Plot Summary
Stanley Yelnats is overweight and socially awkward, but it could be worse, and one day it is. Stanley is falsely accused of a crime and gets sent to Camp Green Lake where he is expected to dig one hole a day, every day. When his new friend, Zero, runs away, Stanley ends up going to find him. Can he survive the heat of the desert, lack of water, rattle snakes, deadly yellow-spotted lizards, and the curse of his no-good, dirty-rotten, pig-stealing, great-great grandfather? The answers may lie on God's Thumb.
Personal Reaction
To say this book is a page-turner would be an understatement. I started reading it I didn't put it down until I had finished. Mr. Sachar weaves three, seemingly unrelated, stories together to a conclusion that will amaze and satisfy the reader. Definitely a must-read!
Memorable Literary Element
I don't know when I have enjoyed a flashback so much! The flashbacks throughout the story keep the reader wondering how it will all tie in to the present-day problems faced by the protagonist, Stanley.
Illustrations
No illustrations
Stanley Yelnats is overweight and socially awkward, but it could be worse, and one day it is. Stanley is falsely accused of a crime and gets sent to Camp Green Lake where he is expected to dig one hole a day, every day. When his new friend, Zero, runs away, Stanley ends up going to find him. Can he survive the heat of the desert, lack of water, rattle snakes, deadly yellow-spotted lizards, and the curse of his no-good, dirty-rotten, pig-stealing, great-great grandfather? The answers may lie on God's Thumb.
Personal Reaction
To say this book is a page-turner would be an understatement. I started reading it I didn't put it down until I had finished. Mr. Sachar weaves three, seemingly unrelated, stories together to a conclusion that will amaze and satisfy the reader. Definitely a must-read!
Memorable Literary Element
I don't know when I have enjoyed a flashback so much! The flashbacks throughout the story keep the reader wondering how it will all tie in to the present-day problems faced by the protagonist, Stanley.
Illustrations
No illustrations
Reviews/Awards
Newbery Medal; 1998
1999 Newbery Medal
1998 National Book Award for Young People's Literature
A Christopher Award for Juvenile Fiction
An ALA Notable Book
An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
An ALA Quick Pick for Young Adults
A New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of the Year
A Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon Book
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
A Publishers Weekly Notable Children's Book of the Year
A Publishers Weekly Bestseller
A Horn Book Fanfare Title
A Riverbank Review 1999 Children's Book of Distinction
A New York Public Library Children's Book of 1998-100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
A Texas Lone Star Award Nominee
A NECBA Fall List Title
Booklist, 1998 - Middle-schooler Stanley Yelnats is only the latest in a long line of Yelnats to encounter bad luck, but Stanley’s serving of the family curse is a doozie. Wrongfully convicted of stealing a baseball star’s sneakers, Stanley is sentenced to six months in a juvenile-detention center, Camp Green Lake. “There is no lake at Camp Green Lake,” where Stanley and his fellow campers (imagine the cast from your favorite prison movie, kid version) must dig one five-by-five hole in the dry lake bed every day, ostensibly building character but actually aiding the sicko warden in her search for buried treasure. Sachar’s novel mixes comedy, hard-hitting realistic drama, and outrageous fable in a combination that is, at best, unsettling. The comic elements, especially the banter between the boys (part scared teens, part Cool Hand Luke wanna-bes) work well, and the adventure story surrounding Stanley’s rescue of his black friend Zero, who attempts to escape, provides both high drama and moving human emotion. But the ending, in which realism gives way to fable, while undeniably clever, seems to belong in another book entirely, dulling the impact of all that has gone before. These mismatched parts don’t add up to a coherent whole, but they do deliver a fair share of entertaining and sometimes compelling moments. — Bill Ott
From Publishers WeeklyPW's starred review of the 1999 Newbery Medal winner described it as a "dazzling blend of social commentary, tall tale and magic realism." Ages 10-up. (May)
From School Library JournalGrade 5-8-Stanley Yelnats IV has been wrongly accused of stealing a famous baseball player's valued sneakers and is sent to Camp Green Lake, a juvenile detention home where the boys dig holes, five feet deep by five feet across, in the miserable Texas heat. It's just one more piece of bad luck that's befallen Stanley's family for generations as a result of the infamous curse of Madame Zeroni. Overweight Stanley, his hands bloodied from digging, figures that at the end of his sentence, he'll "...either be in great physical condition or else dead." Overcome by the useless work and his own feelings of futility, fellow inmate Zero runs away into the arid, desolate surroundings and Stanley, acting on impulse, embarks on a risky mission to save him. He unwittingly lays Madame Zeroni's curse to rest, finds buried treasure, survives yellow-spotted lizards, and gains wisdom and inner strength from the quirky turns of fate. In the almost mystical progress of their ascent of the rock edifice known as "Big Thumb," they discover their own invaluable worth and unwavering friendship. Each of the boys is painted as a distinct individual through Sachar's deftly chosen words. The author's ability to knit Stanley and Zero's compelling story in and out of a history of intriguing ancestors is captivating. Stanley's wit, integrity, faith, and wistful innocence will charm readers. A multitude of colorful characters coupled with the skillful braiding of ethnic folklore, American legend, and contemporary issues is a brilliant achievement. There is no question, kids will love Holes.
Alison Follos, North Country School, Lake Placid, NY
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
ReviewA New York Public Library's 100 Great Children's Books 100 Years selection
"A dazzling blend of social commentary, tall tale and magic realism."
--Publishers Weekly, Starred
"There is no question, kids will love Holes."--School Library Journal, Starred
From the Inside FlapStanley 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 warden makes the boys "build character" by spending all day, every day, digging holes: five feet wide and five feet deep. 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. Stanley tries to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment--and redemption.
From the Back Cover"A dazzling blend of social commentary, tall tale and magic realism."
--Publishers Weekly, Starred
"There is no question, kids will love Holes."--School Library Journal, Starred
Newbery Medal; 1998
1999 Newbery Medal
1998 National Book Award for Young People's Literature
A Christopher Award for Juvenile Fiction
An ALA Notable Book
An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
An ALA Quick Pick for Young Adults
A New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of the Year
A Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon Book
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
A Publishers Weekly Notable Children's Book of the Year
A Publishers Weekly Bestseller
A Horn Book Fanfare Title
A Riverbank Review 1999 Children's Book of Distinction
A New York Public Library Children's Book of 1998-100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
A Texas Lone Star Award Nominee
A NECBA Fall List Title
Booklist, 1998 - Middle-schooler Stanley Yelnats is only the latest in a long line of Yelnats to encounter bad luck, but Stanley’s serving of the family curse is a doozie. Wrongfully convicted of stealing a baseball star’s sneakers, Stanley is sentenced to six months in a juvenile-detention center, Camp Green Lake. “There is no lake at Camp Green Lake,” where Stanley and his fellow campers (imagine the cast from your favorite prison movie, kid version) must dig one five-by-five hole in the dry lake bed every day, ostensibly building character but actually aiding the sicko warden in her search for buried treasure. Sachar’s novel mixes comedy, hard-hitting realistic drama, and outrageous fable in a combination that is, at best, unsettling. The comic elements, especially the banter between the boys (part scared teens, part Cool Hand Luke wanna-bes) work well, and the adventure story surrounding Stanley’s rescue of his black friend Zero, who attempts to escape, provides both high drama and moving human emotion. But the ending, in which realism gives way to fable, while undeniably clever, seems to belong in another book entirely, dulling the impact of all that has gone before. These mismatched parts don’t add up to a coherent whole, but they do deliver a fair share of entertaining and sometimes compelling moments. — Bill Ott
From Publishers WeeklyPW's starred review of the 1999 Newbery Medal winner described it as a "dazzling blend of social commentary, tall tale and magic realism." Ages 10-up. (May)
From School Library JournalGrade 5-8-Stanley Yelnats IV has been wrongly accused of stealing a famous baseball player's valued sneakers and is sent to Camp Green Lake, a juvenile detention home where the boys dig holes, five feet deep by five feet across, in the miserable Texas heat. It's just one more piece of bad luck that's befallen Stanley's family for generations as a result of the infamous curse of Madame Zeroni. Overweight Stanley, his hands bloodied from digging, figures that at the end of his sentence, he'll "...either be in great physical condition or else dead." Overcome by the useless work and his own feelings of futility, fellow inmate Zero runs away into the arid, desolate surroundings and Stanley, acting on impulse, embarks on a risky mission to save him. He unwittingly lays Madame Zeroni's curse to rest, finds buried treasure, survives yellow-spotted lizards, and gains wisdom and inner strength from the quirky turns of fate. In the almost mystical progress of their ascent of the rock edifice known as "Big Thumb," they discover their own invaluable worth and unwavering friendship. Each of the boys is painted as a distinct individual through Sachar's deftly chosen words. The author's ability to knit Stanley and Zero's compelling story in and out of a history of intriguing ancestors is captivating. Stanley's wit, integrity, faith, and wistful innocence will charm readers. A multitude of colorful characters coupled with the skillful braiding of ethnic folklore, American legend, and contemporary issues is a brilliant achievement. There is no question, kids will love Holes.
Alison Follos, North Country School, Lake Placid, NY
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
ReviewA New York Public Library's 100 Great Children's Books 100 Years selection
"A dazzling blend of social commentary, tall tale and magic realism."
--Publishers Weekly, Starred
"There is no question, kids will love Holes."--School Library Journal, Starred
From the Inside FlapStanley 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 warden makes the boys "build character" by spending all day, every day, digging holes: five feet wide and five feet deep. 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. Stanley tries to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment--and redemption.
From the Back Cover"A dazzling blend of social commentary, tall tale and magic realism."
--Publishers Weekly, Starred
"There is no question, kids will love Holes."--School Library Journal, Starred
Promotion Idea
Holes would be a great support novel for a study on cause and effect. Use dominos to make the point. Place a domino on the floor or table for each of the following events in the novel:
Allow students time to work in groups to brainstorm a chain of events from the book, they may not use the teacher example, recording them on paper. Then they will be given dominos so that they may name the events and place the dominos, eventually knocking them down.
Holes would be a great support novel for a study on cause and effect. Use dominos to make the point. Place a domino on the floor or table for each of the following events in the novel:
- Zero can't read (first domino)
- Zero steals the sneakers, but doesn't know they belong to Clyde Livingston because he can't read the sign (second domino)
- Zero realizes the shoes are a big deal because people are really upset that they're missing (third domino)
- Zero quickly walks out of the shelter and leaves the shoes on a car parked on a freeway overpass (fourth domino)
- The shoes fall off the car and hit Stanley (fifth domino)
- Stanley picks up the shoes and runs (sixth domino)
- A patrol car stops Stanley (seventh domino)
- Stanley is arrested (eighth domino)
- Stanley is sentenced to Camp Green Lake (ninth domino)
- Stanley meets Zero (tenth domino)
Allow students time to work in groups to brainstorm a chain of events from the book, they may not use the teacher example, recording them on paper. Then they will be given dominos so that they may name the events and place the dominos, eventually knocking them down.
Photo by tpsdave
Video by Scott County Board of Education Technology Dept.
Video by Scott County Board of Education Technology Dept.