Holes

Title: Holes
Author: Louis Sachar
Publisher: Scholastic Inc. 1998
Reading Level: 6th and up
Pages: 233
Genre: Fiction











Summary:

Stanley Yelnats has a problem. Currently he is at Camp Green Lake, a detention camp for trouble makers. However, the only reason he is here is because of his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing great-great-grandfather. This grandfather had left a curse upon his family many years before. He wanted to marry the girl of his dreams, so he went to seek help from Madame Zeroni. Madame Zeroni told him to carry a little pig up a mountain every day, have him drink from the stream and sing to him. After he had done this every day, the pig would be bigger than his rival for his love. However, he must return to Madame Zeroni, carry her up the mountain and sing to her while she drank from the stream. The grandfather did this every day, and when the time came for the father to pick the husband he realized that his love did not return the feeling. He left and decided to go to the Americas, however, he forgot Madame Zeroni's wish and thus the curse began. Bad luck followed him, and his future generations, no matter what they tried. So this is why Stanley is at Camp Green Lake where he has to dig a 5 foot by 5 foot hole every day. After finding a lipstick tube with the initials KB, Stanley realizes that they are trying to find something by digging these holes. He makes a friend there, Zero, and one day Zero runs off. Stanley decides to follow him a couple days later, and when he does there is almost no hope for them. They are in a desert and they have no water. Stanley remembers a story about another of his ancestors and how they were stranded in the very desert he was in. This ancestor found refuge on 'God's Thumb.' They see a mountain that looks like a thumb so they climb up it. Both are exhausted and dehydrated, but Zero isn't able to continue climbing up. Stanley carries him up and makes him drink from the stream. As he is drinking Stanly starts to sing a tune that has been in his family for years. Unknown to him, Zero is Madame Zeroni's descendant and Stanley has just lifted the curse from his family! When they have their strength returned to them they return to Camp Green Lake in the middle of the night. They go to where Stanly found the lipstick tube and begin digging. They finally hit something hard, and when it is dug out it is a treasure chest! However, the warden and Mr. Sir find them and are about to take the chest when they see the yellow-spotted lizards. These lizards are extremely poisonous, so they wait for the lizards to leave. The lizards don't bug the boys because they smell strongly of onions, and there long wait begins. When morning comes a lawyer is there to pick up Stanley and they see that STANLEY YELNATS is engraved on the chest. Camp Green Lake is ended, and eventually turned into a girl's camp. Stanley returns home, as does Zero, and they are rick and lucky again!

My Reaction:

I really liked this book. It seemed very real because most of it could happen in real life. However, a mystery was put into it with the curse, and it made it interesting. It was fun to get to know the boys in the camp and see Zero and Stanley eventually get the warden in trouble. It was definitely a good read!

Potential Problems:

Overall the book was pretty good. There might be some issues with the boys being mean to one another. Also, the Warden and Mr. Sir are cruel and that might not go over very well with a child.

Recommendations:

If you want a good read then I definitely recommend this book. It's not your normal story line, and it will leave you wondering what will happen. A strong friendship is created between two boys, and that is also fun to read and see where it goes.