he asks her for another letter to sell. This results in an argument wherein Kaira throws coffee all over Armpit then storms out on him. Meanwhile, her business manager Jerome "El Genius" Paisley plots to kill Kaira and frame Armpit for the murder; but is prevented by Armpit. However, Kaira was seriously hurt, and Armpit suffered a broken arm in the fight. Kaira later recovers, though is told she cannot sing again.
Meanwhile, Detective Newberg drops the investigation about the counterfeit tickets in order to start a new one to research about the attempted murder. She does know however that Armpit was faking it.
Kaira is surprisingly able to sing by one February morning wherein Armpit hears her over the radio, albeit in a wavering, fragile voice. Armpit then decides to "take small steps", along with Kaira and Ginny.
Louis Sachar
Louis Sachar is an American author of children's books who is best known for the Sideways Stories From Wayside School book series and the 1998 novel Holes, for which Sachar won a National Book Award and the Newbery Medal...
written in 2006. It is a sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
to the Newbery Medal
Newbery Medal
The John Newbery Medal is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association . The award is given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. The award has been given since 1922. ...
-winning Holes
Holes (novel)
Holes is a Newbery Medal-winning novel by Louis Sachar. It was adapted into a screenplay for the 2003 film by Walt Disney Pictures. In 2006, Sachar published Small Steps, a companion novel featuring one of the characters from Holes.-Plot:...
. The novel follows the lives of characters Theodore (nicknamed 'Armpit') and Rex (nicknamed 'X-Ray
X-ray
X-radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation. X-rays have a wavelength in the range of 0.01 to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 petahertz to 30 exahertz and energies in the range 120 eV to 120 keV. They are shorter in wavelength than UV rays and longer than gamma...
') after they leave Camp Green Lake.
Oregon Children's Theatre
Oregon Children's Theatre
Oregon Children's Theatre is a children's theatre organization based in Portland, Oregon. Originally created by Sondra Pearlman as the "Theatre for Young People" in 1988, OCT became a resident company of the Portland Center for the Performing Arts in 1991....
has commissioned Louis Sachar to adapt the novel into a full-length play, which opened on April 24, 2010 in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
.
Plot
Two years after his release from Camp Green Lake, Theodore "Armpit" Johnson is living in Austin, TexasAustin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
trying to build a stable lifestyle by digging trench
Trench
A trench is a type of excavation or depression in the ground. Trenches are generally defined by being deeper than they are wide , and by being narrow compared to their length ....
es and caring for his neighbor Ginny McDonald, a ten-year-old girl who has Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term encompassing a group of non-progressive, non-contagious motor conditions that cause physical disability in human development, chiefly in the various areas of body movement....
, and is persuaded by his former companion Rex "X-Ray" Washburn to make a deal selling tickets to a musical performance at higher price than the original. Of the twelve tickets, they sell ten; whereafter Armpit decides to attend the concert with his classmate Tatiana, using the remaining two to admit themselves. When Tatiana is unable to come Armpit decides to take Ginny instead. When the remaining tickets are proven counterfeit
Counterfeit
To counterfeit means to illegally imitate something. Counterfeit products are often produced with the intent to take advantage of the superior value of the imitated product...
, Armpit is beaten and handcuffed by the police while Ginny begins a seizure
Seizure
An epileptic seizure, occasionally referred to as a fit, is defined as a transient symptom of "abnormal excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain". The outward effect can be as dramatic as a wild thrashing movement or as mild as a brief loss of awareness...
. Here, the mayor intervenes; Armpit Ginny; and singer Kaira DeLeon, upon discovering the situation, invites Armpit and Ginny to watch her from backstage. After the concert, they join her to share ice cream.
The next day, X-Ray gives Armpit the money gained by selling the missing genuine tickets. Armpit, angered, is about to attack him when Kaira invites him to breakfast at her hotel. Taken there by X-Ray, Armpit meets with Kaira and goes running beside her for recreation, while avoiding her bodyguard. After a few days, Armpit receives a love letter from Kaira.
Some time afterward, Detective Debbie Newberg of the Austin Police Department
Austin Police Department
Austin Police Department is the principal law enforcement agency serving Austin, Texas, United States. As of Fiscal Year 2010, the agency had an annual budget of more than $240 million and employed around 2,200 personnel, including approximately 1,600 officers...
questions Armpit about the counterfeit tickets; whereupon Armpit invents a culprit to avert suspicion from himself and X-Ray.
Later still, Armpit is invited to San Francisco by Kaira; but is accosted by counterfeit-ticket sellers Felix and Moses, who beat X-Ray and threaten to expose both boys to the police unless Armpit gives them the letter that Kaira sent earlier. Having agreed to do so, Armpit meets Kaira in San Francisco but Kaira belives Armpit is after her money and does not care about her as a person when he asks her for another letter to sell. This results in an argument wherein Kaira throws coffee all over Armpit then storms out on him. Meanwhile, her business manager Jerome "El Genius" Paisley plots to kill Kaira and frame Armpit for the murder; but is prevented by Armpit. However, Kaira was seriously hurt, and Armpit suffered a broken arm in the fight. Kaira later recovers, though is told she cannot sing again.
Meanwhile, Detective Newberg drops the investigation about the counterfeit tickets in order to start a new one to research about the attempted murder. She does know however that Armpit was faking it.
Kaira is surprisingly able to sing by one February morning wherein Armpit hears her over the radio, albeit in a wavering, fragile voice. Armpit then decides to "take small steps", along with Kaira and Ginny.
Characters
- "Armpit": A teenaged boy recently returned from Camp Green LakeHoles (novel)Holes is a Newbery Medal-winning novel by Louis Sachar. It was adapted into a screenplay for the 2003 film by Walt Disney Pictures. In 2006, Sachar published Small Steps, a companion novel featuring one of the characters from Holes.-Plot:...
, described as forbidding in appearance but evidently benevolent in character, being possessed of great compassion and having some courage in troublesome situations. - "X-Ray" : A friend/business partner of Armpit's, also recently returned from Camp Green Lake, notable for his constant scheming toward short-term advantages. Considered something of a leader by his cohorts at the Camp, and thus by Armpit in particular.
- "Kaira DeLeonPonce de León-People:* Juan Ponce de León, a Spanish explorer of the Americas and first Governor of Puerto Rico* Juan Ponce de León y Loayza, the son of Juan Ponce de León II, and early settler of Ponce, Puerto Rico...
" : A teenaged pop musicPop musicPop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
ian who leads a lonely life under control of her mother and her business manager/stepfather, Jerome Paisley, and who turns to Armpit in the desire of personal freedom. - Jerome "El Genius" Paisley: Kaira's step-father who plots to kill her who also goes under the alias "Billy Boy."
- Detective Debbie Newberg: A detective who investigates Armpit's counterfeit tickets at Kaira's concert.
- Ginny: Armpit's disabled friend. Armpit talks to Ginny, usually about current happenings.
- Armpit's Mother: The mother of Armpit who feels he's a lost cause.
- Cherry Lane: The mayor of Austin, who intervenes when the police try to arrest Armpit for having counterfeit tickets.
- Felix: A professional ticket-counterfeiter, whom Armpit names as an accomplice to exonerate X-Ray.
- Moses: Felix's ticket selling partner.
- Cotton: Kaira's drum player.
- Fred: Kaira's bodyguard.
- Habib: Armpit's fake persona.