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6 Burnside Children's- Newbery Award Winners
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Holes

by Louis Sachar

Holes Cover

Review-a-Day   (What is Review-a-Day?)

"Few adult novels can hope to attain the treasured status of a beloved children's book. One can make a connection to an adult book for a variety of reasons — literary, nostalgic, emotional, aesthetic — but these pale in comparison to the romantic identification a child develops for a book that hits him/her just right, much as no adult relationship acquires the rarified (perhaps imaginary) intensity of young love. I read Holes this year, about twenty years too late for such idolatry. Still, as I devoured it in one night, too thrilled to stop turning the pages just because my body needed sleep, I felt a familiar stirring and realized that if I had discovered this book when I was nine, I would have cherished it for the rest of my life." Chris Bolton, Powells.com (read the entire Powells.com review)

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Stanley Yelnats is under a curse. A curse that began with his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather and has since followed generations of Yelnats. Now Stanley has been unjustly sent to a boys' detention center, Camp Green Lake, where the warden makes the boys "build character" by spending all day, every day, digging holes: five feet wide and five feet deep. It doesn't take long for Stanley to realize there's more than character improvement going on at Camp Green Lake. The boys are digging holes because the warden is looking for something. Stanley tries to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment — and redemption.

From Our Staff:

I might never have read this book but for the fact that my son wanted to see the movie. I said he'd have to read the book first. (I used any bribe to get him to read in those days.) It took us a while, but read it we did... together! What I discovered in Holes was an unexpected gem! This book is magical. It has a "real history" feel about it and tells two stories that are tied together by family, love, and happenstance. I say, "Read the book! Skip the movie!" (But, hey, if you saw the movie, it's worth your while to read the book anyway.)
Recommended by our staff at Powells.com

Review:

"There is no question, kids will love Holes." School Library Journal (Starred Review)

Review:

"Sachar weaves a complex net of hidden relationships and well-timed revelations....Stanley gets plenty of opportunities to display pluck and valor in this rugged, engrossing adventure." Kirkus Reviews

Review:

"This delightfully clever story is well-crafted and thought-provoking, with a bit of a folklore thrown in for good measure." Mary Ann Capan, VOYA

Review:

"Sachar inserts humor that gives the suspense steep edges; the tone is as full of surprises as the plot....[N]othing is quite what it seems in this wildly inventive novel." Betsy Hearne, The New York Times Book Review

Synopsis:

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 Texas desert where he finds his first real friend, a treasure, and a new sense of himself.

Synopsis:

Check out the Holes tour with Louis Sachar!

Monday, October 20th, 7:00 p.m. Anderson’s Bookshop, Naperville, IL

Tuesday, October 21st, 7:00 p.m., Barnes & Noble, Skokie, IL

Wednesday, October 22nd, 7:00 p.m., Harry W. Schwartz Bookshop, Brookfield, WI

Thursday, October 23rd, 7:00 p.m., Red Balloon Bookshop, St. Paul, MN

Friday, October 24th, 7:00 p.m. Wayzata Community Church, Wayzata, MN

Monday, October 27th, 7:00 p.m., Tattered Cover Bookstore, Highlands Ranch, CO

Tuesday, October 28th, 7:00 p.m., Borders, Aurora, CO

Stanley Yelnats tries to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment–and redemption.

About the Author

Louis Sachar's popular books include There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom and Dogs Don't Tell Jokes.

What Our Readers Are Saying

Add a comment for a chance to win!
Average customer rating based on 7 comments:
Michael Taylor, December 11, 2007 (view all comments by Michael Taylor)
The less you know about the plot before opening this exceptional book the more you'll enjoy its unusual premise, twists and turns, surprising alliances and the way in which the author ties things together, particularly at the climax, where it reaches an almost transcendent plateau. It's that good. Both kids and adults will enjoy the characters and the story. Unfortunately I can't say the same of other books by this author; he hasn't yet written another one in the same league. A classic.
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(12 of 17 readers found this comment helpful)
angryguytoday, December 8, 2007 (view all comments by angryguytoday)
ok this book is very good but!!!!



the site told mw this won a award in 1998 why the **** doesnt it have a comment on it. ive been searching everyone for all different sites can you please ****ing put one up!!!!!!!!!

from the ****ing angry guy!!!!!!
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(13 of 20 readers found this comment helpful)
Jennifer Bateman, November 29, 2007 (view all comments by Jennifer Bateman)
Holes is a story,within a story,within a story,within a story.Sachar's style makes you think of many ideas and wonders.He wrote all different stories which had holes for you to fill and find out for yourself.His style made me stay focused in the book because you are dealing with all these thoughts and ideas that you would never know what would happen next.But in the book there are good points and there are bad points.The good points are when the book gets really exciting and your just have to know what happens next.The bad points are like at the end when he keeps you hanging and you want to know what happend to everybody else which kind of surprised me.He just wants you to fill in holes yourself.Overall, Sachar's style is my style because it's not those kind of books that stick to the same boring subject, it is the kind of wonders that all come together in the end when you finished filling your hole. If you missed reading Tino Georgiou's masterful novel--The Fates, I'd highly recommend reading it. Truly an enjoyable read.
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(5 of 10 readers found this comment helpful)
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780440414803
Author:
Sachar, Louis
Publisher:
Yearling Books
Location:
New York :
Subject:
Fiction
Subject:
Friendship
Subject:
Action & Adventure
Subject:
Children's 9-12 - Fiction - General
Subject:
Social Situations - Friendship
Subject:
Social Situations - General
Subject:
Homeless persons
Subject:
Buried treasure
Subject:
Juvenile delinquency
Subject:
Social Issues - General
Copyright:
Edition Number:
1st Trade Paper ed.
Series:
Yearling Newbery
Series Volume:
047-99
Publication Date:
May 2000
Binding:
Paperback
Grade Level:
Elementary and junior high
Language:
English
Pages:
240
Dimensions:
7.65x5.31x.69 in. .41 lbs.
Age Level:
10-14

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