Holes: My Review

Hello Everyone,

I’m back with another book review. 

A few years ago, my mother handed me a book and cheerfully said, “Read this. I got it from the library for you.” I rolled my eyes and opened the book. I read the first few chapters before handing it back to my mother. “No, not for me, it’s too boring,” I added.

Now I am in a club at school, called the Battle of Books, where we have book competitions. That book was on the list, so I decided to pick it up again. I reread the first two chapters, and it made a lot of sense. The next day, I read up to Chapter 15 and was eager to know what happened next. So I decided to watch the movie, and I don’t regret it.

Here’s a quick review of the Newberry Award-winning book Holes by Louis Sachar.

Stanley Yelnats, a fourteen-year-old boy, lives under a “curse”. All thanks to his “No-good-rotten-pig-stealing great-great-grandfather,” (which is an interesting tale too.) The state wrongfully convicts Stanley of “stealing” famous athlete Clyde Livingston’s shoes. Then he has to decide whether to go to prison or go to Camp Green Lake in Texas. He chose Camp Green Lake thinking it was a cool camp he could stay in for eighteen months. It isn’t a typical camp but a detention center for boys, where they have to dig holes every day. Stanley then realizes the warden is making all the boys dig holes because they are looking for something. A hidden treasure. It seemed unlikely that a detention camp could have anything to do with his family’s past and the secret behind the family. What was the truth about the Yelnats family?

This book was super interesting. It had a lot of flashback scenes which I found exciting. But what happens next to Stanley? Will he be able to find the secret thing the warden wants? What is the secret treasure? Will Stanley be able to get his way out of Camp Green Lake? Who will help him along the way? Read this book to find out.

This book covers friendship, hard work, courage, family, destiny, and how everything that happens in your life connects to your past. 

What did I like about this book? 

The easy language and suspense really hooked me to this book. I was also glad to see a lot of diverse characters with interesting names like Zero, Armpit, X-Ray, and Caveman. If you pay close attention to Stanley’s name, you realize that his last name Yelnats is Stanley backward. I also learned about Yellow Spotted Lizards found in the Texas area.

I recommend this book to ages nine and up. This book deals with serious issues and situations that require a mature reader. If you’re looking forward to watching a movie this weekend, I highly recommend this movie on Disney Plus.

NOTE: I did complete this book even after watching the movie