Summer Reading Packet
Holes: By Louis Sachar
Your project includes five parts. Some sections you may choose what categories to complete. You will hand in a project
packet including all of the sections. Part 4 will be done on a separate poster board and handed in at the same time.
Part 1:
1.
Illustration:
Pick your favorite scene from Holes and draw it with color on white construction paper. Be sure to include
the Title of the book somewhere on your picture.
Take your time! This will be the cover of your project.
Part 2 (select 2):
1. Your own “Rules of Survival”
Decide what you think is the ten most important rules that one must follow in order to survive at Camp
Green Lake. Type them out With the title, “(Your Name)’s Rules of Survival”
2. Vocabulary
As you read, pick out 25 words that are new to you. Look up their definition and type (or write) and number
them on a sheet of paper.
3. Diary entries
Choose your favorite inmate at Camp Green Lake and write 10 Diary entries in which your character shares
his thoughts about his daily activities. Include information from the story as well as your own imagination!
Each diary entry will be at least one full paragraph.
Part 3 (select 2): Sheets for this section are included in this packet. Use them for the two categories that you select
1. Letter to a Friend:
Pretend that you met a character from Holes! Write a letter to a friend and tell about why you found this
character so interesting. Your descriptive words should make your friend want to read the book, too! Fill
out the sheet provided in this packet.
2. Report Card:
You get to be the teacher and complete a report card for the book you’ve just read! The grades are A =
Awesome, P = Pretty Good, S = So-so, and D = Disappointing. You also get to make your own category. Be
fair and include a sentence explaining why you gave each grade under “Comments.” Fill out the sheet of
paper in this packet.
3. Final Chapter:
Every good book finds us wishing there was more to read! Write a last chapter title (the number, too) and
summary. Use your imagination and make it so interesting that Louis Sachar would be sorry that he didn’t
think of it!
Part 4 (select 1): This section can be done on poster board, however, you can do a Power Point Presentation or create a
visual representation of your choice.
1. Advertisement:
Create an advertisement poster telling about Holes. In you poster include a description of the novel, the main
characters, your favorite part, and a recommendation to others.
2. Song/Poem:
Camp Green Lake. There is no lake, it has been dry for over a hundred years, and it's hardly a camp at all. The
camp is located in a barren region of Texas, one hundred miles from the nearest water source. Describe the
desert of Camp Green Lake in a five senses poem: Color, tastes sights, sounds, smells, feelings. Decorate the
poster board around your song or poem with images of the desert.
Part 5:
1.
Short Answer Questions:
Using the questions below select at least 3 that interest you and answer them on a separate piece of paper.
a. Why don't the other boys like Stanley and Zero's agreement that Zero will help Stanley dig and Stanley
will help Zero read? Do you think it is fair to both Stanley and Zero? Do you think it is fair to the other
campers?
b. Holes is really three stories tied together. One is about Camp Green Lake. The second is the tale of
Stanley 's great-great grandfather and the "curse" put on him by Madame Zeroni. The third story is of
Kissin' Kate Barlow, the outlaw who robbed his great grandfather. How do these three stories fit
together within the larger story of Holes?
c. Stanley always seems to find humor even in the worst situations. He laughs on the bus to Camp Green
Lake thinking about his "no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather." While walking
across the hot, dry lake, he laughs at the sight of the boat, Mary Lou. Climbing Big Thumb, he even
makes Zero laugh. What does this say about Stanley? How does his attitude help him?
e. What is the significance of Stanley's name being a palindrome, a word that is spelled the same way
forward and backward?
f.
he didn't know what he'd find at the top? Describe something you've done that at first seemed
impossible. What did you learn from the experience?
g.
Even though his fate is uncertain, Stanley is suddenly very happy as he lies awake on the top of the
mountain, staring at the stars. Why does he feel this way? How has his life changed from the start of the
story?
h.
ll Zero by his real name, Hector?
i.
later in the book, whom do you think God punished?
Your finished projects will be collected when you return to school.
Have a safe and wonderful summer! I look forward to seeing how hard you’ve worked when we meet again in
September. Good luck!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Clark