Holes
Editor reviews
Unique perspective.
'Holes' is much more gritty than the average middle school novel. Its is definitely not all fairies and unicorns. There are some somewhat harsh scenes in the story but they are important part of the book . 'Holes' is a story about overcoming adversity and a deep message about good triumphing over evil.
As for the cast of characters in the novel they are definitely unique. With names like Armpit, Zero, and X-ray how could they not be. This story is told with a lot of tongue-in-cheek humor. The whole thing with Stanley talking about his no-good-dirty-rotten- pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather is just hilarious. It's also really funny about that whole thing with Stanley's name being spelled the same both backward and forward.
I am not sure why I never heard of this book until recently. I am on a mission to read as many of the Newbery winners as possible and that's how this novel came to my attention. I loved the story and it is definitely a book that I would like my own kids to read. I have read that this book had been banned. I'm not really sure why unless it was because of the small amount of violence in the novel. If this is true it really pains that the whole point of the novel as a positive message can be so misunderstood and misinterpreted
Stanley Yelnats was in the wrong place at the wrong time…. and that got him sentenced to a corrupt juvenile correctional facility called Camp Green Lake. There he’s subjected to backbreaking labor under the hot Texas sun, and the general abuses heaped on him by both the staff and the other boys at the camp. His only respite is in the falsely reassuring letters he writes to his parents, and the gradual friendship he develops with an illiterate boy named Zero… who seems to know an awful lot about Stanley’s situation.
A quick read, with simple prose—sufficient for age 10+ and seemingly aimed specifically toward young males. Everything in the present is told from Stanley’s first-person point of view. His narrative is broken up periodically by two other stories taking place in the distant past. One involving his grandfather and a broken promise… the other regarding the tragic origins of an outlaw named Kissing Kate. Both emotions and descriptions end up feeling a bit thin throughout, or perhaps jumbled among the dry humor contained within two of the three storylines. The ending ties everything up in a neat bow, in ways readers may or may not be able to guess ahead of time.
Stanley was nice enough, yet a fairly bland character. Readers aren’t given much sense for his hobbies and interests, and only get the vaguest sense that he comes from a poor-yet-functional family. The real star of this book is (or perhaps should be) Zero. His background is nebulous for most of the book, and his persistence in the face of loss and abuse is beyond admirable. I wished Stanley were more curious about his friend earlier on, and regularly found myself wishing he could have been granted a POV.
The story itself holds a lot of folksy promise, and a solid moral core. But this reader would have preferred our protagonist shared the limelight.
User reviews
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 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.
I thought it was really clever to have Stanley's last name to be the same spelt backwards. I have never encountered an idea like that, and it made me laugh when I realized it, or was it when the book told me, I don't know. I also thought it was really strange to be digging holes in a dried up lake, but when the secret was revealed, I was just stunned.
I love this book, as does everyone else. It is full of everything you'd ever want. The movie is great as well, and it is well worth seeing it. Please read this amazing book!
I love the whole curse aspect, and the way Stanley is always fighting against that, and Kate Barlow's "you'll never get the best of me" attitude, with the way she hides her treasure, is awesome. You want so badly for Stanley and the other kids to find a way to defeat the counselors, and take the camp down, and that back and forth struggle feels very real in this book. There are ups and downs and an ending that is very well done.
--Alex
-Great emotional payoffs throughout
-True villains
-Unlikely Heroes
Holes is a novel you will definitely want to read again if you have the chance, the book acts like sticky glue, once you pick it up, you will never be able to let it go until you’ve finished it. A few reasons why is because: the book is very unpredictable; opposite things happen from what you’re thinking will happen. Louis Sacher made the plot simple yet interesting so the book wouldn’t confuse readers. The characters in the story are believable and reasonable; they act and do things really realistically and don’t do impossible, beyond supernatural tasks. Characters are also dynamic, changing throughout the story in order for them to adapt and survive in the harsh conditions facing both physical and mental challenges. A few characters that show progression throughout the story are Stanley Yelnats (Caveman) began as a young, naïve, spoiled city boy into a wise, mature, independent teenager. Another character Hector Zeroni (Zero), who went from a young unsocial, blame taking boy, into a kid with friends and self-confidence.
Overall, I would rate this book 4 out of 5, the book was very attracting and mysterious, but sometimes it seemed repetitive. The plot, simple yet intriguing, characters being dynamic, believable, the use of language/dialect was perfect. I really enjoyed reading this book, mainly because for me it was adventurous, and unpredictable. In the end, it was like all Disney movies, a happily ever after ending. I would recommend this novel for people who love fictional and adventurous stories.
Holes Id seen the movie, watched it a countless number of times, but never really cared about the book enough to buy it. That was until a few days ago, when I was at a Used bookstore and found a copy, priced a cheap $2.80 (or .60, I cant really remember) and purchased it.
I didnt read it off the bat, still weary of the whole Book-to-Movie transition. Did the book mirror the movie I loved so much, or did Hollywood distort it like a funhouse mirror? Tentatively, I peeled back the front cover and read.
And thank goodness I did!!
Now, the book is different from the movie, but not by much and the book even goes into greater detail that the movie just couldnt in its hour-and-thirty-minute running time. I loved the book just as much as the movie, if not more.
So, if youre a fan of the movie, I suggest you pick it up. Havent even heard of it before? Well, its a simple tale about a boy set in the wrong place and the wrong time and how he eventually realizes his family isnt cursed and blah, blah, blah. . .Trust me, its amazing, pitiful synopsis or not!
Go on then! Pick it up! Youll totally dig it!
Holes was a great novel. I could really understand Stanley and his character, which is one of the biggest factors I look for in a book. It had a creative plot, and the author did a great job of writing it. Sachar illustrated friendship greatly in this book, and I would definitely read this novel again. They also made this into a movie.
I read this is junior high and loved this book. It teaches you about firendship, being different, and dealing with punishment even when it isn't your fault. The main character--stanley yelnats-- is a good boy in a bad position. He finds himself in a work camp to avoid jail time. But it actually is the best thing that could happen to him. He meants a freind named Hector Zeroni.
Holes is a great book I read in middle school. It's about this boy named Stanley Yelnats whos accuesed of stealing these expensive shoes when he really find them. It's either he goes to juvenile hall or goes to camp Green Lake. It's a camp for bad boys, where he has to dig holes. The reason why they dig holes is because the warden is looking for something, what that is I can't tell you because that would ruin the whole story. If you haven't read Holes you should go and check it out. It's a pretty good story, for adults and children. Theres nothing I didn't like about this story, it's pretty much perfect. That's why I gave it a 5.
this book had great characters zero was my favorite character. i like how the story jumped back and forth through time and to see the stories related to each other. a classic tale of good versus evil and struggles through difficulties. a great coming of age story!