HOLES by Louis Sachar

(Yearling/Random House)

Best for: Ages 10 and up

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Camp Green Lake isn’t a camp. 

There’s not much there that's green; the lake has long been dried up; water is rationed; and only rattlesnakes, scorpions, and poisonous lizard survive. 

"Camp" Green Lake is a detention center for boys. A prison.

When Stanley Yelnats (yes, that’s a palindrome) is convicted of a crime he didn’t commit, he’s sent to Camp Green Lake. There he’s assigned to a tent and informed that he’s required to dig one hole each day. A hole that’s five feet deep and five feet wide. If he finds anything of interest in that hole, he’s to immediately report his findings to the Warden, a cruel woman who paints her fingernails with rattlesnake venom. Which leads Stanley to wonder…what’s the Warden looking for?

In spite of the despairing conditions, Holes is a story about hope, redemption, and what it means to be a true friend. Stanley, like many of us, wants to do the right thing, and often knows what the right thing to do is—but he’s intimidated by others and by his own fears. He blames his problems on his “no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing great-great-grandfather” whose actions many years ago resulted in a curse being put on the Yelnats family. So, initially, Stanley accepts his lot in life as a loser. But the predicaments he finds himself in at Camp Green Lake finally force Stanley to stand up for himself and for what’s right.

This is a delightful story for families to read aloud and discuss along the way. Author Louis Sachar weaves in stories about Stanley’s great-great-grandfather, a western bandit named Kissin’ Kate Barlow, and a racially charged situation that occurred when water still was abundant at Green Lake. These stories blend together as the plot progresses, and make for a surprising and exciting ending to Holes.

The humor in this story is dark, and some of the situations Stanley finds himself in may be frightening for young children, but overall this is a wonderful book for children (and their parents who won’t want to put it down!). It’s won numerous prestigious awards, including the Newbery Medal, which is awarded annually by the American Library Association, and recognizes the most distinguished children’s book of that year.

Holes reminds us of the sacrifices true friends make for each other, the difference on person can make by his or her choices and actions, and the legacy parents leave for their children.

If you liked HOLES, you might also enjoy: 

The View from Saturday by E. L. Konigsburg (Simon & Schuster)

This Newbery Medal winning book by Konigsburg (who also won this award for From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler) focuses on unlikely friendships. Four smart and funny sixth-graders and their teacher are joined by unusual circumstances and become the stars of their school’s Academic Bowl. Beyond their ability to work as a savvy and brainy team these kids choose to become friends and meet each Saturday for tea. The View from Saturday, as with Holes, shows what can happen when we choose friends who seem to be different from us, and how these friendships can make lasting differences.

Teen twins, Elisha and Elijah Springfield, along with their parents, are part of a top-secret project to investigate strange events and situations. While undercover, tracking the mysterious disappearance of two runaways, Elisha and Elijah are kidnapped and end up in a prison-like school where their guards/teachers try to fill their minds with new ideas about Truth. This story considers what the world would be like without right or wrong, without God and truth. It’s a thrilling adventure that underscores the importance of making the right choices in our beliefs about God and his power.