Holes

Stanley Yelnats is a bit of a loser, and most kids can identify with that feeling. Where many books have ten-year-olds dealing with bullies at their school, Holes places Stanley at a cruel labor camp for juvenile delinquents. Through a series of bizarre coincidences, Stanley learns to have confidence in himself by learning to deal with his unfortunate circumstances and rises above them. This coming-of-age story includes curses and wild-west lore, but manages to address major themes like the struggles of poverty and the American Dream; and it does so without seeming preachy, long-suffering, or patronizing. This quality is what makes it such a good book for a pre-teen: it is a wonderful introduction to the world of literature.

Holes is show more one of a few formative books that influenced the way I saw the world. I read it first when I was ten or eleven years old, and I was drawn in by the imagery of the desert, particularly the "thumb of God" where Stanley and Zero find water and onions. At that time, my favorite books were ghost stories, fantasy, and Harry Potter, so I wasn't sure what I would think of a story about a boy sent out to Texas to dig holes, but I was very pleasantly surprised. I will always recommend this book to kids. show less

I have a friend-- herself much more of a young adult literature scholar than I-- who, when she found out that I was assigning Holes in my YA literature class, objected strongly. Holes is not young adult, she said, it's middle grade. And indeed, if you look at the back of my copy it indicates "Ages 10 & up," and ten years is definitely below the somewhat fuzzy middle grade/young adult barrier. I couldn't muster much of a defense of it myself, having not actually read it prior to assigning it, but having had a hole to plug (I needed a male-written YA novel published in the 1990s to balance out my course) and finding it on a list.

Once I read it, though, I realized that age range aside, it's definitely young adult fiction. Something I talk show more about a lot is the difference between the features and the projects of genres, and Holes, I would argue, has the project of young adult fiction. Or, at least, one of them. In her book Disturbing the Universe: Power and Repression in Adolescent Literature (2000), Roberta Seelinger Trites argues that "[t]he chief characteristic that distinguishes adolescent literature from children's literature is the issue of how social power is deployed during the course of the narrative. In books that younger children read [...] much of the action focuses on one child who learns to feel more secure in the confines of her or his environment, usually represented by family and home" (2-3). But in the YA novel, Trites continues, "protagonists must learn about the social forces that have made them what they are. They learn to negotiate the levels of power that exist in the myriad social institutions within which they must function" (3).

Holes is all about power. Stanley confronts all sort of social forces during his time at Camp Green Lake: race, class, childhood, prison, probably many more you can think of (and my students did). And in complicated ways, too-- Stanley is accused of being racist when he uses the labor of a black child, Zero, to relieve his own (in exchange for which he teaches Zero how to read). Was Stanley wrong? Were his accusers? I don't think there are any good answers here; what's more important is how Stanley becomes aware of an entire dimension of racial power of which he was previously unaware. Trites says that "the YA novel teaches adolescents how to exist within the (capitalistically bound) institutions that necessarily define teenagers' existence" (19).

Stanley doesn't just learn about institutions, but he learns how to operate within them to get what he wants. And this goes to Trites' other take on power: it's also "the force that allows for subjectivity and consequently, agency" (5). Your internal power allows you to act. And that's one of the big trajectories of Holes: Stanley starts out seemingly powerless, but as the novel goes on, he finally learns how to act, how to do something instead of having things done to him, and that's how he saves the day. So, in terms of its concerns, I think Holes is much more YA than children's.

In fact, considering Trites's theory of power and YA literature allows us to solve one of the novel's complexities. Something my students were really into was whether the curse placed on the Yelnats family was real or not. It seems real, given that when Stanley solves the historical injustice, the land is regenerates (shades of what Farah Mendlesohn says in Rhetorics of Fantasy, and indeed, the climax of Holes bears some traces of what she calls the portal-quest fantasy). But the narrator deliberately casts doubt on the reality of the curse, and coincidence is a perfectly plausible explanation for the events of the novel, too. When this kind of discussion arises, my inclination is to redirect, away from asking which is real? toward why create the ambiguity? Hopefully it's there for a reason other than just love of ambiguity, and I would argue that in the case of Holes, it is.

By introducing the idea of a curse, Sachar can literalize the kind of institutional power and make it visible: the curse is classism and racism in action, distant institutions turned into concretized force. We can see the real effect these powers have on the world in general, and Stanley and Zero in particular. On the other hand, were the curse to be clearly real, that would remove its power as a symbol, Stanley wouldn't be fighting an institution, but magic, and he would have no real reason to assume personal responsibility (as Trites's formulation tells us he must) because the curse would have predetermined his life. Leaving the curse ambiguous creates a sweet spot, where we know there's something real out there working against Stanley, but it's not no powerful that it can defeat him. show less

"When you spend your whole life living in a hole...the only way you can go is up." (Zero to Stanley, 160)

Read this as a kid when it came out, re-read with my 9yo this month. I barely remembered anything, except for the part where all the boys were digging holes - there is, obviously, much more to the story.

Stanley Yelnats' family has been under a curse for generations, making them very unlucky. Stanley himself falls victim to the curse when he's accused and convicted of stealing a pair of shoes belonging to a famous basketball player ("Sweet Feet"); the shoes were being auctioned to raise money for a food pantry/shelter. Stanley is sent to Camp Green Lake, where all the boys are required to dig a hole in the dry lake bed each day: five show more feet deep, and five feet wide.

It's clear from the fanatical Warden's behavior that the boys are not digging holes simply to "build character": she's looking for something, and it has to do with something that happened in the town over a hundred years ago, when white schoolteacher Kate Barlow and Black onion seller Sam kissed, causing the racist townspeople to rise up and murder Sam (and his innocent donkey, Mary Lou). Kate became an outlaw - the Warden suspects her treasure is buried somewhere nearby - and no rain has fallen on Green Lake since.

So really, there are two curses - or one might think of them as consequences. Stanley and his fellow "camper" Zero - Hector Zeroni - end up putting both curses to rights, and in an epilogue, it's clear that both of them get a well-deserved happy ending. show less

Holes is about Stanley Yelnats, a kid who was pinned for a crime he didn't commit, who has to go to a correction facility in the middle of the desert and dig holes. This book is great for kids 10 and up, as it's engaging no matter how old you are, and hits into themes of the prison system. Zero is the most notable character besides Stanley. Zero is basically a kid who's been lost to the system and they've basically given up on him thinking Zero doesn't have the capacity to learn (Which spoiler he does). For my two cents, I think this book is fantastic. As someone who's worked with CPS in the past, I know a lot of kids that feel like Zero (in the beginning) and are treated like how the staff treats Zero. So I can't say it enough that show more this book is fantastic. show less

Sachar mines the tradition of tall tales while setting his novel in a contemporary US, leavening his storytelling with challenges recognisable to a grade schooler living there today. This approach makes for an entertaining story painted against a backdrop that is realistic and thoughful yet never weighs the story down. W loved both the characters and the mystery, all while reading about the immigrant legacy in US history, racism yesterday and today, peer pressure and bullying, poverty and inequity, and the meaning of family tradition.

A good part of why it works is the gleeful use of coincidence, crazy actions, and jokes at the expense of adults. It's a well-written book with great characterization and clever prose. The film, on the show more other hand, is workmanlike, Disney unable to capture for cinema the magic in Sachar's telling. show less

I really enjoyed reading Holes for many reasons. First off, there are many layers the book has including racism and prejudice, the importance of literacy, along with friendship all woven into a great story. The language itself is very simple and easy to understand for all ages, using simple vocabulary and simple sentence structure. The story is written through the narrator’s point of view and the characters are extremely relatable and well-developed as the story progresses. The story itself follows the life of Stanley Yelnats, who was sent to Camp Green Lake due to being falsely accused of stealing a pair of shoes from a homeless shelter. Here, he befriends Zero, who is the best digger at the camp. The emphasis on the importance of show more literacy arises from the fact that Hector is unable to read and write, making him seem unintelligent by his peers and camp leaders. On a whim, Stanley decides to teach Zero how to read and write in exchange for him digging part of his hole each day. Stanley then discovers that Hector is extremely intelligent, as he is quick-witted when it comes to math and can pick up on his reading and writing lessons really easily. This pushes readers to not judge someone based solely on their current intelligence level, as everyone has the ability to grow and improve their skills as long as they put time and patience into doing so. Throughout the lessons, Zero’s excitement for learning these new skills really just goes to show how important literacy is since it gives him a better sense of the world as a whole and in turn, helps the reader appreciate basic skills such as this that they may take for granted. The topic of racism and prejudice also arise from the overarching idea that Zero is being treated differently due to his lack of education along with ethnicity. He is made fun of throughout the book by Mr. Pendanski, Mr. Sir, and the Warden along with all of his peers. At one point, Mr. Pendanski asks Zero to spell his name and he couldn’t under the pressure since he only just learned how, causing others to looked down on him and make fun of him. I really enjoyed this portion of the plot as it can serve as an important lesson for readers, showing them that bullying only brings someone down and makes them feel worthless when everyone has some type of talent, just like how Zero is talented when it comes to math.
The benefits of forming a lasting friendship is definitely present within holes. Stanley and Zero’s friendship eventually lead to their mutual wealth and survival later within the book when they’re stranded in the middle of the desert. Stanley’s strong friendship with Zero is also a first for him, since prior to being sent to Camp Green Lake he has never had anyone to really talk to and bond with. As for Zero, his unstable family background has made his friendship with Stanley extremely important since he also now has gained a pillar of support to rely on. I really like the fact that the characters are continuing to develop and grow as the story progressed, validating the authenticity of making the events that occurred more believable to the reader. The big idea of Holes can be seen as the role of fate in each person’s life. Fate brought Stanley and Zero’s family together for a mutual benefit, as Yelnat’s family treasure proved that both of their family’s luck is turning around. This can also be seen when the fated pair of shoes that landed on Stanley caused him to be taken to Camp Green Lake was thrown by none other than Zero himself. This theme shaped how the events of the story played out, creating this fantastic story that I would recommend to anyone looking for a great read. show less

This Newberry Award-winning book deserves all accolades it has received and will receive in the future. Louis Sachar artfully crafted a story about Stanley Yelnats, a boy sent to Camp Green Lake to improve his character after being accused of stealing a celebrity's shoes. While at Camp Green Lake, he makes friends, breaks a curse, and grows as a person.

The book shines in the areas of plot and character development. In terms of plot, the stories of Stanley, his friend Zero, and Kate Barlow tie up together at the end of the book. In terms of character development, this book is a bildungsroman, a story about growing up. Zero and Stanley grow to become co-conspirators and friends. But, what is special about this book is that it is a show more bildungsroman filled with tall tales and social commentary.

We hear about the kissin' outlaw, Kate Barlow. And about Stanley's ancestors in Latvia. But, these aren't just tall tales for the entertainment of Sachar's readers. These tall tales tell us about social injustices and community obligations.

Young adults (and adults like me) will appreciate Sachar's wonderful story, filled with humor and heavy topics. I was glued to the book until the final page. show less