Holes

Today I'm reviewing the well-known young adult novel Holes written by Louis Sachar. Holes won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature in 1998, and the Newbery Medal in 1999. This is an amazing read that seems to have it all! Family curses, treasure, destiny, poetry, friendship and adventure, Holes has a wonderfully mysterious, yet playful, plot that keeps the reader interested by providing satisfying twists and victories. This novel begins by telling the story of Stanley Yelnats and his misfortune that is blamed on his family's "curse". Stanley was at the wrong place at the wrong time when a stolen pair of shoes drops in his lap and he is accused of stealing. As punishment for his wrongdoings, Stanley is sent to Camp Green Lake, a "juvenile detention facility" in the middle of the desert where the "inmates" of the camp are forced to dig holes all day by the nasty and greedy supervisors.

After befriending a young boy named Zero and having mishaps with the other inmates and faculty, eventually Stanley and Zero escape the camp and runaway into the desert hills. Throughout the story, however, there are many flashbacks that tell the stories of Stanley's and Zero's relatives and how their family curses are actually intertwined. The reader finally realizes that destiny has brought the two boys together so they can help break the curses set upon them by their ancestors. After almost dying of dehydration and exhaustion, the two boys find salvation at the top of a legendary mountain and learn the history of each others families. In the end, every character gets what they deserve and Stanley, Zero and their families live new, happy lives together.

I had read this story when I was in the 6th grade and I remember loving reading it as an assignment. It is interesting, mysterious, funny and unique. This book's plot is a great foundation to teach many things, such as foreshadowing, flashbacks, plot summaries and character development. A fun assignment would be creating a (fake) historical timeline of the incidents in this story and analyze how they connect. Students could also create a family tree for the characters that illustrate how they are connected.

Sachar, L. (1998). Holes. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.