Check out the Holes tour with Louis Sachar! Monday, October 20th, 7:00 p.m. Anderson's Bookshop, Naperville, IL Tuesday, October 21st, 7:00 p.m., Barnes & Noble, Skokie, IL Wednesday, October 22nd, 7:00 p.m., Harry W. Schwartz Bookshop, Brookfield, WI Thursday, October 23rd, 7:00 p.m., Red Balloon Bookshop, St. Paul, MN Friday, October 24th, 7:00 p.m. Wayzata Community Church, Wayzata, MN Monday, October 27th, 7:00 p.m., Tattered Cover Bookstore, Highlands Ranch, CO Tuesday, October 28th, 7:00 p.m., Borders, Aurora, CO Stanley Yelnats tries to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment-and redemption.
"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
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.
Holes:
Holes (Yearling, Louis Sachar) is a fictional master piece that has been recognized as such through honors including the Newberry Award and the National Book Award. This adventure tale unfolds on the dry bed of Green Lake, where a juvenile detention facility works to build up the characters of troublesome youths. These boys dig holes. Stanley Yelnats, the story's wrongly accused protagonist, needs to dig a hole five feet by five feet everyday, always racing the scorching rays of the sun, on guard for yellow... more info
One that will want to be read more than just once:
An adventure novel sure to capture the attention of a reader of any age, Holes (Scholastic, 1998) tells the story of Stanley Yelnats and the family curse that leads to his false conviction and oppressive stay at Camp Green Lake. Stanley is in for trouble when he arrives at Camp Green Lake when he discovers that it is not really a camp at all, but a juvenile detention center where he and the other boys his age are forced to work in the hot Texas sun, digging holes in service of the camp's sinister warden.... more info
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