Holes

Louis Sachar (author)

Bloomsbury, UK: 2000, 19998 USA

ISBN: 0747548471

Note: also available as audiobook & film

Genres: allegory, adventure, realistic fiction

Issues: crime,differences, friendship, justice, leadership, tolerance

1999 Newbery Medal

1998 National Book Award for Young People's Literature

Stanley Yelnats, innocent of the crime for which he's been sentenced, finds himself digging holes with other delinquents at Camp Green Lake. Every day, in scorching heat, out in the middle of the drought-stricken lake bed, Stanley and the others must each dig a hole five feet deep and five feet across.

Why dig holes? Why did the lake dry up? And what does this all have to do with Stanley's pig-stealing great-great-grandfather? Nothing - or perhaps everything. As the narrative unfolds it seems that the past is dictating the future, that Stanley's experiences are a strange echo of his ancestor's.

This is very much a book about adaptability, about challenging the assumptions we make about people, about always questioning the patterns of behaviour and thought in yourself and those around you. The writing is superb - almost poetic at times - and it is this that will keep the pages turning despite the curious, almost surreal nature of the narrative. Holes is about journeys - personal, physical and emotional. Although a book that may predominantly appeal to a male readership, girls should be encouraged to attempt it as they may well find the allegorical nature of the story quite fascinating.

A very interesting read.

Sequel: Small Steps

Same Author: Someday Angeline; Johnny's in the Basement; The Boy Who Lost His Face