Holes is a book about a teenage boy, Stanley Yelnats (yes, it is a palindrome). He and his family are extremely poor and they believe that they are cursed. A legend runs through the family, that the dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-(great)-grandfather had once broken a promise to an Egyptian fortune-teller. Because of their unluckiness, Stanley is falsely accused of having stolen a pair of shoes that had belonged to a famous football player, and that had been donated to a shelter for homeless people. He is then sent to a correctional facility, an all-boys camp named Camp Green Lake. The name is very ironic, as the camp is in the middle of the desert, in Texas. There is no lake, nor are there any trees or anything green in the surroundings. There use to be a lake and a town at that location, a very long time ago. The camp is a hostile place with cruel employees: the Warden, Mr.Sir, and Mr. Pendanski, Stanley’s group’s counsellor. The boys detained inside first scare and intimidate Stanley but soon accept him (kind of). All the boys have to mysteriously dig a hole every day. The hole has to be the width of their shovel lying down and the height of their shovel standing up. As the book advances, a fascinating story comes alive intertwining generations. Finally, Stanley will make a great friend, stop the curse, take his family out of the misery by finding something… Well, I guess that you will have to read this book. Highly recommended… and then you can also watch the excellent movie!
Rating: 
(5 / 5)
Release Date: 1998
Author: Louis Sachar
Publishing House: Yearling Newberry