Holes - by Louis Sachar

About the Book

As further evidence of his family's bad fortune which they attribute to a curse on a distant relative, Stanley Yelnats is sent to a hellish correctional camp in the Teas desert where he finds his first real friend, a treasure, and a new sense of himself.

Book Synopsis

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ● NEWBERY MEDAL WINNER ● NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER

The triumphant modern classic for readers of all ages, Holes is an unforgettable story of adventure, redemption, and coming of age.

Stanley Yelnats's family has a history of bad luck, so he isn't too surprised when a miscarriage of justice sends him to a boys' juvenile detention center, Camp Green Lake. But there is no lake--it has been dry for over a hundred years--and it's hardly a camp: as punishment, the boys must each dig a hole a day, five feet deep, five feet across, in the hard earth of the dried-up lake bed. The warden claims that this pointless labor builds character, but that's a lie. Stanley must try to dig up the truth.

In this wonderfully inventive, compelling novel that is both serious and funny, Louis Sachar weaves a narrative puzzle about crime and punishment that tangles and untangles, until it becomes clear that the hand of fate has been at work in the lives of the characters--and their forebears--for generations.

Praise for Holes:

"Wildly inventive." --The New York Times Book Review

"[A] rugged, engrossing adventure." --Kirkus Reviews

"A can't-put-it-down read." --The Bulletin

★ "Dazzling." --Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ "Heartrending." --The Horn Book, starred review

★ "Brilliant." --School Library Journal, starred review

"A joyful, eerie tour de force." --The Boston Sunday Globe

Review Quotes

#1 New York Times Bestseller
Newbery Medal Winner
National Book Award Winner
A TIME Magazine 100 Best YA Books of All Time

"Wildly inventive." --The New York Times Book Review

"[A] rugged, engrossing adventure." --Kirkus Reviews

"A can't-put-it-down read." --The Bulletin

★ "Dazzling." --Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ "Heartrending." --The Horn Book, starred review

★ "Brilliant." --School Library Journal, starred review

"A joyful, eerie tour de force." --The Boston Sunday Globe

About the Author

LOUIS SACHAR made history with Holes, which won every major children's book award and was turned into a movie. He lives in Austin, Texas.