Adventure

Holes

Author Louis Sachar

  • Story

    Stanley Yelnats' family is cursed with bad luck. So, when he's falsely accused of theft and sent to a juvenile corrections facility in the Texan desert, it comes as no surprise. At Camp Green Lake, the boys spend their days digging holes in the scorching heat. Yet Stanley soon discovers he's unearthing more than just dirt.

  • Why we chose it

    A witty and moving novel with strong characters and a skillfully constructed plot. 

  • What a young reviewer said

    This is a great book, exciting, interesting and a great crowd pleaser. (Lucy, age 12)

  • First published

    1998, Farrar, Straud and Giroux, New York, USA 

Story Reviews

Our reviews come from a team of young story lovers! If you’re aged 8–16 and keen to join in, learn how to become a reviewer for The Story Museum. 

This is an extraordinary book. It’s about a boy called Stanley Yelnats, and according to his family's history of bad luck it isn’t surprising that one day a pair of legendary basketball players' shoes fall on top of him and his whole life changes. He is sent to Camp Green Lake, a juvenile detention centre. Every day in the dried up Lake Stanley must dig a hole 5 feet deep and 5 feet across. The warden says its character building, but it’s a lie. Stanley must find the truth. This is a great book, exciting, interesting and a great crowd pleaser.

Lucy

Being framed for theft, Stanley Yelnats was sent to Camp Green Lake for 18 months. Meeting friends and foes, Will Stanley survive? Holes is a great book. When I first read it, the book was enjoyable and hard to put down. I hope you enjoy it too.

Lydia