Small Steps

　　◎ 紐伯瑞文學獎經典金牌作品《洞》Holes續作
　　◎ 紐約時報暢銷書
　　◎ 最勵志的生命故事
 
人生有如在湍急的河水中逆流而上，其中祕訣就是小步小步走……
 
　　還記得綠湖營裡的少年嗎？
 
　　腋窩──身材高大但不擅言詞，因為一桶爆米花被送進綠湖營。
　　X 光──腦袋裡裝滿鬼點子，因為販賣假毒品而進了綠湖營。
 
　　在那裡，他們走到了人生的谷底，
　　當金錢、愛情、虛榮心這些洪流來襲，
　　他們該如何面對？又該何去何從？
 
人物介紹
 
腋窩 Armpit
　　本名叫希爾多強森（Theodore Johnson），曾因一桶爆米花而被送到綠湖少年管訓營挖了十四個月的洞。之後回到奧斯丁半工半讀，希望過腳踏實地的人生。最好的朋友是鄰居金妮。
 
X光 X ray
　　本名叫雷克斯艾文華許本（Rex Alvin Washburn），在管訓營時和腋窩是同一組的組員。講話誇張，常動一些歪腦筋。找腋窩合夥做黃牛生意，結果引起軒然大波。
 
凱拉德力恩 Kaira DeLeon
　　本名叫凱西史皮爾斯（Kathy Spears），是當紅偶像歌手，演唱會門票一票難求。身邊隨時有保鑣保護，衣食無缺，卻十分渴望自由。
 
金妮麥當諾 Ginny McDonald
　　十歲的小女孩，是腋窩的鄰居兼最好的朋友。出生時就有腦性麻痺，患有癲癇症。
 
櫻桃蓮恩 Cherry Lane
　　奧斯丁市長，曾在演唱會場挺身而出，救了腋窩和金妮。
 
獃子保鏢佛萊德 Doofus Fred
　　凱拉的貼身保鏢，卻常常被凱拉使計甩開。
 
艾爾天才 El Genius
　　本名叫傑若米白詩禮，是凱拉的經紀人兼業務經理，也是她的繼父。
 
愛玲 Aileen
　　負責協調凱拉巡迴演唱會行程，與艾爾天才有一腿，並一起在暗地裡合謀掏空演唱會的資金。
 
　　——中文書介摘錄自《小步小步走》，小魯文化出版

SMALL STEPS is a contemporary young adult novel from Louis Sachar, the New York Times bestselling author of the Newbery Award-winning smash hit phenomenon book and movie/DVD sensation Holes, and The Cardturner.

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 believe 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 Beyonc 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.

路易斯．薩奇爾（Louis Sachar）

　　生於紐約的East Meadow，九歲時遷往南加州，目前定居於德州的首府奧斯丁。薩奇爾念法律學院， 並且在閒暇時間寫作，儘管薩奇爾獲得法律學位，他仍然決定捨律師，當專職的兒童文學作家，薩奇爾有一位名叫卡拉的妻子與名叫雪莉的女兒。他喜歡下棋、玩牌、滑雪、彈吉他和大聲唱歌。不過他最喜歡的，莫過於和卡拉與雪莉在一起消磨時間。

主要作品：
　　Holes《洞》
　　Sideways Stories from Wayside School《歪歪小學的荒誕故事》
　　Wayside School Gets a Little Stranger《歪歪小學來了一個小小陌生人》
　　Wayside School is Falling Down《歪歪小學要倒了》
　　Wayside School Beneath the Cloud of Doom《歪歪小學的末日烏雲》

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 Stanley Yelnats’ Survival to Camp Green Lake; Small Steps, winner of the Schneider Family Book Award; and The Cardturner, a Publishers Weekly Best Book, a Parents’ Choice Gold Award recipient, and an ALA-YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Book. His books for younger readers include There’s a Boy in the Girls’ Bathroom, The Boy Who Lost His Face, Dogs Don’t Tell Jokes, and the Marvin Redpost series, among many others.

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 tonof 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.”