Holes by Louis Sachar

Summary

This is a dual story novel. There is the main story of Stanly Yelnats and there is the background story of  his no good, dirty, rotten, pig stealing, great-great-grandfather. Stanley’s story is about a young boy who accidently steals some sneakers and is sent to an all boys correctional camp. However this camp has ulterior motives; they have the boys dig holes to try and find come hidden treasure. There is also a background story of a curse,  forbidden love, and buried treasure. Stanly learns the values of friendship, how to survive, and the true history of his family throughout the novel. 

Genre

Contemporary Realistic Fiction

“Contemporary realistic fiction is set in modern times with events, settings, and characters that could occur in the real world. Authors create characters, plots, and settings that stay within the realm of possibility” (Galda, Cullinan, & Sipe, 2010, p.17). Many readers can associate themselves with the characters in the stories, since they also face “contemporary problems such as hunger, divorce, drugs, and homelessness as well as [contemporary] themes such as growing up, making friends, and falling in love” (Galda, Cullinan, & Sipe, 2010, p.17).

Illustrations

This book contains no illustrations.

Personal Response

Newbery medal winner 1999, 1998 National Book Award for Young People's Literature , An ALA Notable Book, A Christopher Award for Juvenile Fiction, A Horn Book Fanfare Title

References

Galda, L., Cullinan, B.E., & Sipe, L.R. (2010). Literature and the child (7^th ed.). Belmond,            CA:Wadsworths, Inc.

Reference: Sachar, L. (1999). Holes. New York, NY: Yearling, an imprint of Random House Children’s   Books, a division of Random House, Inc.