Small Steps (by Louis Sachar)

Nearly ten years ago I read the teenage novel ‘Holes’ by Louis Sachar, and liked it very much. So when I spotted ‘Small Steps’ by the same author on a church bookstall a little over a year ago, it was not a difficult decision to pay 50 cents to buy it. I didn’t pick it up to read until a few days ago, however, and have just finished it.

The main protagonist is a teenage boy whose real name is Theodore. He is determined to get rid of the nickname ‘Armpit, but that’s how the author mainly...