44) Holes

Bibliography: Sachar, Louis; Holes; Frances Foster Books; New York; 1998; 233 pages; ISBN 0-374-33265-7.

Plot: Stanley Yelnats has been accused of stealing the shoes of Clyde Livingston that have been donated to help raise money for the homeless shelter.  As punishment, Stanley is sentenced to serve time at Camp Green Lake in Texas digging holes to gain character.  While digging holes, Stanley discovers the lipstick cap with the initials “KB.”  He assumes the case belongs to thief Kissin Kate Barlow.  Upon discovering that Stanley has uncovered something, X-Ray takes the item and turns it into The Warden.  As reward for the discovery, the boys are forced to dig more and deeper holes.  Being fed up with the treatment, Zero decides to run away from camp.  As everyone gives up on Zero, Stanley believes he can find him and save his life. 

Review:   For a fun, humorous, adventure story turn to Holes.  Stanley Yelnats and his family have been blaming his “no good for nothing great great grandfather” for years of bad luck and it looks like Stanley just got the worst luck of all.  After being sentenced for stealing baseball great Clyde Livingston’s shoes, Stanley is sent to Camp Green Lake.  Camp Green Lake is in the middle of nowhere in Texas, where delinquent boys are forced to dig holes to build character.  Camp Green Lake is the hottest, driest, worst place to send a boy for being a delinquent.  At camp, Stanley is assigned to Tent D, where he is introduced to X-Ray, Armpit, Zigzag, Zero, Magnet, and Squid.  Tent D has already established a hierarchy and Stanley is at the bottom.  Stanley soon learns that digging holes in the middle of a dried up lake is probably the worst punishment for a chubby boy, but it doesn’t take too long before he gets the hang of everything.  After finding a lipstick cap the boys from Tent D are given extra special attention.  The Warden comes out every day to oversee their digging.  The Warden believes this is the first clue to finding the treasure of renowned thief Kissin Kate Barlow.  Unfortunately, the boys don’t find any additional treasures and the boys start getting restless.  Soon Zero decides he has had enough of digging and runs away from camp.

This book is great for reluctant readers.  The chapters are short and the story is intermixed with a bit of history about the area.  Readers will enjoy the different characters and the way they are each treated by the heads of the camp.   The book has since been turned into a movie.  This is a great idea for a book club selection.  After the kids have read the book, they can be invited into the library to see the movie and compare the two stories.

Genre: Humor/Adventure

Interest Level: age 9-12

Related Books:  The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin; The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg by W.R. Philbrick; Everything on a Waffle Polly Horvath.

Characters: 

Stanley Yelnats – the protagonist; is sentenced to a year and a half at Camp Green Lake

Zero (Hector Zeroni) – Stanley’s only friend at Camp Green Lake; Stanley teaches him to read.

Elya Yelnats – Stanley’s great-great-grandfather; it is believed that because of his carelessness he has cursed the entire Yelnats family.

Madame Zeroni – a gypsy that gives Elya a pig to offer in return for his loves hand in marriage, in return he is to carry the gypsy to the top of the mountain so she can drink from the river.

The Warden – she is in charge of Camp Green Lake.  It is rumored that a thief buried her treasure at the Camp’s location and requires the boys to dig holes to help her find the treasure.

Awards: 

Newberry Medal Winner of 1999

National Book Award for Young People's Literature of 1998

A Christopher Award for Juvenile Fiction

An ALA Notable Book

An ALA Best Book for Young Adults

An ALA Quick Pick for Young Adults

A New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of the Year

A Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon Book

A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

A Publishers Weekly Notable Children's Book of the Year

A Publishers Weekly Bestseller

A Horn Book Fanfare Title

A Riverbank Review 1999 Children's Book of Distinction

A New York Public Library Children's Book of 1998-100 Titles for Reading and Sharing

A Texas Lone Star Award Nominee

A NECBA Fall List Title

Series Information: There are two companion novels to Holes – Stanley Yelnat’s Survival Guide to Camp Green Lake and Small Steps.

Author Information: http://www.louissachar.com/Bio.htm