As further evidence of his family's bad fortune which they attribute to a curse on a distant relative, Stanley Yelnats is sent to a hellish correctional camp in the Texas desert where he finds his first real friend, a treasure, and a new sense of himself.
"If you take a bad boy and make him dig a hole every day in the hot sun, it will turn him into a good boy." Such is the reigning philosophy at Camp Green Lake, a juvenile detention facility where there is no lake, and there are no happy campers. In place of what used to be "the largest lake in Texas" is now a dry, flat, sunburned wasteland, pocked with countless identical holes dug by boys improving their character. Stanley Yelnats, of palindromic name and ill-fated pedigree, has landed at Camp Green Lake because it seemed a better option than jail. No matter that his conviction was all a case of mistaken identity, the Yelnats family has become accustomed to a long history of bad luck, thanks to their "no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather!" Despite his innocence, Stanley is quickly enmeshed in the Camp Green Lake routine: rising before dawn to dig a hole five feet deep and five feet in diameter; learning how to get along with the Lord of the Flies-styled pack of boys in Group D; and fearing the warden, who paints her fingernails with rattlesnake venom. But when Stanley realizes that the boys may not just be digging to build character--that in fact the warden is seeking something specific--the plot gets as thick as the irony.
It's a strange story, but strangely compelling and lovely too. Louis Sachar uses poker-faced understatement to create a bizarre but believable landscape--a place where Major Major Major Major of Catch-22 would feel right at home. But while there is humor and absurdity here, there is also a deep understanding of friendship and a searing compassion for society's underdogs. As Stanley unknowingly begins to fulfill his destiny--the dual plots coming together to reveal that fate has big plans in store--we can't help but cheer for the good guys, and all the Yelnats everywhere. (Ages 10 and older) --Brangien Davis
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
I Dig This Book:
After having read through 2 of the Wayside School books, I was interested to see Sachar's writing style in a longer book. So, my son got Holes for Christmas, and I read it shortly after. :) I'd seen the movie a few years back without realizing it was based on an award winning book. It's always hard to try and distance movie memories when reading a book, so I'm sure some memories tainted my reading. Overall, I really enjoyed the book and I'm glad we have it in our home for the kids to read. While... more info
Holes:
Everyone has been punished before meaning grounded, no TV, no computer and more. But as me sometimes Stanley was in the wrong place in the wrong time one time I was walking home from my friends house and this guy told me that he saw me hit his car of course I didn't ,he came and talked to my mom after that she grounded me for one day. But Stanley was in huge trouble he was blamed for stealing Clyde Livingston's shoes of a homeless shelter and they all blamed it on his dirty-old-pig... more info
Lizards, holes, onions...:
I have a lot of respect for a writer who can take holes, lizards and onions and create an incredible story. This book was amazing. It held my interest from the very first page. The characters were lovable and interesting (I particularly liked Zero), the plot was fast paced and engaging, the writing style was easy to read and follow. I felt like I was there with the boys digging all those holes. Once again, kudos to Louis Sacher for creating such a great thought provoking novel out of such a... more info
Minus the plot rehash...:
"Everything I learned in life I learned from Holes". Yes, I have a sick addiction to this book, but this is one of those stories that has changed my life, weirdly enough. My copy is marked up with thoughts and realizations and random connections. It's a quirky story filled with deep understanding.
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