Themes of the Book

1. Change-
Theodore and Ginny are both trying to change the bad things in themselves to make themselves better so that they will be accepted by the people around them. X-Ray refuses to change his dishonest ways untill he is offered a job by Jack Dunlevy, then he begins to change.

2. Betrayal-
Kaira is betrayed by El Genius when he tried to kill her and even though she had said she would she hadn't even planned to kill him. She also feels that Theodore betrayed her when he asked her if he could sell the letter because she thought he had been a fake and just pretended to like her for the money.

3. Friendship-
The theme of friendship is shown in how Ginny and Theodore are friends even though they are very different (Armpit being big and black with a record, Ginny being a small white with a disease). Also Theodore's friendship with X-Ray is questioned when he fails to sell the concert tickets and keeps taking Theodore's money in order to pay the fees that he needs, manipulating him.

Small Steps

By Louis Sacher

Reviewed by: Brianne
Rating: (out of 5, they dig fast)

Armpits life didn't start out so well, he had been sent to Camp Green Lake detention facility. Now Armpit's back and he's trying to turn his life around. He is trying to take some small steps together with his neighbor Ginny who has cerebral palsy. But his "best friend" X-Ray keeps getting in the way and getting them both into trouble. Suddenly Armpit's dating a famous pop star of his own and being called a victim in a ticket scalping case. Kaira is a pop star with a problem. She is all sparkles and fame when she's in public but when you get her in private her life is a wreck. The people that control her life are not honest. But then she meets Armpit at one of her concerts and they work together to become better. Everything is turning out well except Kaira is on tour and she travels a lot, so Armpit may need to travel and leave some of his commitments at home in Austin, Texas. He has to choose what path his small steps will travel down.

I thought this book was great. It was filled with mixed emotions that the author expressed in a way that you were filled with the same emotions. You are sad when the characters are sad and you're happy when they are happy. It connects you to the book. I normally don't read realistic fiction but this was realistic fiction mixed with mystery and action. Every choice a character made effected the overall plot of the story. It was serious but there were fun bits of humor so that it wasn't depressing. I really liked the way the characters were developed. They were so realistic in their reactions and beliefs. I also enjoyed how the author told the two different stories of the different characters before they merged their lives together. I couldn't put the book down.

I would recommend this book to both boys and girls since the main character is a boy. And there is Kaira who is on a side story and she is a pop star. As long as they are 10 or above, because it has some things younger kids may not understand. But this book is a great tale to tell if you've been in a situation like it or just want to hear a good story. Especially if you like music, because there’re lyrics throughout the book that relate to the plot.