Stanley Yelnats' family has a history of bad luck going back generations, so he is not too surprised when a miscarriage of justice sends him to Camp Green Lake Juvenile Detention Centre. Nor is he very surprised when he is told that his daily labour at the camp is to dig a hole, five foot wide by five foot deep, and report anything that he finds in that hole. The warden claims that it is character building, but this is a lie and Stanley must dig up the truth. In this wonderfully inventive, compelling novel that is both serious and funny, Louis Sachar has created a masterpiece that will leave all readers amazed and delighted by the author's narrative flair and brilliantly handled plot.
Holes
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"I'm not going to run away," Stanley said. "Good thinking, " said Mr Sir. "Nobody runs away from here. We don't need a fence. Know why? Because we've got the only water for a hundred miles. You want to run away? You'll be buzzard food in three days." Stanley could see some kids dressed in orange and carrying shovels dragging themselves towards the tents. "You thirsty?" asked Mr Sir. "Yes, Mr Sir," Stanley said gratefully. "Well, you better get used to it. You're going to be thirsty for the next eighteen months."
If you are looking for a truly remarkable novel, something to get your teeth into, something to make you think, and something to make you feel that you have just touched real class, then look no further than Louis Sachar's extraordinary, award-winning novel Holes.
Camp Greenlake is a place for bad boys, where the belief is: "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." When Stanley Yelnats, accused and found guilty of a crime he did not commit, is sent to Camp Greenlake he really doesn't think it can be so bad. Stanley and his family try to pretend that he is just going away to camp like the rich kids do, and he promises to write to them every day. But the harsh realities of the camp, and the evil Warden with her lizard-venom impregnated fingernails with her own reasons for making the boys in her charge dig so many holes, sometimes make dying seem like a great idea. When Stanley leaves the camp to go in search of his friend Zero, their journey towards freedom becomes a battle with hunger, thirst and heat in the shadow of Big Thumb--a mountain so entwined in Stanley's own family history that he knows if they can reach it they will somehow find salvation.
A complex story, riddled with the harsh imagery and barren despair, Holes is a perceptive and intricate homage to family and friendship which never shies away from the harshest of realities yet injects the story of a seemingly hopeless boy with a sly, sideways humour that crackles against the backdrop of the arid wastelands of the desert. A must for anyone, young or old, who relishes an intelligent, courageous and dynamic read. (Age 11 and over) --Susan Harrison
Review
'A miracle of a book - a fast, involving read that conceals an incredibly clever structure packed with surprises' -- TBK magazine, Spring 2009, Issue 24
`A truly life-affecting read, I get everyone I know to read it'
-- Waterstone's Guide to Kid's Books, February 2009
`A truly life-affecting read, I get everyone I know to read it'
-- Waterstone's Guide to Kid's Books, February 2009
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
66 of 68 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
I love this book! It's style is very simple, but somehow it holds you from beginning to end. It's basically three stories taking place in three different times all in one book. All three are beautifully intertwined.
The main story is about a very unlucky boy called Stanley Yelnats (notice the palindrome?) who is sent to a detention camp for a crime he didn't commit. Every day he has to dig a large hole, under the blazing Texas sun, without much water. He is told that it is character-building, but he soon realises that the camp owner is searching for something hidden in the dried-up lake-bed. Stanley finds tiny clues along the way and eventually works out why he and the other boys are being made to dig every day, and how this ties in with his own family's past, and future.
This is a fantastic story and very well-written book. Read it!
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This isn't my usual sort of book at all but I was far from disappointed. This is an extraordinary story from start to finish with not a boring page or even sentence to struggle through. Without being repetitive (Amazon reviews and the Synopsis tell it all) this is a teenager/adult book starting with a curse on a family which reaches its climax over a hundred years later with the two "stars" of the story, Stanley and Zero. After saying this is a teenagers book, I have passed it to my husband, mum and other friends, all of who agree that it is a captivating story for adults as well as teens. I'm sure most readers (of any style of book) can't help but love this one for the very clever story that it is.
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
By book worm
Format:Paperback
Holes
Louis Sachar
When Stanley Yelnats is accused of stealing a pair of trainers from a famous Basketball player and asked to chose between the punishment of going to jail or going to camp green lake he responds by saying "I've never been to camp before." When he arrived at camp green lake he meet Armpit, Z-ray, zero and the rest of the gang. Camp green lake is positioned in what used to be a lovely thriving town that had a lake and everything else a town could want. Now it is a desert where it never rains, the lake is all dried up and boys who have broken the law are sent to dig holes all day to build character, or so the warden says. One day Zero runs away and later Stanley goes after him. They get stranded without food or water and are both convinced it's the end of them both, but then something miraculas happens...
Louis Sachar does a great job introducing his characters and building on their personalities and relationships throughout the book. Also he leaves you with more and more questions every page of the book. This story is well thought out and a great read for anyone. I would highly recomend it to everyone.
Read the book to find out the answers to these questions
Is there really a curse on the Yelnat family?
Is it really to build character that the boys are foced to dig holes every day?
What is on top of god's thumb if anything?
Will Stanley and Zero make it through the desert and survive with the deadly yellow spotted lizards?
Louis Sachar
When Stanley Yelnats is accused of stealing a pair of trainers from a famous Basketball player and asked to chose between the punishment of going to jail or going to camp green lake he responds by saying "I've never been to camp before." When he arrived at camp green lake he meet Armpit, Z-ray, zero and the rest of the gang. Camp green lake is positioned in what used to be a lovely thriving town that had a lake and everything else a town could want. Now it is a desert where it never rains, the lake is all dried up and boys who have broken the law are sent to dig holes all day to build character, or so the warden says. One day Zero runs away and later Stanley goes after him. They get stranded without food or water and are both convinced it's the end of them both, but then something miraculas happens...
Louis Sachar does a great job introducing his characters and building on their personalities and relationships throughout the book. Also he leaves you with more and more questions every page of the book. This story is well thought out and a great read for anyone. I would highly recomend it to everyone.
Read the book to find out the answers to these questions
Is there really a curse on the Yelnat family?
Is it really to build character that the boys are foced to dig holes every day?
What is on top of god's thumb if anything?
Will Stanley and Zero make it through the desert and survive with the deadly yellow spotted lizards?
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Holes
Amazing Book lovely story and it even got my son (who hates books and reading) of the Xbox and reading it.
Published 1 day ago by Nathalie Agius Barbuto
5.0 out of 5 stars
Review of Holes, The book
A wonderful story that would appeal to anyone over 10. It is great to watch the DVD afterwards as it stays true to the book.
Published 1 day ago by Mrs S T Powell
5.0 out of 5 stars
Holes is great!
Holes, by Louis Sachar is a fantastic read. The book idea was very original and you just wanted to keep reading.
Published 1 day ago by Hannah Ross
5.0 out of 5 stars
Holes
I bought this book for my daughter.She is reading it in her school class ,so I thought I would buy it to help her understand and know about it more to make it easier in school. Read more
Published 22 days ago by vincent j chapman
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing
Absolutely amazing read it in one night I was hooked loved it every single bit can't wait to read the second
Published 27 days ago by the truth
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brlliant
This is a really good book and everyone should take the time to read it- you won't be disappointed Amazing!
Published 1 month ago by TRACY
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must read for children aged 10 - 13
I put off buying this book for my daughter (age 10) for a long time because it didnt sound like it would be very interesting - a group of juvanille delinquants digging holes at... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mrs. C. Mcallister
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic Read
Read this year's ago back at school, brings back old memories. Remember enjoying it back then and I certainly enjoyed reading it again.
Published 1 month ago by Kieran Oldfield
4.0 out of 5 stars
good
good book very interesting and some funny moments in that will make you laugh out loud. i love this book
Published 1 month ago by Joshua kelly
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amazing!
This book has a great storyline-I know it's a cliché, but I couldn't put it down! It's great for teens to read and is not too babyish. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Tiggy
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