"Small Steps" by Louis Sachar Click photo for larger image.

The last time we saw Armpit, one of several secondary characters in the Newbery Medal-winning novel "Holes," he was still at Camp Green Lake. Like the other young inmates of that wretched juvenile correctional facility, Armpit spent his days digging large holes in the "lake's" dry bed.

Now, two years later, Armpit is the star of author Louis Sachar's newest book, the interesting but uneven "Small Steps" (Delacorte, $16.95). Released from Camp Green Lake, Armpit is still digging holes, but he's finally getting paid for it, in his job with Raincreek Irrigation and Landscaping of Austin, Texas (which is Sachar's hometown).

Armpit is now in his late teens and working mightily to turn around his life. He's working at Raincreek and saving as much money as possible while he goes to summer school to finish up his high school diploma.

But Armpit just can't resist the pleas by X-Ray, another former Camp Green Lake inmate, to participate in a ticket-scalping operation. The idea is for X-Ray and Armpit to buy a block of tickets to the concert of the hot teen singer Kaira DeLeon and then re-sell the tickets for several times their price to eager buyers.

Of course, it's not that simple: As the novel progresses, Armpit and X-Ray are nearly arrested, and Armpit becomes romantically involved with Kaira and helps prevent her murder. By the time the book ends, Armpit has learned how hard it can sometimes be to keep your balance when life comes rushing at you.

In "Small Steps," Sachar presents a fascinating character study of an African-American teen trying to get his life back on track in the midst of peer pressure, a romantic entanglement and a world that regards him as suspect just because of his race. Armpit is a highly likable character who seems to attract trouble -- despite his best efforts -- and readers will readily identify with him as they root for him to somehow succeed.

The novel brims with other interesting characters, including X-Ray, a "let's make a deal" kind of guy; Kaira DeLeon, who's intensely lonely despite her stardom; and Ginny, Armpit's 10-year-old next-door neighbor.

Ginny has cerebral palsy, yet she is the character with the healthiest mental outlook. She believes in Armpit -- the first person who ever has -- and it is their unusual relationship that gives Armpit the strength to work toward making a better life for himself.

As usual, Sachar provides lots of snappy dialogue. He just seems to have an innate sense of how kids talk to each other. Sachar also gives readers an intriguing behind-the-scenes look at the world of a teenage rock star. And, of course, there's plenty of humor, a Sachar staple.

Yet "Small Steps" doesn't quite measure up to "Holes." For one thing, the pace is surprisingly ragged. At times, the story zips along, then it will suddenly falter before it picks up again. The text also is interspersed with Sachar-written rock song lyrics -- some banal, some corny, but some precisely on-target.

In addition, the plot is, at times, just implausible. While "Holes" was infused with a kind of magical realism, "Small Steps" is anchored to the real world, and some of the events, especially Kaira's near-murder, just seem wacky and weirdly out of place.

Despite these flaws, "Small Steps" is definitely worth reading, if only to become better acquainted with Armpit. He's trying so hard to follow the advice of the counselor at the halfway house where he lived for six months after his release from Camp Green Lake.

It was the counselor who told Armpit that his life "would be like walking upstream in a rushing river. The secret was to take small steps and just keep moving forward. If he tried to take too big a step, the current would knock him off his feet and carry him back downstream."

As the book ends, Armpit realizes once again the aptness of that advice and determines to modify his life stride accordingly. The reader doesn't quite know where Armpit is headed, although it looks like he's finally going in the right direction.

It certainly would be interesting to see if Sachar decides to follow Armpit in another book, just to see where those small steps finally lead.