Holes
A darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment... Stanley Yelnat's family has a history of bad luck, so he isn't too surprised when a miscarriage of justice sends him to a boys' juvenile detention center, Camp Green Lake. There is no lake - it has been dry for over a hundred years - and it's hardly a camp. As punishment, the boys must each dig a hole a day, five feet deep, five feet across, in the hard earth of the dried-up lake bed. The warden claims that this pointless labor builds char... (show more)
A darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment... Stanley Yelnat's family has a history of bad luck, so he isn't too surprised when a miscarriage of justice sends him to a boys' juvenile detention center, Camp Green Lake. There is no lake - it has been dry for over a hundred years - and it's hardly a camp. As punishment, the boys must each dig a hole a day, five feet deep, five feet across, in the hard earth of the dried-up lake bed. The warden claims that this pointless labor builds character, but she is really using the boys to dig for loot buried by the Wild West outlaw Kissin' Kate Barlow. The story of Kissin' Kate, and of a curse put on Stanley's great-great-grandfather by a one-legged gypsy, weaves a narrative puzzle that tangles and untangles, until it becomes clear that the hand of fate has been at work in the lives of the characters - and their forebears - for generations.With this wonderfully inventive, compelling novel that is both serious and funny, Louis Sachar has written his best book to date. (show less)
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This is the kind of book I wish had been around when I was a kid. There's action, there's intrigue, there's cool characters, and NONE of it is based on any kind of supernatural powers. No wizards, no vampires, no magical realm. It's the kind of adventure that, as a twelve-year-old boy, you could actually see yourself being a part of.
HOLES is the story of Stanley Yelnats who gets sent to the Green Lake prison camp for delinquent boys, over a crime he didn't commit. The boys at Green Lake a... (show more)
This is the kind of book I wish had been around when I was a kid. There's action, there's intrigue, there's cool characters, and NONE of it is based on any kind of supernatural powers. No wizards, no vampires, no magical realm. It's the kind of adventure that, as a twelve-year-old boy, you could actually see yourself being a part of.
HOLES is the story of Stanley Yelnats who gets sent to the Green Lake prison camp for delinquent boys, over a crime he didn't commit. The boys at Green Lake are required to dig a 5x5x5 hole every day as a way to "build character". But it becomes quickly apparent that there is more going on than just rehabilitation. The warden has them digging to find something. It's like "The Shawshank Redemption" for middle-grade. A crooked warden. A daring escape. Stanley even teaches one of his fellow inmates how to read. It all builds to a great and satisfying climax. I also personally liked the free reign the author took with POV conventions, switching back and forth from Stanley's narration and an omnipotent narration designed to give certain backstory elements. Sticklers to form would give the author grief over those liberties. I say it made the story cooler.
Great read for anyone ten years and up. And even if you're an adult, it's a fun, fast read that will fill you with that childlike sense of adventure. (show less)
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Louis Sachar cleverly uses the story-within-a-story literary technique to reveal and adventure you won't soon forget. In this story you meet a boy named Stanley Yelnats, who has been wrongfully accused of stealing a famous baseball player's shoes. As a result he has chosen to go to Camp Green Lake instead of spend time in prison. After all Stanley has never been to camp. How bad could it be, right? Well Camp Green Lake isn't your ordinary camp. It's a juvenile detention center where kids are ... (show more)
Louis Sachar cleverly uses the story-within-a-story literary technique to reveal and adventure you won't soon forget. In this story you meet a boy named Stanley Yelnats, who has been wrongfully accused of stealing a famous baseball player's shoes. As a result he has chosen to go to Camp Green Lake instead of spend time in prison. After all Stanley has never been to camp. How bad could it be, right? Well Camp Green Lake isn't your ordinary camp. It's a juvenile detention center where kids are forced to dig holes, one a day, five feet dep and five feet wide in the scorching heat of the "lake." Along the way, Stanley becomes friends with his odd and unforgettable fellow "campers." He also has to learn how to deal with the likes of Mister Sir and The Warden. What Stanley never expected is that his being sent to Camp Green Lake was part of his destiny. Stanley learns a lot about himself, his family's past including his dirty-rotten-pig-stealing great grandfather, and what friendship truly means. This unique story is cleverly crafted by Louis Sachar and definitely deserved to win the Newbery Award in 1999. (show less)
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