Review: Stepping Up, by David Hill

Stepping Up is the new book by David Hill, one of Aotearoa's best children’s authors. Hill has been writing for longer than I’ve been on this planet. He is the author of more than 50 books, and has won numerous awards. Stepping Up, in my opinion, is as good as his best works. 

It's about a 14 year old boy called Ben, and his journey after having his leg amputated. Pretty early on in the story, Ben loses his leg after taking a risky short cut on the shingle slopes of Mt Pangonui. The weeks that follow aren’t always great as he has to endure lots of physio and neverending butt-clenching exercises.

'...Hom came on Tuesday…she checked his stump and ran through his exercises. "Do them all. Keep squeezing your bottom." Hell, he hoped nobody ever heard her saying that.’

While he’s in hospital he also realises that he will never be ‘normal’ again, or at least his original definition of normal. 

Hill’s ability to create a sympathetic character is extraordinary. He has managed to write a very convincing 14 year old boy to whom I think most teenagers could relate. As I was reading, I found myself rolling my eyes at how similar Ben's behavior and mindset were to mine, and to many other teenagers, with the way he wonders ‘what will my friends think?’ or his corner cutting, after promising himself he’d recover properly. 

Getting your leg smashed by a boulder and amputated is not a funny topic. In fact, it’s the exact opposite. Before I read the book, I knew the steps to recovery for someone in Ben’s circumstances would be hard, and after reading Stepping Up I feel more grateful for my legs than ever. Nothing about this book should have been funny. But it was. Practically every chapter had me laughing and giggling. I think Hill’s humor comes from his engaging characters, and his ability to add light, through their actions, to a dark situation. 

In the last chapter, Ben goes back to Mount Pangonui to climb to the same spot where his leg was crushed, and his life changed forever. I think it was a strong and satisfying ending, as it shows the reader how Ben has been able to move on in a significant way, even though he of course still grieves his leg, he understands that he’s still the same person that he was before his amputation.