Good thing Jessi recommended these books because...

I'm not sure I would have read ones where the main character is called "Armpit."

Thankfully, she is more open and really enjoyed these two books by Louis Sachar: Holes and Small Steps.

Holes, published in 1998 and subsequently made into a hit movie (starring pre-Transformers Shia LeBeouf), has won more awards than I have room for in this posting.  I will mention that among its many honors, it won the prestigious National Book Award and the Newbery Medal.

"Stanley Yelnats was given a choice. The judge said, "You may go to jail, or you may go to Camp Green Lake." Stanley was from a poor family. He had never been to camp before....At Camp Green Lake,the warden makes the boys "build character" by spending all day, every day, digging holes...It doesn't take long for Stanley to realize there's more than character improvement going on at Camp Green Lake. The boys are digging holes because the treacherous warden is searching for something, and before long Stanley begins his own search—for the truth."

It was eight long years until the much anticipated Small Steps was published. A lot of love for this book, not quite at the level of "Holes" but very highly rated.

"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 believes in him is Ginny, his 10-year old disabled neighbor. Together, they are learning to take small steps. And he seems to be on the right path, until X-Ray, a buddy from Camp Green Lake, comes up with a get-rich-quick scheme. This leads to a chance encounter with teen pop sensation, Kaira DeLeon, and suddenly his life spins out of control, with only one thing for certain. He’ll never be the same again."