Author: - Louis Sachar
Title: - Holes
Illustrator: - N/A
Publisher: - Frances Foster Books
Year: - 1998
Format: - Hardcover
Genre: - Juvenile Fiction
Reading Level: - Independent
Interest Level: - Late Elementary, Middle School
Topics: - Newbery Medal, Outlaws, family curses, bad luck, punishment
Summary: - When Stanley Yelnats is convicted of a crime he didn’t commit (thanks to the family curse of bad luck from his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather,) he has two choices: go to jail, or go to Camp Green Lake, a correctional camp for boys. Not knowing what he is getting himself into, Stanley chooses Camp Green Lake. While at this lake-less camp, Stanley and the other boys are forced to dig one hole each, 5 feet in diameter and 5 feet deep, every single day. It soon becomes apparent to Stanley that the Warden is not making them dig just for character, but rather she is searching for something, likely the treasure of the old outlaw, Kissin’ Kate Barlow.
When things quickly take a turn for the worse a few months into his stay, Stanley takes off across the dry lake wasteland in search of a campmate who had also fled. Stanley finds his friend, Zero, and they continue on their way, trying to find hope in a far off dream of refuge on “God’s Thumb.” Their struggle to survive results in Stanley reversing the curse his great-great-grandfather had caused, producing remarkably good luck for Stanley and his entire family. This book is a definite must-read that keeps you guessing until the very end!
Extension Activity: - After reading the book, students will watch the movie and write a short analysis, comparing and contrasting the book and the movie. Students will explain which they liked better and why (based on the story line and the character developed, not on the method of watching/reading the story.)
-Students will be divided into groups and each assigned a different scene from the book. The students will be responsible for either creating a play or a movie to present to the class, reenacting the scene. This scene should be original and not based at all on the way it is depicted in the movie.
