Samantha Walters
May 13, 2009
LIS 567
Sachar, Louis (1998). Holes. Cover illustration by Bagram Ibatoulline. Randomhouse.
Annotation
Stanley Yelnats’s family curse has landed him at the tortuous Green Lake detention camp. But a
new friendship, a desert quest, and a buried treasure might just turn his luck around.
Review
The intertwining stories of an unlucky middle-school boy named Stanley Yelnats, his "no-gooddirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather,” and the real-life bandit Kissin' Kate Barlow,
weave together to create this enchanting, yet believable and often hilarious tale of hope and
redemption. Stanley is a law-abiding kid who is often in the wrong place at the wrong time due
to a curse that has afflicted the Yelnats men for generations. This bad luck has landed him at
Camp Green Lake (a lake-less juvenile detention facility for “bad boys”), digging five foot by
five foot holes in the desert sun day after day with the other colorful delinquents. When Zero,
another inmate with whom Stanley is forming his first real friendship, escapes into the desert,
Stanley sets out on a quest to save him. Their exciting, and at times death-defying, adventure
cleverly mirrors and incorporates aspects of the great-grandfather’s fable-like story, and Kissin’
Kate’s rather sad historical legend, and uncovers the real reason the twisted Warden forces the
boy to dig the holes; a treasure is buried there. Sachar has brilliantly woven the pieces of this
entertaining realistic mystery in a way that connects many of the characters to one another, and
helps Stanley fulfill a destiny he deserves. In the end, Stanley and Zero are saved - from the
crazy camp, from loneliness and, most importantly, from the curse. Highly recommended, for
older elementary and above.
Other Reviews
Booklist Review:
Books for Youth, Older Readers: Gr. 6-9. Middle-schooler Stanley Yelnats is only the latest in a
long line of Yelnats to encounter bad luck, but Stanley's serving of the family curse is a doozie.
Wrongfully convicted of stealing a baseball star's sneakers, Stanley is sentenced to six months in
a juvenile-detention center, Camp Green Lake. "There is no lake at Camp Green Lake," where
Stanley and his fellow campers (imagine the cast from your favorite prison movie, kid version)
must dig one five-by-five hole in the dry lake bed every day, ostensibly building character but
actually aiding the sicko warden in her search for buried treasure. Sachar's novel mixes comedy,
hard-hitting realistic drama, and outrageous fable in a combination that is, at best, unsettling. The
comic elements, especially the banter between the boys (part scared teens, part Cool Hand Luke
wanna-bes) work well, and the adventure story surrounding Stanley's rescue of his black friend
Zero, who attempts to escape, provides both high drama and moving human emotion. But the
ending, in which realism gives way to fable, while undeniably clever, seems to belong in another
book entirely, dulling the impact of all that has gone before. These mismatched parts don't add
Walters
2
up to a coherent whole, but they do deliver a fair share of entertaining and sometimes compelling
moments. ((Reviewed June 1 & 15, 1998)) -- Bill Ott
My thoughts:
I think the reviewer did a good job of incorporating enough analysis with his description
of plot (although I don’t agree with his critique of the book’s ending. I feel as though he
isn’t thinking about the literary tastes of this age group – but that is another issue!). I do
like that although it is apparent he wasn’t completely pleased with the book, he has
described it in enough detail so that the librarian can determine for him or herself to
whom this book would appeal, and whether they should buy it (back in 1998).
School Library Journal Review:
Gr 5-8-Stanley Yelnats IV has been wrongly accused of stealing a famous baseball player's
valued sneakers and is sent to Camp Green Lake, a juvenile detention home where the boys dig
holes, five feet deep by five feet across, in the miserable Texas heat. It's just one more piece of
bad luck that's befallen Stanley's family for generations as a result of the infamous curse of
Madame Zeroni. Overweight Stanley, his hands bloodied from digging, figures that at the end of
his sentence, he'll "...either be in great physical condition or else dead." Overcome by the useless
work and his own feelings of futility, fellow inmate Zero runs away into the arid, desolate
surroundings and Stanley, acting on impulse, embarks on a risky mission to save him. He
unwittingly lays Madame Zeroni's curse to rest, finds buried treasure, survives yellow-spotted
lizards, and gains wisdom and inner strength from the quirky turns of fate. In the almost mystical
progress of their ascent of the rock edifice known as "Big Thumb," they discover their own
invaluable worth and unwavering friendship. Each of the boys is painted as a distinct individual
through Sachar's deftly chosen words. The author's ability to knit Stanley and Zero's compelling
story in and out of a history of intriguing ancestors is captivating. Stanley's wit, integrity, faith,
and wistful innocence will charm readers. A multitude of colorful characters coupled with the
skillful braiding of ethnic folklore, American legend, and contemporary issues is a brilliant
achievement. There is no question, kids will love Holes. -Alison Follos, North Country School,
Lake Placid, NY
My thoughts:
I really thought this review was great. It briefly described the plot, and then touched on
all of the key characters (who are the most important part of the plot) with evaluative
descriptions of each. I also agree (and it has been proven with the kids that I have met)
that “kids will love Holes.” I think some brief mention of how this book at times feels
like a mystery that the reader is in part solving (or at least watching unravel) would have
been helpful, but I think a librarian reading this review would find it very useful.
Publishers Weekly Review:
This wry and loopy novel about a camp for juvenile delinquents in a dry Texas desert (once the
largest lake in the state) by the author of There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom and the Wayside
School series has some serious undercurrents. Stanley Yelnats (appropriately enough for a story
about reversals, the protagonist's name is a palindrome) gets sent to Camp Green Lake to do
penance, "a camp for bad boys." Never mind that Stanley didn't commit the crime he has been
convicted of--he blames his bad luck on his "no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-
Walters
3
grandfather." He digs five-foot-deep holes with all the other "bad" boys under the baleful
direction of the Warden, perhaps the most terrifying female since Big Nurse. Just when it seems
as though this is going to be a weird YA cross between One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and
Cool Hand Luke, the story takes off--along with Stanley, who flees camp after his buddy Zero-in a wholly unexpected direction to become a dazzling blend of social commentary, tall tale and
magic realism. Readers (especially boys) will likely delight in the larger-than-life (truly Texasstyle) manner in which Sachar fills in all the holes, as he ties together seemingly disparate story
threads to dispel ghosts from the past and give everyone their just deserts. Ages 12-up. (Sept.)
My thoughts:
Of course, as we have talked about before, Publishers Weekly reviews are often too much
description of plot, and not enough evaluation. This review falls in that category,
however, does incorporate some good evaluative words. He does use the term “bad
boys” twice, which is one too many times. I like that the reviewer mentions some of
Sachar’s other works; although it is not necessary because Holes is somewhat different
from his other books, it still gives the reader a sense that this author is usually funny (and
he often is in Holes). I really also like this review’s last sentence. I think it paints a good
picture of the book.