Holes, by Louis Sachar, is about a boy who lives in Texas named Stanley Yelnats, and the nightmare he has to go through. It all started when a pair of sneakers hit him on the head from the highway overpass. But they weren’t just a regular pair of sneakers, they belonged to the famous sport star, Clyde Livingston. Instead of getting sent to jail, he gets sent to a camp that so happened to have an opening. “Camp Greenlake” is the name of it. But it’s not a camp, it’s not green, and it’s definitely not a lake. It is a hot, flat, wasteland, hours from civilization. Stanley was put in cabin D with other campers like Armpit, Squid X-Ray, and Zero. Every day, early morning, they are required to go outside, and dig a hole, 5 feet deep, and 5 feet across in every direction. Their canteens are filled up occasionally by the water truck. If anyone finds something, other than a deadly lizard or rattlesnake, they are to report it to the Warden. One day Zero decides to run away from camp, and days later, Stanley decides to run after him. They both head into the endless wasteland without food, water, or protection. For all anyone knows, they are doomed.



I like the point of view in this story, which is third person. You do not only know what’s going on with one person, but the whole camp and its history. Like the “lake” actually used to be a regular lake, with people living on it, until a huge drought came. I also like the way it makes me feel like I am actually there. While I was reading this, I could feel the heat, the blisters, the thirstiness, and the suspense of the book. I can’t say I would want to be there, but the author put me right in the book. What made me keep reading is the “hint” that Stanley would probably run away eventually, and I really wanted to know what would happen. I would recommend this to 5th-8th grade, or anyone who likes a good teenage book. I can’t wait to see the movie.