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Holes #1
Holes
Stanley Yelnats is under a curse. A curse that began with his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather and has since followed generations of Yelnats. Now Stanley has been unjustly sent to a boys’ detention center, Camp Green Lake, where the boys build character by spending all day, every day digging holes exactly five feet wide and five feet deep. There is no lake at Camp Green Lake. But there are an awful lot of holes.
It doesn’t take long for Stanley to realize there’s more than character improvement going on at Camp Green Lake. The boys are digging holes because the warden is looking for something. But what could be buried under a dried-up lake? Stanley tries to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment—and redemption.
It doesn’t take long for Stanley to realize there’s more than character improvement going on at Camp Green Lake. The boys are digging holes because the warden is looking for something. But what could be buried under a dried-up lake? Stanley tries to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment—and redemption.
272 pages, Paperback
First published August 20, 1998
About the author
Louis Sachar
85 books4,168 followersLouis Sachar (pronounced Sacker), born March 20, 1954, is an American author of children's books.
Louis was born in East Meadow, New York, in 1954. When he was nine, he moved to Tustin, California. He went to college at the University of California at Berkeley and graduated in 1976, as an economics major. The next year, he wrote his first book, Sideways Stories from Wayside School .
He was working at a sweater warehouse during the day and wrote at night. Almost a year later, he was fired from the job. He decided to go to law school. He attended Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco.
His first book was published while he was in law school. He graduated in 1980. For the next eight years he worked part-time as a lawyer and continued to try to write children's books. Then his books started selling well enough so that he was able to quit practicing law. His wife's name is Carla. When he first met her, she was a counselor at an elementary school. She was the inspiration behind the counselor in There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom . He was married in 1985. Hisdaughter, Sherre, was born in 1987.
Louis was born in East Meadow, New York, in 1954. When he was nine, he moved to Tustin, California. He went to college at the University of California at Berkeley and graduated in 1976, as an economics major. The next year, he wrote his first book, Sideways Stories from Wayside School .
He was working at a sweater warehouse during the day and wrote at night. Almost a year later, he was fired from the job. He decided to go to law school. He attended Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco.
His first book was published while he was in law school. He graduated in 1980. For the next eight years he worked part-time as a lawyer and continued to try to write children's books. Then his books started selling well enough so that he was able to quit practicing law. His wife's name is Carla. When he first met her, she was a counselor at an elementary school. She was the inspiration behind the counselor in There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom . He was married in 1985. Hisdaughter, Sherre, was born in 1987.
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August 13, 2024
Bring on the tomatoes! This is going to be an unpopular review……
I just don’t understand the hype surrounding this book.
At the premise of Holes, a group of boys are charged with digging 5 feet by 5 feet holes and to let someone in charge know if they find anything “interesting.” Hmm…doesn’t that sound like buried treasure? Aren’t they going to find something?
Come on and get there already!
The repetition was nauseating and sent me over the mooooooooonnnnnn! Maybe I will just blame my great-great-grandfather while washing my second set of clothes?
What happened to the backstory of the other boys? Did we ever even learn why they were there (aside from one of them did steal a car)? Did the other boys have family?
Regarding the story about carrying a pig up the mountain, I knew I heard that story before, and it was The Poppy War! Holes was published August 20, 1998, and The Poppy War was published May 1, 2018 so I can’t blame Louis Sachar. However, RF Kuang did tell the story in a more compelling way.
The ending of Holes was entirely underwhelming. I wanted a portal to another world!
The best thing about this book is the rattlesnake nail polish.
2025 Reading Schedule
Jan A Town Like Alice
Feb Birdsong
Mar Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Berniere
Apr War and Peace
May The Woman in White
Jun Atonement
Jul The Shadow of the Wind
Aug Jude the Obscure
Sep Ulysses
Oct Vanity Fair
Nov A Fine Balance
Dec Germinal
Connect With Me!
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I just don’t understand the hype surrounding this book.
At the premise of Holes, a group of boys are charged with digging 5 feet by 5 feet holes and to let someone in charge know if they find anything “interesting.” Hmm…doesn’t that sound like buried treasure? Aren’t they going to find something?
Come on and get there already!
The repetition was nauseating and sent me over the mooooooooonnnnnn! Maybe I will just blame my great-great-grandfather while washing my second set of clothes?
What happened to the backstory of the other boys? Did we ever even learn why they were there (aside from one of them did steal a car)? Did the other boys have family?
Regarding the story about carrying a pig up the mountain, I knew I heard that story before, and it was The Poppy War! Holes was published August 20, 1998, and The Poppy War was published May 1, 2018 so I can’t blame Louis Sachar. However, RF Kuang did tell the story in a more compelling way.
The ending of Holes was entirely underwhelming. I wanted a portal to another world!
The best thing about this book is the rattlesnake nail polish.
2025 Reading Schedule
Jan A Town Like Alice
Feb Birdsong
Mar Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Berniere
Apr War and Peace
May The Woman in White
Jun Atonement
Jul The Shadow of the Wind
Aug Jude the Obscure
Sep Ulysses
Oct Vanity Fair
Nov A Fine Balance
Dec Germinal
Connect With Me!
Blog Twitter BookTube Facebook Insta My Bookstore at Pango
November 10, 2021
Holes (Holes, #1), Louis Sachar
Holes is a 1998 young adult mystery comedy novel written by Louis Sachar and first published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Stanley Yelnats IV is a 14-year-old boy from a hard-working but poor family. Stanley's latest stroke of misfortune occurs when he is wrongfully convicted of stealing a pair of athletic shoes that belonged to the famous baseball player Clyde "Sweet Feet" Livingston, who donated the shoes for a charity auction.
He is sent to Camp Green Lake, a juvenile corrections facility which is located in the middle of a desert; the lake dried up decades ago and is crawling with highly venomous yellow-spotted lizards, whose bites are always lethal.
The inmates are assigned to dig one cylindrical hole each day, five feet wide and five feet deep, which the Warden claims "builds their character". The novel alternates this story with two set in the past, with interrelated but distinct plot lines. ...
عنوانهای چاپ شده در ایران: «آخرین گودال»؛ «راز گودالهای دریاچه سبز»؛ «گودالها»؛ نویسنده: لوئیس ساکر (سکر)؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش روز بیست و یکم ماه سپتامبر سال2009میلادی
عنوان: آخرین گودال؛ نویسنده: لوئیس ساکر؛ مترجم: حسن ابراهیمی (الوند)؛ تهران، قدیانی، سال1379؛ در280ص، مصور؛ شابک ایکس-964417335؛ چاپ دوم سال1381؛ چاپ سوم سال1382؛ چاپ چهارم سال1388؛ شابک9789644173356؛ چاپهای ششم و هفتم سال1389؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده 20م
عنوان: گودالها؛ نویسنده: لوئیس ساکر (سکر)؛ مترجم: فرزاد فربد؛ تهران، کتاب پنجره؛ سال1383، در186ص، چاپ دیگر تهران، انتشارات پریان، سال1393؛ در227ص؛ شابک9786007058114؛ چاپ دوم سال1396؛
عنوان: راز گودالهای دریاچه سبز؛ نویسنده: لوئیس ساکر؛ مترجم: مهدی باتقوا؛ تهران، رسپینا، سال1392، در248ص؛ شابک9789648559132؛ چاپ دوم سال1392؛
استنلی را برای گناهی که انجام نداده است، به اردوگاه «گرین لیک» میفرستند؛ او همانند دیگر نوجوانان ساکن اردوگاه، وادار میشود تا هر روز زیر آفتاب داغ، گودالی به ژرفا و پهنای یک متر و نیم، بکـَـنـَـد؛ سرپرست اردوگاه باور دارد، که کندن گودال، باعث شکل گرفتن شخصیت نوجوانان بزهکار میشود؛ اما «استنلی» به زودی میفهمد، که موضوع فراتر از «شکل گرفتن شخصیت» نوجوانان بزهکار است؛ او کوشش میکند هر طور شده، از ماجرا سر دربیاورد؛ و ...؛ کتاب برنده ی جوایز «نیوبری سال 1999میلادی»، «ادگار آلن پو سال 1999میلادی»، «نشنال بوک در ادبیات کودک و نوجوان»، «بهترین کتاب سال به انتخاب اسکول لایبرری ژورنال»، «بهترین کتاب نوجوانان به انتخاب انجمن کتابداران آمریکا»، «بهترین کتاب سال به انتخاب پابلیشرز ویکلی»، و «برنده ی پر فروشترین کتاب نوجوانان» است
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 10/09/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 18/08/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
Holes is a 1998 young adult mystery comedy novel written by Louis Sachar and first published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Stanley Yelnats IV is a 14-year-old boy from a hard-working but poor family. Stanley's latest stroke of misfortune occurs when he is wrongfully convicted of stealing a pair of athletic shoes that belonged to the famous baseball player Clyde "Sweet Feet" Livingston, who donated the shoes for a charity auction.
He is sent to Camp Green Lake, a juvenile corrections facility which is located in the middle of a desert; the lake dried up decades ago and is crawling with highly venomous yellow-spotted lizards, whose bites are always lethal.
The inmates are assigned to dig one cylindrical hole each day, five feet wide and five feet deep, which the Warden claims "builds their character". The novel alternates this story with two set in the past, with interrelated but distinct plot lines. ...
عنوانهای چاپ شده در ایران: «آخرین گودال»؛ «راز گودالهای دریاچه سبز»؛ «گودالها»؛ نویسنده: لوئیس ساکر (سکر)؛ تاریخ نخستین خوانش روز بیست و یکم ماه سپتامبر سال2009میلادی
عنوان: آخرین گودال؛ نویسنده: لوئیس ساکر؛ مترجم: حسن ابراهیمی (الوند)؛ تهران، قدیانی، سال1379؛ در280ص، مصور؛ شابک ایکس-964417335؛ چاپ دوم سال1381؛ چاپ سوم سال1382؛ چاپ چهارم سال1388؛ شابک9789644173356؛ چاپهای ششم و هفتم سال1389؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان ایالات متحده آمریکا - سده 20م
عنوان: گودالها؛ نویسنده: لوئیس ساکر (سکر)؛ مترجم: فرزاد فربد؛ تهران، کتاب پنجره؛ سال1383، در186ص، چاپ دیگر تهران، انتشارات پریان، سال1393؛ در227ص؛ شابک9786007058114؛ چاپ دوم سال1396؛
عنوان: راز گودالهای دریاچه سبز؛ نویسنده: لوئیس ساکر؛ مترجم: مهدی باتقوا؛ تهران، رسپینا، سال1392، در248ص؛ شابک9789648559132؛ چاپ دوم سال1392؛
استنلی را برای گناهی که انجام نداده است، به اردوگاه «گرین لیک» میفرستند؛ او همانند دیگر نوجوانان ساکن اردوگاه، وادار میشود تا هر روز زیر آفتاب داغ، گودالی به ژرفا و پهنای یک متر و نیم، بکـَـنـَـد؛ سرپرست اردوگاه باور دارد، که کندن گودال، باعث شکل گرفتن شخصیت نوجوانان بزهکار میشود؛ اما «استنلی» به زودی میفهمد، که موضوع فراتر از «شکل گرفتن شخصیت» نوجوانان بزهکار است؛ او کوشش میکند هر طور شده، از ماجرا سر دربیاورد؛ و ...؛ کتاب برنده ی جوایز «نیوبری سال 1999میلادی»، «ادگار آلن پو سال 1999میلادی»، «نشنال بوک در ادبیات کودک و نوجوان»، «بهترین کتاب سال به انتخاب اسکول لایبرری ژورنال»، «بهترین کتاب نوجوانان به انتخاب انجمن کتابداران آمریکا»، «بهترین کتاب سال به انتخاب پابلیشرز ویکلی»، و «برنده ی پر فروشترین کتاب نوجوانان» است
تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 10/09/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 18/08/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی
March 12, 2017
This book is so much fun! I used to take clippings from magazines with book reviews, found an old clipping about this book cleaning up the house recently and thought... mmm... let's read this one. Timing was impeccable. I went through an explosive challenging period of really hard work and high pressure in the office and this book made me look forward to reading if only a few pages when coming home. A quirky funny story about a boy called Stanley who is sent to 'Green Camp Lake', a boy's detention center after supposedly having stolen a pair of sports shoes from a famous basketball player. Being innocent, he blaims his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing great-great-grandfather who ran into a curse which affected Stanley's family over years and years. Camp Green Lake is in the middle of the desert, a dried up lake, and every day a scary ward and guards, amongst who a 'Mr Sir', make the boys dig holes there. So, what's going on?....I had so much fun with this book, excellently written and the story... who can make it up? All factors combined, also the timing of this book in my life, right book at the right time, couldn't be better. A sympathetic enjoyable story, really quirky and just pure FUN. Recommended!
ps: Curious about the movie too, never saw it (yet).
ps: Curious about the movie too, never saw it (yet).
June 16, 2021
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I'm doing this project where I reread books I enjoyed when I was younger. I've read and reread HOLES several times over the course of my life and every time I enjoyed it in a different way. It's such a compelling story and I think one of the best things about it is how everything ties into everything else and it all comes full circle.
Stanley Yelnats, whose first name is his last name backwards, is sent to "Camp Green Lake" when he has the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time and is accused of theft. The camp isn't actually a camp, but one of those punishment retreats that disciplines kids with back-breaking physical labor. In this case, the boys dig holes in the desert under the hot sun, 5ft wide, 5ft deep. The logic being that if you take a bad boy and make him dig holes all day, it turns him into a good boy. Seems like Republican logic to me.
Stanley meets the other campers, who are pretty ethnically diverse, but the one he ends up closest to is a young Black man named "Zero." Everyone treats Zero like he's stupid because he's quiet and functionally illiterate, but there is actually a lot more to him going on to anyone who actually takes the time to get to know him, as Stanley finds out.
There's a ton of other stuff, too. You get to learn about the history of Green Lake and how it was once a prosperous Western settlement with an actual lake. You get to learn the tragic history of Stanley's no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather. And you even get to learn about the mysterious Warden of the camp and why hole-digging ended up being the de facto punishment for the boys. By the end of the book, everything comes full circle in an incredibly satisfying way.
I enjoyed this book just as much as I did the first time I read it, and finished it in a single sitting. The language is not particularly complex but it paints an interesting picture of morality and justice and I liked that no one in the story was really pure good or pure evil (well-- with some exceptions). It ends up being a critique of the justice system and an interesting cautionary tale of how small actions can have large-scale effects. Definitely a must-read for all ages.
5 stars
December 16, 2015
Funny story: I'm trying to shelve this book, and can't remember if it had been banned (but I thought it had - google confirmed). At the same time, my friend Allison and I are chatting on Google Chat, and she starts ranting about how ridiculous book banning is (an opinion with which I agree wholeheartedly). Anyway, the conversation went like this:
me: Is Holes a banned book? I can't remember
allison: dunno... the whole concept of banned books is stupid. I mean, you could find a reason to gripe about any book
me: yes, I agree
allison: I think The Replacement should be banned because there is a scene talking about knives in the kitchen
allison: VIOLENCE
me: haha just wait
allison: and he sits on his roof
allison: DANGEROUS BEHAVIOR
allison: RECKLESS
me: He says the F word, and there are BOOBIES!
allison: PORNOGRAPHY
me: IMMORALITY!
allison: lol
allison: or you could go the other way and be totally ridiculous
allison: Holes doesn't directly support a gay lifestyle
allison: BAN IT
me: But it does...
allison: oh well then uh...
me: all those boys are in and out of holes all day long
Needless to say, there was laughter. Sometimes I crack myself up.
Anyway, all witty repartee aside, I really liked this book. I have no idea why it would have been banned unless it was because a kid hits a jerk in the face with a shovel for being a complete ass to him day in and day out? That's probably it. ENCOURAGING VIOLENT BEHAVIOR AND DISRESPECT FOR AUTHORITY! BAN IT!
I loved Stanley, but in all truth, I loved Zero more. He was the star of this show for me. I wanted everything to work out for him, and I was on pins and needles worrying about him when things started to go bad for him. I mean, these kids committed crimes, or at least they were accused of committing crimes, but they weren't BAD or EVIL. Punishment is one thing, but the kind of things that these kids were made to do is nothing short of abuse. And what's sad is that probably isn't a far stretch from what really happens - although probably for different reasons.
I enjoyed how the three different storylines all came together in this one, and seeing the little bits of each one felt like discovering a gem. I'd have this, "OH!" moment each time something was revealed that linked something else... Really fun to read.
I really enjoyed this one, and I look forward to seeing the movie soon, since I hear from Allison that it's fabulous. :)
me: Is Holes a banned book? I can't remember
allison: dunno... the whole concept of banned books is stupid. I mean, you could find a reason to gripe about any book
me: yes, I agree
allison: I think The Replacement should be banned because there is a scene talking about knives in the kitchen
allison: VIOLENCE
me: haha just wait
allison: and he sits on his roof
allison: DANGEROUS BEHAVIOR
allison: RECKLESS
me: He says the F word, and there are BOOBIES!
allison: PORNOGRAPHY
me: IMMORALITY!
allison: lol
allison: or you could go the other way and be totally ridiculous
allison: Holes doesn't directly support a gay lifestyle
allison: BAN IT
me: But it does...
allison: oh well then uh...
me: all those boys are in and out of holes all day long
Needless to say, there was laughter. Sometimes I crack myself up.
Anyway, all witty repartee aside, I really liked this book. I have no idea why it would have been banned unless it was because a kid hits a jerk in the face with a shovel for being a complete ass to him day in and day out? That's probably it. ENCOURAGING VIOLENT BEHAVIOR AND DISRESPECT FOR AUTHORITY! BAN IT!
I loved Stanley, but in all truth, I loved Zero more. He was the star of this show for me. I wanted everything to work out for him, and I was on pins and needles worrying about him when things started to go bad for him. I mean, these kids committed crimes, or at least they were accused of committing crimes, but they weren't BAD or EVIL. Punishment is one thing, but the kind of things that these kids were made to do is nothing short of abuse. And what's sad is that probably isn't a far stretch from what really happens - although probably for different reasons.
I enjoyed how the three different storylines all came together in this one, and seeing the little bits of each one felt like discovering a gem. I'd have this, "OH!" moment each time something was revealed that linked something else... Really fun to read.
I really enjoyed this one, and I look forward to seeing the movie soon, since I hear from Allison that it's fabulous. :)
January 5, 2020
This will forever be a childhood favorite
June 22, 2024
This story has a fable/fairytale-like quality that makes reading it feel like magic. Loved it!
October 25, 2014
I'm not sure exactly when it happened, but it seems I'm no longer absolutely cool in my daughter's eyes. I could understand if her particular issues with me were current fashion or "the" things to do while hanging out with friends, but books? BOOKS?!? Oh, the pain!
I don't say anything about the girly girl preteen drivel she loves to read (after all, I occasionally read girly girl grownup drivel) and I recommend a wide range of books (while keeping in mind she doesn't have the same penchant for sf/fantasy as I do.) She is a voracious reader, will happily read things her teacher recommends, and liked the books that 'Santa' gave her.
So why does she sneer every time I hand her a book? (well, she doesn't sneer *every* time, sometimes it's just a withering look or a "nah, I don't think so")
I'm not sure how I acquired this book, and it was one I hadn't read as a kid. I suggested that Maya and I read it together since we've been enjoying reading aloud at bedtime.
She read the blurb on the cover, handed it back to me and said "Nah."
I said, "Let's give it a shot."
"Oh, it's an award winner, isn't it...uh uh," she replied.
I then said, "Uh huh, we're giving this a shot."
Cue withering look.
The book quickly won her over. The short chapters are perfect for bedtime reading...we never had to stop in the middle of a chapter, and most nights read several chapters.
The author weaves together several plots. Each thread is connected, but he deftly gives us just the bits of information we need at any given point, and it all comes together at the end wonderfully. I loved when Maya would make a connection and exclaim, "Oh - those are Sam's onions!" or gasp, "Oh no! That's what really happened?!"
Final verdict? She loved it, and so did I.
Apparently I am capable of choosing good books.
Not that she'll remember that when I hand her the next book.
I don't say anything about the girly girl preteen drivel she loves to read (after all, I occasionally read girly girl grownup drivel) and I recommend a wide range of books (while keeping in mind she doesn't have the same penchant for sf/fantasy as I do.) She is a voracious reader, will happily read things her teacher recommends, and liked the books that 'Santa' gave her.
So why does she sneer every time I hand her a book? (well, she doesn't sneer *every* time, sometimes it's just a withering look or a "nah, I don't think so")
I'm not sure how I acquired this book, and it was one I hadn't read as a kid. I suggested that Maya and I read it together since we've been enjoying reading aloud at bedtime.
She read the blurb on the cover, handed it back to me and said "Nah."
I said, "Let's give it a shot."
"Oh, it's an award winner, isn't it...uh uh," she replied.
I then said, "Uh huh, we're giving this a shot."
Cue withering look.
The book quickly won her over. The short chapters are perfect for bedtime reading...we never had to stop in the middle of a chapter, and most nights read several chapters.
The author weaves together several plots. Each thread is connected, but he deftly gives us just the bits of information we need at any given point, and it all comes together at the end wonderfully. I loved when Maya would make a connection and exclaim, "Oh - those are Sam's onions!" or gasp, "Oh no! That's what really happened?!"
Final verdict? She loved it, and so did I.
Apparently I am capable of choosing good books.
Not that she'll remember that when I hand her the next book.
September 14, 2008
Holes is one of my favorite books of all time. The whole thing is just so clever. The writing style is simple, but not boring. Every character is amazingly developed and believable. I like how the story of the present and the story of the past connect to each other perfectly in the end. And the movie version is really good, too! I highly suggest this book to everyone.
May 30, 2011
I knew of a friend who lost everything when her father started digging holes. You see, her dad was a treasure hunter. And to be a treasure hunter, you are supposed to be well equipped and with good manpower. You must also be in possession of a reliable map and a lot of time. You also need a lot of money to be able to acquire all the above things. Unfortunately, my friend's father only acquired a fake map, swindlers for company and equipment worth nothing when you're digging the wrong hole. Little by little, my friend's dad used up all their savings and even lost his time for their family. My friend and her siblings grew up and away from their dad. All was lost, true. All that was left is a hole in my friend's heart. There was once a treasure there, I am sure but her father dug too deep it failed to see it sparkle.
The Hole I've read however is not my friend's story. It did not have a treasure map but it has a great plot. It did talk of treasures, the more obvious would be the one buried. There's a treasure in the form of friendship, one covered in perseverance and another enclosed with hope. If you add a bit of dust of fate with these treasures, you will get the story of a boy named Stanley Yelnats, the main protagonist in this novel.
I liked the presentation of the story- the interconnectedness of their experiences. It's an application of Newton's 3rd law of motion (which states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction). Just like how someone else's athlete's foot become the reason for another's sweet riches; how the despair of having been bullied be the same reason for his freedom; or how being the teacher, he actually got the better lesson, more than he has bargained for. Stanley did that and in the end he gained friends and respect. All in all, Holes is not about big excavations, it's about filling the gaps. It talked about racism, crossing beyond borders. It talked about family and camaraderie. It talked about keeping your promises and breaking barriers. It talked about being a better person. And yes, even added the perks of enjoying a big onion bulb.
When someone digs a hole out there in the vast universe, there'd be a lot of soil/dirt displaced. Imagine them as stories unburdened from some remote keeper. So what do we do with these soil/dirt/story? We place them inside our own gaps, enriching us such that our hole becomes full, we come out as a whole person.
PS.
IF you wonder about my friend, last time I've heard, their parents are together again. He quit hunting for treasures and stuck with those that are far more precious, his own family.
The Hole I've read however is not my friend's story. It did not have a treasure map but it has a great plot. It did talk of treasures, the more obvious would be the one buried. There's a treasure in the form of friendship, one covered in perseverance and another enclosed with hope. If you add a bit of dust of fate with these treasures, you will get the story of a boy named Stanley Yelnats, the main protagonist in this novel.
I liked the presentation of the story- the interconnectedness of their experiences. It's an application of Newton's 3rd law of motion (which states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction). Just like how someone else's athlete's foot become the reason for another's sweet riches; how the despair of having been bullied be the same reason for his freedom; or how being the teacher, he actually got the better lesson, more than he has bargained for. Stanley did that and in the end he gained friends and respect. All in all, Holes is not about big excavations, it's about filling the gaps. It talked about racism, crossing beyond borders. It talked about family and camaraderie. It talked about keeping your promises and breaking barriers. It talked about being a better person. And yes, even added the perks of enjoying a big onion bulb.
When someone digs a hole out there in the vast universe, there'd be a lot of soil/dirt displaced. Imagine them as stories unburdened from some remote keeper. So what do we do with these soil/dirt/story? We place them inside our own gaps, enriching us such that our hole becomes full, we come out as a whole person.
PS.
IF you wonder about my friend, last time I've heard, their parents are together again. He quit hunting for treasures and stuck with those that are far more precious, his own family.
May 12, 2019
One of the best books ever. Gets better every time, too!
Read it aloud to my kids aged 7, 10, & 14, & they couldn't get enough!
Read it aloud to my kids aged 7, 10, & 14, & they couldn't get enough!
January 29, 2019
"There is no lake at Camp Green Lake."
Quick backstory: this is one of my thirteen year old brother's favourite books. He was the one who recommended it to me. And I'm glad he did, because this book is one heck of a gripping, entertaining and intelligent story. This is the book all the cool kids in middle school were reading with their popped collars, Livestrong bands and wannabe-Justin-Bieber hairstyles. This book is just on this whole new level of awesomeness. and, keep in mind that I say this without sarcasm - this book is timeless and, what I'd even consider, a middle-grade classic.
"When you spend your whole life living in a hole, the only way you can go is up."
The story basically revolves around this kid, called Stanley, who is accused of theft and gets sent to this juvenile camp found in some wasteland desert in the middle of nowhere, called - ironically - Camp Green Lake. Things go a little askew and nothing is as it seems, secrets are revealed, friends and enemies are made, adventures are at stake... lot's of good stuff.
"'Now you be careful in the real world,' said Armpit. 'Not everyone is as nice as us.'"
This book is technically "middle-grade" and that is definitely noticeable when reading, but I think anyone, at any age can read it, empathize with the characters, and just simply get totally drawn into their complex stories. The writing is notable, quirky, detailed and "crisp" - if that makes sense; the atmosphere generated is phenomenal - the sun glaring down at you in sweaty films of heat, the dust shading the air, this seemingly endless desolate wasteland. Sachar is the kind of writer that isn't preachy - he won't shove some wisdom or moral code down your throat, but he'll make you think and reflect and enjoy yourself while doing so.
"Rattlesnakes would be a lot more dangerous if they didn't have the rattle."
This story dives in and out of the present, chipping in stories from Stanley's ancestors, which intertwine with the present. Themes, such as fate, friendship, punishment, and the way history impacts our present are all very prominent in the story - paired with fleshed-out, intriguing characters, yellow spotted lizards, lots (and I mean - LOTS) of holes, sunflower seeds, angry wardens, baseball player shoes and treasure. Highly recommend!
"If only, if only," the woodpecker sighs, "The bark on the tree was just a little bit softer."
While the wolf waits below, hungry and lonely,
He cries to the moo-oo-oon,
"If only, if only."
Quick backstory: this is one of my thirteen year old brother's favourite books. He was the one who recommended it to me. And I'm glad he did, because this book is one heck of a gripping, entertaining and intelligent story. This is the book all the cool kids in middle school were reading with their popped collars, Livestrong bands and wannabe-Justin-Bieber hairstyles. This book is just on this whole new level of awesomeness. and, keep in mind that I say this without sarcasm - this book is timeless and, what I'd even consider, a middle-grade classic.
"When you spend your whole life living in a hole, the only way you can go is up."
The story basically revolves around this kid, called Stanley, who is accused of theft and gets sent to this juvenile camp found in some wasteland desert in the middle of nowhere, called - ironically - Camp Green Lake. Things go a little askew and nothing is as it seems, secrets are revealed, friends and enemies are made, adventures are at stake... lot's of good stuff.
"'Now you be careful in the real world,' said Armpit. 'Not everyone is as nice as us.'"
This book is technically "middle-grade" and that is definitely noticeable when reading, but I think anyone, at any age can read it, empathize with the characters, and just simply get totally drawn into their complex stories. The writing is notable, quirky, detailed and "crisp" - if that makes sense; the atmosphere generated is phenomenal - the sun glaring down at you in sweaty films of heat, the dust shading the air, this seemingly endless desolate wasteland. Sachar is the kind of writer that isn't preachy - he won't shove some wisdom or moral code down your throat, but he'll make you think and reflect and enjoy yourself while doing so.
"Rattlesnakes would be a lot more dangerous if they didn't have the rattle."
This story dives in and out of the present, chipping in stories from Stanley's ancestors, which intertwine with the present. Themes, such as fate, friendship, punishment, and the way history impacts our present are all very prominent in the story - paired with fleshed-out, intriguing characters, yellow spotted lizards, lots (and I mean - LOTS) of holes, sunflower seeds, angry wardens, baseball player shoes and treasure. Highly recommend!
"If only, if only," the woodpecker sighs, "The bark on the tree was just a little bit softer."
While the wolf waits below, hungry and lonely,
He cries to the moo-oo-oon,
"If only, if only."
May 17, 2023
A perfect educational story for middle school kids, I have to say that the plot got me involved and excited.
We follow the story of these boys who live in an open camp in the middle of a desert area in the southern United States, a kind of open-air reformatory....
The repetitive daily task of these boys is to dig perfect holes measuring 1 metre x 1 metre; what will be the reason? Our main character, Stanley, will find himself catapulted into this very strange reality... Will he be able to make friends? Why is everyone afraid of the yellow, black-tongued lizards?
Cute adventure, story of friendship and brotherhood that warms your heart. I have read it together with my 10 year old daughter who found it cute, ( but not amazing because there were no girls!!! 😂😂 )
Storia educativa perfetta per i ragazzi delle scuole medie, devo dire che la trama mi ha coinvolta ed emozionato.
Seguiamo la storia di questi ragazzi che vivono in un open camp nel mezzo di una zona desertica nel sud degli stati uniti, una sorta di riformatorio a cielo aperto....
Il compito ripetitivo giornaliero di qusti ragazzi è scavare buche perfette di un metro x 1 metro; quale sarà il motivo? il nostro protagonista ,Stanley si vedrà catapultato in questa stranissima realtà...Riuscirà a farsi amicizie? perchè tutti temono le lucertole gialle dalla lingua nera?
Avventura carina, storia di amicizia e fratellanza che scaldano il cuore. etto insieme a mia figlia di 1o anni che lo ha trovato carino, ( ma non meravigliso perchè non c' erano ragazze!!! 😂😂 )
We follow the story of these boys who live in an open camp in the middle of a desert area in the southern United States, a kind of open-air reformatory....
The repetitive daily task of these boys is to dig perfect holes measuring 1 metre x 1 metre; what will be the reason? Our main character, Stanley, will find himself catapulted into this very strange reality... Will he be able to make friends? Why is everyone afraid of the yellow, black-tongued lizards?
Cute adventure, story of friendship and brotherhood that warms your heart. I have read it together with my 10 year old daughter who found it cute, ( but not amazing because there were no girls!!! 😂😂 )
Storia educativa perfetta per i ragazzi delle scuole medie, devo dire che la trama mi ha coinvolta ed emozionato.
Seguiamo la storia di questi ragazzi che vivono in un open camp nel mezzo di una zona desertica nel sud degli stati uniti, una sorta di riformatorio a cielo aperto....
Il compito ripetitivo giornaliero di qusti ragazzi è scavare buche perfette di un metro x 1 metro; quale sarà il motivo? il nostro protagonista ,Stanley si vedrà catapultato in questa stranissima realtà...Riuscirà a farsi amicizie? perchè tutti temono le lucertole gialle dalla lingua nera?
Avventura carina, storia di amicizia e fratellanza che scaldano il cuore. etto insieme a mia figlia di 1o anni che lo ha trovato carino, ( ma non meravigliso perchè non c' erano ragazze!!! 😂😂 )
November 28, 2015
LET ME START OFF BY SAYING THAT I ABSOLUTELY HATED EVERY PAGE OF THIS BOOK THAT I READ. THE REPETITION WAS STARTING TO ANNOY ME JUST BECAUSE THE BOOK WAS ALWAYS LIKE, STANLEY THIS STANLEY THAT. OKAY I GET IT THE MAIM CHARACTER IS STANLEY BUT CAN WE AT LEAST GO 2 LINES WITHOUT MENTIONING THE MAIN CHARACTERS FREAKING NAME, LIKE FOR REAL AFTER A WHILE THE NAME STANLEY YELNATS STARTS TO GET ON YOUR NERVES. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT ANNOY ME THE MOST WAS WHEN THE AUTHOR MENTIONED THAT AT CAMP GREEN LAKE THERE WAS NO LAKE AT LEAST 10 TIMES IN THE FIRST 5 PAGES. HONESTLY I FELT LIKE THE WHOLE TIME I WAS READING THIS I THOUGHT THE BOOK WAS WRITTEN BY A 5 YEAR OLD. NOT MANY CHARACTERS WERE INTRODUCED IN THE 28 PAGES THAT I READ. AND IM GLAD I DIDNT MEET ALL OF THOSE CHARACTERS BECAUSE STANLEY WAS JUST SO ANNOYING. STOP BLAMING SOME RANDOM CURSE AND TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR ACTIONS. MAYBE YOU SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST DONE SOME RESEARCH BEFORE STEALING THOSE SHOES. I HONESTLY DONT CARE ONE BIT ABOUT THIS BOOK AND IT FEELS GOOD TO LET EVERYBODY KNOW ABOUT HOW I FEEL ABOUT THIS BOOK.
RATING: DNF
February 5, 2008
Holes, by Louis Sachar, 5/5. It was really good; I loved it. It's a young adult novel from which a movie was made. I have not seen the movie, but I hope to. The book is a Newberry Award Winner.
Stanley Yelnats is falsely accused of stealing a pair of sneakers and set to Camp Green Lake, for criminal boys. To build character, the boys get up at 4:30 every morning and dig holes--big holes. If they find anything unusual, they are supposed to report it. But the warden isn't looking for fossils or pretty rocks. Something is going on other than character building, and Stanley wonders what they are looking for. The story is at once whimsical and dark, horrifying and funny, heartrending and heart-warming. There are rattlesnakes (one boy was been bitten and rushed to the hospital. He never comes back.) and many highly poisonous eleven-spotted yellow lizards with red eyes, black teeth and white tongues. We also learn about Stanley's no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing great grandfather and the curse put on his family by the gypsy woman who was missing one pig, his grandfather who found refuge on God's thumb after being robbed by Kissing Kate Barlow, Kissing Kate herself and her handyman, Sam the onion man and how history does and doesn't affect the lives of living people. This many generational multiple story-lines slowly merge in unpredictable but delightful ways. We, the readers, meet a famous basketball player and an inventor and, of course, learn that bad boys are human, just like the rest of us, and sometimes even better than those not so confined. And we encounter inspiring courage fortitude and strength. 2/4/08
Stanley Yelnats is falsely accused of stealing a pair of sneakers and set to Camp Green Lake, for criminal boys. To build character, the boys get up at 4:30 every morning and dig holes--big holes. If they find anything unusual, they are supposed to report it. But the warden isn't looking for fossils or pretty rocks. Something is going on other than character building, and Stanley wonders what they are looking for. The story is at once whimsical and dark, horrifying and funny, heartrending and heart-warming. There are rattlesnakes (one boy was been bitten and rushed to the hospital. He never comes back.) and many highly poisonous eleven-spotted yellow lizards with red eyes, black teeth and white tongues. We also learn about Stanley's no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing great grandfather and the curse put on his family by the gypsy woman who was missing one pig, his grandfather who found refuge on God's thumb after being robbed by Kissing Kate Barlow, Kissing Kate herself and her handyman, Sam the onion man and how history does and doesn't affect the lives of living people. This many generational multiple story-lines slowly merge in unpredictable but delightful ways. We, the readers, meet a famous basketball player and an inventor and, of course, learn that bad boys are human, just like the rest of us, and sometimes even better than those not so confined. And we encounter inspiring courage fortitude and strength. 2/4/08
March 27, 2022
Thoughtful and studious read. I can't say anything bad about the book since every chapter made perfect sense. It just didn't bring out any emotion in me. Also, I found myself a bit bored throughout the flashbacks. I think the biggest problem is that I'm too old for this book, though I know it sounds a little pretentious.
Stanley's family was cursed by a gypsy because of his great great great Pig-stealing-Grandpa. His dad tries to make a formula to get rid of the smell of old worn-out sneakers. Unfortunately, he's unsuccessful. Their family is poor and they can't afford to hire a good attorney for Stanley when he gets in trouble.
Stanley is sent to Camp Green Lake as a punishment for a crime he didn't commit. He meets Zero there and they quickly become friends. Zero runs away from the camp and Stanley goes after him. Before that, the readers see what a cruel place it really is when Stanley annoys a guard. All the boys aligned in the hot sun to get their canteens filled with water and the guard hands Stanley's canteen back empty. Stanley even says "thank you" for it.
The boys at the Camp are coming to terms with accepting their own identities and there is always underdeveloped tension between them. When Stanley makes an arrangement with Zero to teach him how to read in exchange for Zero's help in digging his hole, the others aren't particularly happy about it. What makes the story realistic is that nothing magical was going to help them escape. No adult was going to get Stanley and explain everything was a big mistake.
I would have liked more details on the other boys. Stanley and Zero are given the most thorough characterization, but the other ones we know very little about. Warden is also very lightly shown and arguably she was the most interesting character. Usually, I don’t care whether the book is intended for younger readers or not, but in this case, I can’t help the feeling I’d like the book better if I was at least 7 years younger. The book is about choosing kindness and compassion without ulterior motives, even when everything around you is hard and unfair. It is about doing your best to be happy even when there isn't much to be satisfied with. The story gave me contradicted feelings because of so many latent messages that actually made me think about what society was back then and how exactly it has changed till today.
Stanley is convicted for a crime he didn’t commit and forced to work day after day in the hot sun, pointlessly digging holes without being told what it's for. While losing the sense of empathy and humanity day after day, he has to learn to keep going, get along with the other boys and survive long enough to get out.
I wish I'd been in Zero's head rather than Stanley's. I've got nothing against Stanley, he's an excellent narrator, but Zero was so silent all the time and I wished to know what was he thinking about when he was blankly staring at everyone around him. He had so much potential and I wonder if he could've given the story a fresh angle.
Stanley's family was cursed by a gypsy because of his great great great Pig-stealing-Grandpa. His dad tries to make a formula to get rid of the smell of old worn-out sneakers. Unfortunately, he's unsuccessful. Their family is poor and they can't afford to hire a good attorney for Stanley when he gets in trouble.
Stanley is sent to Camp Green Lake as a punishment for a crime he didn't commit. He meets Zero there and they quickly become friends. Zero runs away from the camp and Stanley goes after him. Before that, the readers see what a cruel place it really is when Stanley annoys a guard. All the boys aligned in the hot sun to get their canteens filled with water and the guard hands Stanley's canteen back empty. Stanley even says "thank you" for it.
The boys at the Camp are coming to terms with accepting their own identities and there is always underdeveloped tension between them. When Stanley makes an arrangement with Zero to teach him how to read in exchange for Zero's help in digging his hole, the others aren't particularly happy about it. What makes the story realistic is that nothing magical was going to help them escape. No adult was going to get Stanley and explain everything was a big mistake.
I would have liked more details on the other boys. Stanley and Zero are given the most thorough characterization, but the other ones we know very little about. Warden is also very lightly shown and arguably she was the most interesting character. Usually, I don’t care whether the book is intended for younger readers or not, but in this case, I can’t help the feeling I’d like the book better if I was at least 7 years younger. The book is about choosing kindness and compassion without ulterior motives, even when everything around you is hard and unfair. It is about doing your best to be happy even when there isn't much to be satisfied with. The story gave me contradicted feelings because of so many latent messages that actually made me think about what society was back then and how exactly it has changed till today.
Stanley is convicted for a crime he didn’t commit and forced to work day after day in the hot sun, pointlessly digging holes without being told what it's for. While losing the sense of empathy and humanity day after day, he has to learn to keep going, get along with the other boys and survive long enough to get out.
I wish I'd been in Zero's head rather than Stanley's. I've got nothing against Stanley, he's an excellent narrator, but Zero was so silent all the time and I wished to know what was he thinking about when he was blankly staring at everyone around him. He had so much potential and I wonder if he could've given the story a fresh angle.
April 18, 2023
Holes by Louis Sachar is a Scholastic children’s book suited more for middle schoolers than adults, but nonetheless still an enjoyable read, regardless of age. Because the text seemed familiar, I may have read portions of this book to some of my classes, years ago, although I did not recall the ending. The plot revolves around a young adolescent who may or may not have committed a crime, who is tried, and sentenced to serve time at a camp that supposedly “builds character.” Character building ostensibly occurs as part of the daily grind of digging holes. It is a youth correctional facility after all. Very quickly it becomes apparent that the objective of the excavation is far more valuable than the stated purpose. There are satellite stories that are shared during the narrative that appear almost ancillary until they are aggregated to the main text. This is a very well-crafted tale by a writer that obviously understands how to construct a nuanced story. I enjoyed it quite a bit.
May 14, 2021
Does this deserve 5 stars?
Perhaps not.
Do I care?
No.
Based on my rating system, which is unknown to anyone but me, I should rate this book 4 stars.
But we don't do that here.
12 year old me said this book is perfection, so present me is now biased.
So basically.
I pulled this off the shelf during school and started reading it because I was bored. And turns out that was the only good decision I've made all week.
This was the first book I read that actually left me shook. 12 year old me thought it was the wildest book out there, and that no book could ever top the absolute perfection that is Holes.
Well, first off, I was wrong.
But also, all my expectations have still somehow been met.
I have no idea what to say.
Since I'm not interested in analyzing the plot and characters of this, for fear of somehow ruining my childhood.
I love the characters.
I love how I still remember which scenes low key traumatized me when I first read this.
I love how I was still somewhat shook by the storyline.
I love how this was a super short, easy to read book that let me just finish a book in a few days without having to invest myself in one of the complicated fantasy books staring at me from the shelves.
This was not helpful.
But does it look like I care?
Overall, this was a very satisfying read, even if I may have added an extra star for nostalgia reasons.
Perhaps not.
Do I care?
No.
Based on my rating system, which is unknown to anyone but me, I should rate this book 4 stars.
But we don't do that here.
12 year old me said this book is perfection, so present me is now biased.
So basically.
I pulled this off the shelf during school and started reading it because I was bored. And turns out that was the only good decision I've made all week.
This was the first book I read that actually left me shook. 12 year old me thought it was the wildest book out there, and that no book could ever top the absolute perfection that is Holes.
Well, first off, I was wrong.
But also, all my expectations have still somehow been met.
I have no idea what to say.
Since I'm not interested in analyzing the plot and characters of this, for fear of somehow ruining my childhood.
I love the characters.
I love how I still remember which scenes low key traumatized me when I first read this.
I love how I was still somewhat shook by the storyline.
I love how this was a super short, easy to read book that let me just finish a book in a few days without having to invest myself in one of the complicated fantasy books staring at me from the shelves.
This was not helpful.
But does it look like I care?
Overall, this was a very satisfying read, even if I may have added an extra star for nostalgia reasons.
August 25, 2020
The kids ended up loving this story. After seeing the movie, we were all late getting to this one. Full review to follow.
June 2, 2008
I was picking up some books at the resale shop and for some reason found myself browsing in the children’s books. It seemed like the usual fare at first, some Dr. Seuss, a mangy copy of a Clifford book, a few ratty Choose Your Own Adventure paperbacks, Hugh Hefner’s autobiography, some smut called “The Very Virile Viking”, and “Pimp” by Iceberg Slim. Tucked amongst all this tawdry trash was something called “Holes”, which seemed to make sense sandwiched between “Pimp” and Hef’s life saga.
I soon realized that there was a movie based on this book made a few years back, which I had never bothered with, but, to my shock and awe, “Holes” was the work of Louis “Sideways-Stories” Sachar. As a long-time fan of the preposterous “Wayside School” stories, I immediately picked this up (along with the other aforementioned books) and decided to bump it up on my to-read list. I had no idea Sachar had even done any other work, and I was interested to see what he’d bring to the table.
I have to admit, I wasn’t nearly as impressed with “Holes” as I thought I might be. This might be due to the unrealistically high expectations I had based on my previous Sachar experience, or the fact that since they took the time and bankroll to make a movie based off this work, it obviously had to be incredible.
The palindromically-named Stanley Yelnats is a good-spirited and festively plump little kid who is shipped off to a boy’s reform program at Camp Green Lake as punishment for stealing a pair of shoes being donated to charity by Clyde “Sweet Feet” Livingston. However, poor Stanley never stole the shoes, he’s been wrongfully accused, which is something he’s accustomed to, since his family is under the influence of a malevolent gypsy curse which began due to an oversight by his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather. This evil hex has brought misery and financial ruin to the Yelnats clan since it was first laid, and each male heir to the Yelnats throne vainly hopes to be the one to break this vicious cycle. It isn’t looking too promising for Stanley to be the chosen one, as he’s shipped off to Camp Green Lake, which is the dusty basin of a once-flourishing lake which has since dried up under the scorching desert sun. His duty at the Camp is torturous; each day he must wake up at cock-crow and dig a hole five feet deep by five feet wide, while eluding the venomous yellow-spotted lizards which infest the area. Spitting in each completed hole is optional, and Stanley opts for this luxury at the insistence of his peers.
The narrative of Stanley’s troubles at the camp are intertwined with the background of how this dread gypsy curse came about and also with the story of “Kissing” Katie Barlow, an outlaw that robbed his great-grandfather. While Stanley toils to dig hole after hole under the strict rule of the Warden and her lackeys (Mr. Pendanski and Mr. Sir), the tale of the curse unfolds, in which his great-great-grandfather Elya is vying for the hand of wealthy hottie Myra back in their motherland of Latvia. In order to win her hand, Myra’s father stipulates that the stud who presents the choicest pig as a gift will get the girl (which I hear is still a popular practice back in Riga), which leads Elya into cahoots with the gypsy, Madame Zeroni. Things take a turn for the worse for Elya, and he ends up not only forgetting to perform a favor for the gypsy, but he also gives away the hog as a wedding present to his rival. Even more spectacular is the downfall of the kind-hearted Katie Barlow, a benevolent teacher who begins an interracial relationship with an onionmonger named Sam in the Green Lake area. The ignorant townsfolk don’t cotton to this pairing and end up killing Sam (and his onion-chomping mule, Mary Lou), which leads the once-peaceful teacher to life as an outlaw. Barlow also happened to rob Stanley’s great-grandfather, and before kicking the bucket, she ended up burying all her ill-gotten gains somewhere in the parched and dry bowl of the former lake, a treasure yet to be unearthed that the Warden presumably is trying to locate with all this absurd hole-digging.
The story is pretty enjoyable, for the most part it follows in the silly tradition of the Sachar work I am familiar with, however, the fact that he had to throw a ‘message’ in there pretty much turned me off. Stanley and his fellow detainees at the Camp are a motley bunch, a mixed-race group of transgressors who are coming to terms with their own cultural identities. When Stanley makes an arrangement with black camper Zero to teach him to read in exchange for his labor, the others drop some ‘slave’ references. The saga of Katie Barlow and Sam, however, far eclipses this childish prattle, and firmly beats the reader of the head with the ‘love-your-brother’-stick. At one point, Sachar even states that god himself punished the intolerant populous of Green Lake using the 100 year drought that turned a thriving lake into a dust bowl. The whole race relations bit was generally annoying, and perhaps what might have bothered me most was that in his preaching, Sachar makes it clear how wrong it is to consider someone of color illiterate, stupid, or treacherous, but it’s fully acceptable to include the stereotype of a curse-casting gypsy thrown into the storyline.
Overall, the story comes together predictably and nicely, but the insistence with which Sachar clubbed me over the head with his ‘message’ bothered me.
I soon realized that there was a movie based on this book made a few years back, which I had never bothered with, but, to my shock and awe, “Holes” was the work of Louis “Sideways-Stories” Sachar. As a long-time fan of the preposterous “Wayside School” stories, I immediately picked this up (along with the other aforementioned books) and decided to bump it up on my to-read list. I had no idea Sachar had even done any other work, and I was interested to see what he’d bring to the table.
I have to admit, I wasn’t nearly as impressed with “Holes” as I thought I might be. This might be due to the unrealistically high expectations I had based on my previous Sachar experience, or the fact that since they took the time and bankroll to make a movie based off this work, it obviously had to be incredible.
The palindromically-named Stanley Yelnats is a good-spirited and festively plump little kid who is shipped off to a boy’s reform program at Camp Green Lake as punishment for stealing a pair of shoes being donated to charity by Clyde “Sweet Feet” Livingston. However, poor Stanley never stole the shoes, he’s been wrongfully accused, which is something he’s accustomed to, since his family is under the influence of a malevolent gypsy curse which began due to an oversight by his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather. This evil hex has brought misery and financial ruin to the Yelnats clan since it was first laid, and each male heir to the Yelnats throne vainly hopes to be the one to break this vicious cycle. It isn’t looking too promising for Stanley to be the chosen one, as he’s shipped off to Camp Green Lake, which is the dusty basin of a once-flourishing lake which has since dried up under the scorching desert sun. His duty at the Camp is torturous; each day he must wake up at cock-crow and dig a hole five feet deep by five feet wide, while eluding the venomous yellow-spotted lizards which infest the area. Spitting in each completed hole is optional, and Stanley opts for this luxury at the insistence of his peers.
The narrative of Stanley’s troubles at the camp are intertwined with the background of how this dread gypsy curse came about and also with the story of “Kissing” Katie Barlow, an outlaw that robbed his great-grandfather. While Stanley toils to dig hole after hole under the strict rule of the Warden and her lackeys (Mr. Pendanski and Mr. Sir), the tale of the curse unfolds, in which his great-great-grandfather Elya is vying for the hand of wealthy hottie Myra back in their motherland of Latvia. In order to win her hand, Myra’s father stipulates that the stud who presents the choicest pig as a gift will get the girl (which I hear is still a popular practice back in Riga), which leads Elya into cahoots with the gypsy, Madame Zeroni. Things take a turn for the worse for Elya, and he ends up not only forgetting to perform a favor for the gypsy, but he also gives away the hog as a wedding present to his rival. Even more spectacular is the downfall of the kind-hearted Katie Barlow, a benevolent teacher who begins an interracial relationship with an onionmonger named Sam in the Green Lake area. The ignorant townsfolk don’t cotton to this pairing and end up killing Sam (and his onion-chomping mule, Mary Lou), which leads the once-peaceful teacher to life as an outlaw. Barlow also happened to rob Stanley’s great-grandfather, and before kicking the bucket, she ended up burying all her ill-gotten gains somewhere in the parched and dry bowl of the former lake, a treasure yet to be unearthed that the Warden presumably is trying to locate with all this absurd hole-digging.
The story is pretty enjoyable, for the most part it follows in the silly tradition of the Sachar work I am familiar with, however, the fact that he had to throw a ‘message’ in there pretty much turned me off. Stanley and his fellow detainees at the Camp are a motley bunch, a mixed-race group of transgressors who are coming to terms with their own cultural identities. When Stanley makes an arrangement with black camper Zero to teach him to read in exchange for his labor, the others drop some ‘slave’ references. The saga of Katie Barlow and Sam, however, far eclipses this childish prattle, and firmly beats the reader of the head with the ‘love-your-brother’-stick. At one point, Sachar even states that god himself punished the intolerant populous of Green Lake using the 100 year drought that turned a thriving lake into a dust bowl. The whole race relations bit was generally annoying, and perhaps what might have bothered me most was that in his preaching, Sachar makes it clear how wrong it is to consider someone of color illiterate, stupid, or treacherous, but it’s fully acceptable to include the stereotype of a curse-casting gypsy thrown into the storyline.
Overall, the story comes together predictably and nicely, but the insistence with which Sachar clubbed me over the head with his ‘message’ bothered me.
November 16, 2008
I thought this author did an especially clever job on the way he set up the story. He flipped back-and-forth between generations, never getting confusing, never giving information too soon, never giving information too late. This was very fun to read.
Read
June 19, 2023Not as perverted as the title suggests.
July 21, 2022
Here’s a cute little YA for you who love a little hard-luck, friendship-building, revenge stories.
I’m surprised I hadn’t read this before. I had heard about it. But here I am, a little late than never.
It’s worth the hype. Solid. I love to hate those guys. Getting away was the best part. :)
I’m surprised I hadn’t read this before. I had heard about it. But here I am, a little late than never.
It’s worth the hype. Solid. I love to hate those guys. Getting away was the best part. :)
March 15, 2019
This was heading for the full five stars right up until the ending, which for me, just felt rushed and anti-climactic. It was as if the author simply ran out of steam and wanted to quickly wrap everything up, which is a great shame, because up until then the book had been pretty much perfect.
Sachar gets so much right here. The writing is top-drawer: the intersecting stories and flashback tales about Stanley's family history are woven through the plot quite brilliantly, creating an entirely compelling and (un)believable tale in which themes of fate and destiny and friendship and justice are explored. The characters are compelling and all have great depth. Stanley is a character you can't help but root for. Wrongly accused, he is entirely accepting of his sentence: a torturous ordeal digging holes in a desert. He takes it on the chin, he doesn't grumble. Instead, he sees the experience for what it is: an opportunity to change himself and maybe the path his life was following.
Overall, Holes is a great read: it's inventive, compelling and quirky and it's easy to see why it has received so many plaudits.
Sachar gets so much right here. The writing is top-drawer: the intersecting stories and flashback tales about Stanley's family history are woven through the plot quite brilliantly, creating an entirely compelling and (un)believable tale in which themes of fate and destiny and friendship and justice are explored. The characters are compelling and all have great depth. Stanley is a character you can't help but root for. Wrongly accused, he is entirely accepting of his sentence: a torturous ordeal digging holes in a desert. He takes it on the chin, he doesn't grumble. Instead, he sees the experience for what it is: an opportunity to change himself and maybe the path his life was following.
Overall, Holes is a great read: it's inventive, compelling and quirky and it's easy to see why it has received so many plaudits.
August 15, 2023
Familiar characters on a crappy day, just the thing
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Narrator: 4 stars ... Reminded me of the narrator from Percy Jackson a few times.
I need to rewatch the movie when I'm off:)
*Audiobook via Overdrive app*
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Narrator: 4 stars ... Reminded me of the narrator from Percy Jackson a few times.
I need to rewatch the movie when I'm off:)
*Audiobook via Overdrive app*
March 14, 2020
“There is no lake at Camp Green Lake.”
a review of this book is up on my channel! :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhq60...
I absolutely adored this book! I don't remember when I had so much fun reading a children's book, even though I read so many of them! This was one of those fast-paced stories that you just can't put down until you are done with them. Stanley is such a lovely main character, and it's so easy to empathize with him! Not to mention there is a Latvian character ahah xD Loved it! :)
a review of this book is up on my channel! :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhq60...
I absolutely adored this book! I don't remember when I had so much fun reading a children's book, even though I read so many of them! This was one of those fast-paced stories that you just can't put down until you are done with them. Stanley is such a lovely main character, and it's so easy to empathize with him! Not to mention there is a Latvian character ahah xD Loved it! :)
Read
August 11, 2009Everybody knows who this man is, right?
I mean, I'm looking over the reviews for this book on the front page and I can find no mention. There's not a whisper of the author's previous successes. I'm absolutely flabbergasted that the word "Wayside" is not coming up in any of my "control+F" searches. Absolutely nothing.
"Sideways Stories from Wayside School"?! Really?! The absolute greatest story about an elementary school ever told? The one built sideways accidentally, with no 13th floor? Mrs. Gorf? Ice cream flavors that taste like people? Am I the only person on goodreads who can't do third grade long division but remembers the last names of the three Erics' in Mrs. Jewl's class?!?!?!?! (Eric Bacon, Eric Fry, and Eric Ovens)
ANYBODY!!?!
I am slightly confused and afraid. My universe is shifting. I thought everybody skipped their fourth boring field trip in a year to the National History Museum and read this book in the girl's bathroom. Or anywhere really. It never gets old.
"But Erin", you might say, "This is a review of Holes. Past books shouldn't matter. As you have said before, an author is only as good as his last book. Except for Christopher Moore, who can-do-no-wrong-for- the-rest-of-eternity-forever-and-ever-amen."
Well, normally you'd be right. But Louis Sachar's debut of Holes, I think, is much more significant for what came before it. You see, millions of little children like me had giggled and gasped through Sachar's series on a curious school with absurdly crazy characters. He was one of the first authors, like Shel Silverstein and Laura Ingalls Wilder, to have his name, and not just the title of his book, implanted in my memory. For hundreds of little children around the world, I know he was one of their first! favorite authors.
And so, when we discovered the dog eared and dirty copy of Holes on our library shelves a couple years later, a bit older (third grade) and a bit more mature (I gave up wearing kraft cheese singles with holes bitten out of them as masks at the cafeteria table) we dove right in without a second thought.
And oh, were we surprised.
Holes is not the light fare I, or I think any of my friends, were expecting. I think if you try hard enough, you'll remember the first story you read in which justice was not promptly served, or the assurance of a happy ending was not guaranteed. I may have read darker tales before this one, but "Holes" was a defining moment in my childhood. Stanley went to hell on Earth and he was innocent. Nothing magical was going to help him escape, no convenient story twist was going to come along and assure you everything was a dream. Above all, no adult was gonna come get Stanley and explain that everything a big huge mistake, and he was safe and fine and protected. ADULTS knew that something horrible was happening at Camp Green Lake, and nothing was as it seemed, and no one tried to stop it.
Stanley was so alone. And you were alone right there with him.
Here was something much more grown up, we realized. Here is something that has the risk of death and the threat of capture and the hope of treasure and it all feels so real! Here is something that is tricky in the way it is written, not front to back like so many other simple, dumb children's authors, but has many stories all tied up together in a way that makes us think, and figure things out, and if this character and that character were with his character, could it be that---gasp!
And I don't mean to keep speaking for the rest of the universe's little children. But I know there must have been more than just my third grade self that closed the last page of Holes and sat very very still, mouth open, staring at nothing, for a second, and realized that reading was never really going to be the same.
I mean, I'm looking over the reviews for this book on the front page and I can find no mention. There's not a whisper of the author's previous successes. I'm absolutely flabbergasted that the word "Wayside" is not coming up in any of my "control+F" searches. Absolutely nothing.
"Sideways Stories from Wayside School"?! Really?! The absolute greatest story about an elementary school ever told? The one built sideways accidentally, with no 13th floor? Mrs. Gorf? Ice cream flavors that taste like people? Am I the only person on goodreads who can't do third grade long division but remembers the last names of the three Erics' in Mrs. Jewl's class?!?!?!?! (Eric Bacon, Eric Fry, and Eric Ovens)
ANYBODY!!?!
I am slightly confused and afraid. My universe is shifting. I thought everybody skipped their fourth boring field trip in a year to the National History Museum and read this book in the girl's bathroom. Or anywhere really. It never gets old.
"But Erin", you might say, "This is a review of Holes. Past books shouldn't matter. As you have said before, an author is only as good as his last book. Except for Christopher Moore, who can-do-no-wrong-for- the-rest-of-eternity-forever-and-ever-amen."
Well, normally you'd be right. But Louis Sachar's debut of Holes, I think, is much more significant for what came before it. You see, millions of little children like me had giggled and gasped through Sachar's series on a curious school with absurdly crazy characters. He was one of the first authors, like Shel Silverstein and Laura Ingalls Wilder, to have his name, and not just the title of his book, implanted in my memory. For hundreds of little children around the world, I know he was one of their first! favorite authors.
And so, when we discovered the dog eared and dirty copy of Holes on our library shelves a couple years later, a bit older (third grade) and a bit more mature (I gave up wearing kraft cheese singles with holes bitten out of them as masks at the cafeteria table) we dove right in without a second thought.
And oh, were we surprised.
Holes is not the light fare I, or I think any of my friends, were expecting. I think if you try hard enough, you'll remember the first story you read in which justice was not promptly served, or the assurance of a happy ending was not guaranteed. I may have read darker tales before this one, but "Holes" was a defining moment in my childhood. Stanley went to hell on Earth and he was innocent. Nothing magical was going to help him escape, no convenient story twist was going to come along and assure you everything was a dream. Above all, no adult was gonna come get Stanley and explain that everything a big huge mistake, and he was safe and fine and protected. ADULTS knew that something horrible was happening at Camp Green Lake, and nothing was as it seemed, and no one tried to stop it.
Stanley was so alone. And you were alone right there with him.
Here was something much more grown up, we realized. Here is something that has the risk of death and the threat of capture and the hope of treasure and it all feels so real! Here is something that is tricky in the way it is written, not front to back like so many other simple, dumb children's authors, but has many stories all tied up together in a way that makes us think, and figure things out, and if this character and that character were with his character, could it be that---gasp!
And I don't mean to keep speaking for the rest of the universe's little children. But I know there must have been more than just my third grade self that closed the last page of Holes and sat very very still, mouth open, staring at nothing, for a second, and realized that reading was never really going to be the same.
January 23, 2016
"If only, if only," the woodpecker sighs,
"The bark on the tree was as soft as the skies."
While the wolf waits below, hungry and lonely,
Crying to the moo-oo-oon,
"If only, If only.”
OH. MY. GOD! 5 FREAKING STARS are simply not enough to do justice to this little gem of a book!
My first fulll-length read of 2016, and I couldn't have asked for a better book! And I just happened to pick it up by chance. It so happened that I was looking for an audiobook for my daily commute, and that bumped this deserving Newberry Medal winner up to the top of my TBR pile.
This is the story of Stanley Yelnats (yes, that's a palindrome! :D ), whose family unfortunately always ends up being in the wrong place at the wrong time. And they believe it's all because of his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather.
Due to rather unfortunate circumstances, Stanley is sent away to Camp Green Lake, a juvenile correctional facility. The name is a cruel joke, as there is nothing green about the place, and there isn't even a lake there any longer. The camp makes boys dig holes in the dried lake bed day after day after day, under the scorching sun, in a bid to build character apparently. But Stanley soon starts suspecting that there's a lot more going on at the camp than meets the eye.
Louis Sachar is a phenomenal storyteller, and over the course of the entire book, the pieces fit together so marvelously, and with the perfection of a jigsaw puzzle!
The audiobook version was so good that it made me fall in love with the main characters, with the author and with the narrator too! It filled my dull commute with so much life, as it made me laugh out loud, made me gasp in shock and also made me mutter frantic prayers for the characters in times of danger! And whenever I'd think about the story in moments of solitude, it would make my eyes moist.
This is a beautiful tale of friendship, hope, courage and character, and with a wonderful fable-like quality to it. I practically lived the story while listening to it and it's going to be with me for a very long time!
Though this book lies somewhere on the cusp of Middlegrade and YA fiction, I'd like to drag it back entirely into the Middlegrade territory, as that's my most favourite genre in the whole wide world! (^.^)
Even coming from the greatest genre in the world, this is a fantabulous book! :D
When I was left with just the final leg of the story, I actually kept putting it off for an entire week, as I just did not want the book to end! And it was then that I stumbled upon a hardcopy of this book in a second-hand bookstore! I literally squealed with joy, and it turned out it was available for just 50 bucks!! Wheeeeee!
I hope to read it again some years down the line, and I cannot recommend this book enough. In fact, I feel it should certainly be taught in schools too!
"The bark on the tree was as soft as the skies."
While the wolf waits below, hungry and lonely,
Crying to the moo-oo-oon,
"If only, If only.”
OH. MY. GOD! 5 FREAKING STARS are simply not enough to do justice to this little gem of a book!
My first fulll-length read of 2016, and I couldn't have asked for a better book! And I just happened to pick it up by chance. It so happened that I was looking for an audiobook for my daily commute, and that bumped this deserving Newberry Medal winner up to the top of my TBR pile.
This is the story of Stanley Yelnats (yes, that's a palindrome! :D ), whose family unfortunately always ends up being in the wrong place at the wrong time. And they believe it's all because of his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather.
Due to rather unfortunate circumstances, Stanley is sent away to Camp Green Lake, a juvenile correctional facility. The name is a cruel joke, as there is nothing green about the place, and there isn't even a lake there any longer. The camp makes boys dig holes in the dried lake bed day after day after day, under the scorching sun, in a bid to build character apparently. But Stanley soon starts suspecting that there's a lot more going on at the camp than meets the eye.
Louis Sachar is a phenomenal storyteller, and over the course of the entire book, the pieces fit together so marvelously, and with the perfection of a jigsaw puzzle!
The audiobook version was so good that it made me fall in love with the main characters, with the author and with the narrator too! It filled my dull commute with so much life, as it made me laugh out loud, made me gasp in shock and also made me mutter frantic prayers for the characters in times of danger! And whenever I'd think about the story in moments of solitude, it would make my eyes moist.
This is a beautiful tale of friendship, hope, courage and character, and with a wonderful fable-like quality to it. I practically lived the story while listening to it and it's going to be with me for a very long time!
Though this book lies somewhere on the cusp of Middlegrade and YA fiction, I'd like to drag it back entirely into the Middlegrade territory, as that's my most favourite genre in the whole wide world! (^.^)
Even coming from the greatest genre in the world, this is a fantabulous book! :D
When I was left with just the final leg of the story, I actually kept putting it off for an entire week, as I just did not want the book to end! And it was then that I stumbled upon a hardcopy of this book in a second-hand bookstore! I literally squealed with joy, and it turned out it was available for just 50 bucks!! Wheeeeee!
I hope to read it again some years down the line, and I cannot recommend this book enough. In fact, I feel it should certainly be taught in schools too!
March 20, 2024
Stanley Yelnats (¿Por qué yo no tengo un nombre palíndromo?) es un adolescente que ha sido sentenciado a cavar agujeros en el desierto como castigo por un crimen que, adivinaron, no cometió. Se trata del poco convencional método de recuperación de un centro de detención juvenil, el lugar donde nuestro joven protagonista nos irá descubriendo su historia de vida. Bisnieto de un ser humano maldito por no cumplir una promesa, Stanley es de los que tienen talento para estar siempre en el peor lugar en el momento menos indicado. Pronto comprende que el asunto de cavar agujeros no resulta tan útil al loable fin de construir nobles caracteres y ciudadanos más íntegros, por tanto, razona Stanely, debe haber alguna intención oculta. Y haberla la hay. Es una de las cosas que van a descubrir cuando su extraña aventura siga adelante.
"Holes" es un clásico dentro de la literatura juvenil estadounidense, ganador de múltiples premios y muy accesible para la lectura en su idioma original para cualquiera con un nivel intermedio de inglés (De hecho, creo que es ideal como primera lectura en ese nivel) pero, ante todo, es una historia llena de humanidad y redención.
"Holes" es un clásico dentro de la literatura juvenil estadounidense, ganador de múltiples premios y muy accesible para la lectura en su idioma original para cualquiera con un nivel intermedio de inglés (De hecho, creo que es ideal como primera lectura en ese nivel) pero, ante todo, es una historia llena de humanidad y redención.
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