Small Steps Summary
Louis Sachar

Small Steps Summary

This novel is the story of Theodore Johnson, an African-American teenager struggling to rebuild his life after a brief spell in a youth correctional facility. The novel portrays Theodore's struggles to sort through the conflicting influences of his two best friends and his unexpected involvement with a famous pop star. In addition, the book explores themes relating to trust, the corrupting allure of money, and the need to let go of the past in order to embrace the future.

As Theodore works at a new job, the author explains how he came by the unusual nickname of Armpit (the result of an encounter with a scorpion) and how he came to be in the correctional center (the result of a violent encounter with a couple of teasing teenagers). Work is interrupted first by the arrival of X-Ray, Armpit's best friend and fellow "guest" of the correctional facility, with a... View more of the Small Steps Summary