Sachar, Louis. (1998). Holes. New York, New York: Random House.
Brief Annotation: Stanley Yelnats seems to be cursed by his "no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather" (as his family affectionately refers to that relative), when some sneakers drop on him from an overpass and he attempts to take them home, only to find himself arrested for stealing a famous baseball player's shoes, shoes that were sent to a charity auction. Stanley is given the choice of going to jail, or going to Camp Green Lake, and he and his parents choose the camp, because they were never able to afford a camp for Stanley before. Camp Green Lake is not what Stanley or his parents expect. There is no green, and no lake--only a large expanse of dirt inhabited by rattlesnakes and the dreaded yellow-spotted lizard, whose bite kills within hours. Stanley and his fellow campers, all known by nicknames they give each other, are forced to dig 5 foot by 5 foot holes in the dry expanse that used to be a lake every day, and give anything interesting they find to the warden, a woman who lives in a cabin by the lake and who controls the whole camp. As the book progresses, we find out the history of the lake, a history which ties in to the history of the warden and to Stanley's own relatives. This history, which ties into past racial injustices and reactions against them, gives Stanley the courage to leave camp to find a lost friend from camp. They follow cues from the small bit of history they know to discover something that can help them both.
Genre: Contemporary realistic fiction
Grade Level: 4-7
Readers who will like this: Readers who like mysteries, readers who like stories about kids in trouble, readers who like to think about what it means to be part of a family.
Response/Rating (1-4): 4. I am embarrassed that I saw this movie with my son before I read the book. He, of course, read the book first. I was very impressed with the intersection between the historical and contemporary parts of the novel, but I expect no less of Louis Sachar, who is underrepresented in the Galda text. There are so many elements that could be discussed in this novel; the relationship between the historical and contemporary episodes, the relationships between the different kids at Camp Green Lake, what is the meaning of "destiny"?
One question you would ask before a read aloud: What does it mean to be part of a family?
Grade Level: 4-7
Readers who will like this: Readers who like mysteries, readers who like stories about kids in trouble, readers who like to think about what it means to be part of a family.
Response/Rating (1-4): 4. I am embarrassed that I saw this movie with my son before I read the book. He, of course, read the book first. I was very impressed with the intersection between the historical and contemporary parts of the novel, but I expect no less of Louis Sachar, who is underrepresented in the Galda text. There are so many elements that could be discussed in this novel; the relationship between the historical and contemporary episodes, the relationships between the different kids at Camp Green Lake, what is the meaning of "destiny"?
One question you would ask before a read aloud: What does it mean to be part of a family?
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