Holes (Holes Series) by Louis Sachar (Epub)

Description

Stanley Yelnats is under a curse. A curse that began with his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather and has since followed generations of Yelnatses. Now Stanley has been unjustly sent to a boys’ detention center, Camp Green Lake, where the boys build character by spending all day, every day digging holes exactly five feet wide and five feet deep. There is no lake at Camp Green Lake. But there are an awful lot of 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 warden is looking for something. But what could be buried under a dried-up lake? Stanley tries to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment—and redemption.

User’s Reviews

From Publishers Weekly PW’s starred review of the 1999 Newbery Medal winner described it as a “dazzling blend of social commentary, tall tale and magic realism.” Ages 10-up. (May) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. Review Winner of the Newbery Medal Winner of the National Book Award #1 New York Times Bestseller A New York Public Library’s 100 Great Children’s Books 100 Years Selection “A dazzling blend of social commentary, tall tale and magic realism.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review “There is no question, kids will love Holes.” —School Library Journal, Starred Review “[A] rugged, engrossing adventure.” —Kirkus Reviews “This delightfully clever story is well-crafted and thought-provoking.” —VOYA “[Sachar] comes fully, brilliantly into his own voice. This is a can’t-put-it-down read.” —The Bulletin From the Inside Flap Stanley Yelnats is under a curse. A curse that began with his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather and has since followed generations of Yelnats. Now Stanley has been unjustly sent to a boys’ detention center, Camp Green Lake, where the warden makes the boys “build character” by spending all day, every day, digging holes: five feet wide and five feet deep. 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 warden is looking for something. Stanley tries to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment–and redemption.

Reviews from Amazon users, collected at the time the book is getting published on UniedVRG. It can be related to shiping or paper quality instead of the book content:

⭐ My goodness what a criminal justice system that sentences a first-time offender to a year and a half sentence (“you’re going to be thirsty for the next 18 months” p. 15) at a juvenile penal facility work camp! Really? Where they dig holes all day seven days a week! No wonder kids grow up thinking the justice system is unfair. Books like these are not helping. I got the book because it had the shiny gold sticker on the front and got great reviews. I got it for my ten-year-old but he didn’t want to read it so I read it.Can an entire lake (“the largest lake in Texas” p. 15) dry up in one person’s lifetime? Kissing Kate Barlow was a school teacher, already an adult when the lake was full, then as an older adult she is burying treasure in the middle of its dry basin. I’m just sayin. Oh and Trout Walker catches up to her and Sam with a motor boat. Yet years later she’s robbing stagecoaches! A bit anachronistic.Why did Stanley feel he had to lie in his letters to home and make it sound like he was water skiing and having fun when really he was in a slave camp? The explanation is that they wanted to “pretend”. Perhaps adults just shouldn’t read this book.Stanley just HAPPENS to be sentenced to dig a whole and he just HAPPENS to find a treasure from an ancestor in an area only 5ft by 5ft within the first few days, and it HAPPENS to have his name on the suitcase? And his new friend just HAPPENS to be the guy that stole the sneakers that put him there! And they survive on the very onions that Sam used to grow. and the “fabulous spiced peaches” (p. 101) of Katherine Barlow! I realize the author is trying to force a circle but it’s just not realistic.A word about Sam whom we learn about in chapter 25. Apparently he was well-respected, “nobody argued with Sam” he ran a successful onion-growing business and the townspeople would come to him for onion remedies. Even the town doctor used Sam’s onion-cure for baldness. He was a valued carpenter as well. Yet all it took was a kiss (“it’s against the law for a negro to kiss a white woman” p.113) for all hell to break lose: the school house is burned down, a donkey is shot, and Sam is to be hung on a rope without a trial apparently. With kids growing up with stories like these, it’s no wonder we don’t make much progress.Why were the guards so loyal to the sadistic Warden? Were they going to get a share of a treasure whose only proof of existence was family lore? And of course all these juvenile delinquents are so nice and don’t even curse. I’m sure they were all innocent like Stanley and Zero. Even the car thief “Twitch” was innocent, his criminal record justified as the result of some kind of medical condition: “I never plan to steal one…I’ll just start twitching” p. 145.Katherine Barlow was a respected school teacher. After Sam kisses her, Sam is then murdered for the “crime” in front of her. She never recovers from the shock. She turns into the “famous outlaw” Kissing Kate Barlow, who leaves a lipstick mark on her murder victims and one victim is Stanley’s ancestor whom she leaves stranded in a desert to suffer and die. In short, she goes insane. Why is there not more outrage from women readers at this demeaning narrative? A woman who cannot rise up and overcome the lost love of a man, but rather dwells in the same moment for the rest of her life (Mrs. Havisham?), re-enacting the kiss on dead corpses like some necrophiliac! Yes, it’s really quite disturbing the more you think about it.

⭐ Stanley is a school boy who finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. He is convicted of stealing shoes and sent to correctional camp Green Lake. Camp Green lake is by the side of a dried up lake in the middle of a desert. Escape seems impossible because there is no food or water. The life is tough. Each day the boys have to dig a hole 5 foot deep and 5 foot wide measured by the shovel. The book has a good ending but you need to read the book to find out what happens. You won’t be disappointed. After each chapter you will not want to put the book down. There is another story running parallel telling the events at Green lake 110 years before which tie into the main story.The book is not lengthy and easy to read. Good characters well described. Well written. Not boring. Recommended for all teenagers. Adults can enjoy. I read the book because my son is reading it at school.

⭐ I finally decided to check this book out after years of watching the movie. I’m so happy I did, because it’s way better than the film (as is usually the case), which is saying something. I won’t give anything away with regards to the plot, but I’ll say this much – I highly recommend it not just for young adults, but for us older adults as well. 😉

⭐ The flashbacks really helped you understand more about the story and characters. Loved how the characters are all connected like in a spiderweb.

⭐ Passed this book around to all the young people in our family, and currently not sure which family has it. That is, AFTER we read it together in the car on a road trip. Awesome book, can’t hardly put it down. If you want to get your kids reading, force them to read the first chapter and you won’t see them until they’ve finished. 🙂

⭐ Such a good book. All three of my kids read this in middle school and I’ve read it myself. It has mystery to keep you entertained and the main characters are great examples of good triumphing over evil. If you want a book that is a fun and a fast, read plus is really easy to write an A+ book report on, then choose this book.

⭐ As a teacher, I was stumped how I was going to form a reading group with the same book since we weren’t meeting in person. I had the books delivered to my kiddos by Amazon! It happened to be a group of all boys and one girl. There was adventure and suspense and all the students couldn’t wait to read each chapter. I highly recommend this book. My readers were 2nd graders, but they were definitely advanced readers. It would absolutely be appropriate for 3rd-5th graders.

⭐ The author did a fantastic job of weaving the past and present together and bringing everything full circle in this book in a way that even young children could understand. It could have easily gotten very complicated and convoluted but he managed to make it intricate yet understandable. My second grader read this book on his own and figured it all out. I read this book aloud to my first grader which worked out nicely because I could discuss it with him as we went along and make sure he understood it. Most of the time he did on his own and he always did after we had a conversation.Both my boys can be sensitive to darker plots and humor but they both really enjoyed this book – it wasn’t too much for them. It’s recommended for third grade and up but I found it appropriate for my first and second grader. The only mildly inappropriate instance is when one character says, “What the hell?” I didn’t even notice when I was reading it but my first grader was quick to point out at our book club meeting that it was his favorite part – because of the “bad” word. Such a proud parenting moment.Speaking of book club, this was a great selection for the Intergenerational Book Club (IGBC) at my church. There were kids from first through fifth grade (mostly boys) and all of them enjoyed this book. For snacks we had worms and dirt (made by the kids), doughnut holes, and pumpkin onion cookies. (Onions play an important role in the story.)

⭐ Wow, what a book. It’s listed for middle-grade, but it really is an adventure that adults could enjoy too. The fascinating aspect for adults is the idea of the story in the first place and how this idea allows the reader to understand characters.

⭐ I have a Russian godson who is studying English. He is a young teenager now and I have been sending him books to help him improve his English. Holes is based in the desert of far West Texas in a detention center for teens who have been jailed. The main character is there because he was accused of stealing a pair of tennis shoes. Every day the kids are marched out to dig a 6’X 6’X6′ hole in a dry lake bed, not knowing why they have to do it. It has to do with a rotten warden, a legend, and hidden treasure. Arthur loved the book several Skype meetings lead to good discussions about the book.

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