Product Description
Check out the Holes tour with Louis Sachar!
Monday, October 20th, 7:00 p.m. Anderson’s Bookshop, Naperville, IL
Tuesday, October 21st, 7:00 p.m., Barnes & Noble, Skokie, IL
Wednesday, October 22nd, 7:00 p.m., Harry W. Schwartz Bookshop, Brookfield, WI
Thursday, October 23rd, 7:00 p.m., Red Balloon Bookshop, St. Paul, MN
Friday, October 24th, 7:00 p.m. Wayzata Community Church, Wayzata, MN
Monday, October 27th, 7:00 p.m., Tattered Cover Bookstore, Highlands Ranch, CO
Tuesday, October 28th, 7:00 p.m., Borders, Aurora, CO
Stanley Yelnats tries to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment–and redemption.
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Amazon.com Review
"If you take a bad boy and make him dig a hole every day in the hot sun, it will turn him into a good boy." Such is the reigning philosophy at Camp Green Lake, a juvenile detention facility where there is no lake, and there are no happy campers. In place of what used to be "the largest lake in Texas" is now a dry, flat, sunburned wasteland, pocked with countless identical holes dug by boys improving their character. Stanley Yelnats, of palindromic name and ill-fated pedigree, has landed at Camp Green Lake because it seemed a better option than jail. No matter that his conviction was all a case of mistaken identity, the Yelnats family has become accustomed to a long history of bad luck, thanks to their "no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather!" Despite his innocence, Stanley is quickly enmeshed in the Camp Green Lake routine: rising before dawn to dig a hole five feet deep and five feet in diameter; learning how to get along with the Lord of the Flies-styled pack of boys in Group D; and fearing the warden, who paints her fingernails with rattlesnake venom. But when Stanley realizes that the boys may not just be digging to build character--that in fact the warden is seeking something specific--the plot gets as thick as the irony. It's a strange story, but strangely compelling and lovely too. Louis Sachar uses poker-faced understatement to create a bizarre but believable landscape--a place where Major Major Major Major of Catch-22 would feel right at home. But while there is humor and absurdity here, there is also a deep understanding of friendship and a searing compassion for society's underdogs. As Stanley unknowingly begins to fulfill his destiny--the dual plots coming together to reveal that fate has big plans in store--we can't help but cheer for the good guys, and all the Yelnats everywhere. (Ages 10 and older) --Brangien Davis
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 I Dig This Book ( theokester )
After having read through 2 of the Wayside School books, I was interested to see Sachar's writing style in a longer book. So, my son got Holes for Christmas, and I read it shortly after. :)
I'd seen the movie a few years back without realizing it was based on an award winning book. It's always hard to try and distance movie memories when reading a book, so I'm sure some memories tainted my reading.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book and I'm glad we have it in our home for the kids to read. While not as wholly whimsical as his Wayside School books, Holes is filled with great humor and wonderfully perceptive observations of people and the world.
Sachar created his characters very skillfully in just a couple of pages in each story of Wayside School. With a full novel, he was able to take that character development farther and really bring these characters to life. I was very impressed with the depth he gave to Stanley and the other characters at Camp Green Lake. I found myself very emotionally invested in the plot.
The plot itself was rooted in reality but with enough whimsical elements and crazy coincidences that it was very comical to read. I wonder if some of the "flashback" style sequences might be confusing at first. Having already seen the movie, they felt completely natural, though I do have a memory from watching the movie that reminds me that I was initially slightly confused. Still, the plot and pacing is quick and straight forward enough that I suspect any disorientation with the multiple plot lines would be quickly resolved by an average reader.
I loved the 'fairy-tale'-like elements of the story. If I have time, maybe I'll make it a project to try and parallel some of the characters from Holes with some characters from classic Grimm Fairy Tales. Could be fun. :)
Overall, Holes was a lot of fun and I definitely recommend it. With all the male protagonists, it's probably more of a "boy" book, but I'm guessing girls would enjoy it as well (it does have a love story stuck in the middle for those hopeless romantics).
****
3.5 stars
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 Holes ( boomt21 )
Everyone has been punished before meaning grounded, no TV, no computer and more. But as me sometimes Stanley was in the wrong place in the wrong time one time I was walking home from my friends house and this guy told me that he saw me hit his car of course I didn't ,he came and talked to my mom after that she grounded me for one day. But Stanley was in huge trouble he was blamed for stealing Clyde Livingston's shoes of a homeless shelter and they all blamed it on his dirty-old-pig stealing-great-great-grandfather. So it was either jail or Camp Green Lake. Of course he picked camp green lake "How bad could it be"? As he went there he saw that it was terrible. Everyday he would wake up at 4:30 and go dig holes, holes and even more holes. One of the reasons why I liked this book is because he kind of goes up and down with his friends and basically he goes on an adventure. The movie version is kind of different from the book because in the book Stanley is big in weight and in the movie he is like skinny. I think the audience for holes is teenagers because all the characters in the book are teenagers.I really like this book because I haven't read any book that all they do for a punishment is dig until they find something important. I think everyone should read this book because it's a good book.
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Lizards, holes, onions...
I have a lot of respect for a writer who can take holes, lizards and onions and create an incredible story.
This book was amazing. It held my interest from the very first page. The characters were lovable and interesting (I particularly liked Zero), the plot was fast paced and engaging, the writing style was easy to read and follow. I felt like I was there with the boys digging all those holes.
Once again, kudos to Louis Sacher for creating such a great thought provoking novel out of such a random concept. Digging holes? Lizards? Onions? This man is a genious!
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Minus the plot rehash... ( scoutcraftpiratess )
"Everything I learned in life I learned from Holes". Yes, I have a sick addiction to this book, but this is one of those stories that has changed my life, weirdly enough. My copy is marked up with thoughts and realizations and random connections. It's a quirky story filled with deep understanding.
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Holes
Holes (Yearling, Louis Sachar) is a fictional master piece that has been recognized as such through honors including the Newberry Award and the National Book Award. This adventure tale unfolds on the dry bed of Green Lake, where a juvenile detention facility works to build up the characters of troublesome youths. These boys dig holes. Stanley Yelnats, the story's wrongly accused protagonist, needs to dig a hole five feet by five feet everyday, always racing the scorching rays of the sun, on guard for yellow spotted lizards and thirstily waiting for the ever so slow water truck. But eventually, a mystery is revealed and Stanley wonders if they are really digging holes just because, or if there is something the warden is trying to find amongst the dust in the dried up lake? A challenging adventure unfurls as Stanley hurdles over such obstacles as rattlesnake venom nail polish, bullying boys, a family curse and shoes falling from the sky. Throughout it all, the reader roots for the sincere and trouble set Stanley as he matures in body and mind at every turn. Remarkable writing sets the mystery in full swing as every little snippet is a clue leading towards the surprising finale. This book is one of the great adventures that boys and girls can read in one burst, just to know what the heck happens next!
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