Title: Holes
Author(s) and Artist(s)--if applicable: Louis Sachar
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Copyright Date: 1998
Selection Choice: Newbery award winner from 1971-2011
Brief Annotation: Bad luck has run in Stanley Yelnats’ family ever since a Gypsy put a curse on the descendants of his great-great-grandfather. Now Stanley, after being falsely accused of stealing sneakers on a stroke of bad luck, is given a choice: go to jail, or go to Camp Green Lake. Contrary to how it sounds, Camp Green Lake does not have a lake, and is not a place for recreation. Stanley and his fellow visitors spend their time digging deep holes for the warden every day, looking for something, but they aren’t told what. As the story unfolds, bits and pieces of how Stanley’s great-great-grandfather acquired bad luck, the past events of the land they are digging on, and the reason they are digging holes, slowly unfolds.
Your Rating: 4. This book is humorous, entertaining, and has some valuable messages.
Readers who will like this book: Readers who would enjoy a story that touches on social justice issues of the past, a story that has elements of suspense and history, and a story with a colorful array of characters.
Question to ask about this book before reading: Have you ever had bad luck? What happened?
Question to ask about this book during reading: How would it feel to be punished for something you didn’t do? Would you handle it the same way Stanley has?
Question to ask about this book after reading: How did the author successfully blend three different stories into one novel?
Optional, but noted as extra effort:
1. Interest Level (age): 10-13
2. Grade Level Equivalent (grade): 5.2
Author(s) and Artist(s)--if applicable: Louis Sachar
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Copyright Date: 1998
Selection Choice: Newbery award winner from 1971-2011
Brief Annotation: Bad luck has run in Stanley Yelnats’ family ever since a Gypsy put a curse on the descendants of his great-great-grandfather. Now Stanley, after being falsely accused of stealing sneakers on a stroke of bad luck, is given a choice: go to jail, or go to Camp Green Lake. Contrary to how it sounds, Camp Green Lake does not have a lake, and is not a place for recreation. Stanley and his fellow visitors spend their time digging deep holes for the warden every day, looking for something, but they aren’t told what. As the story unfolds, bits and pieces of how Stanley’s great-great-grandfather acquired bad luck, the past events of the land they are digging on, and the reason they are digging holes, slowly unfolds.
Your Rating: 4. This book is humorous, entertaining, and has some valuable messages.
Readers who will like this book: Readers who would enjoy a story that touches on social justice issues of the past, a story that has elements of suspense and history, and a story with a colorful array of characters.
Question to ask about this book before reading: Have you ever had bad luck? What happened?
Question to ask about this book during reading: How would it feel to be punished for something you didn’t do? Would you handle it the same way Stanley has?
Question to ask about this book after reading: How did the author successfully blend three different stories into one novel?
Optional, but noted as extra effort:
1. Interest Level (age): 10-13
2. Grade Level Equivalent (grade): 5.2
3. Awards: 1999 Newbery Medal, 1998 National Book Award for Young People's Literature
This book is fascinating to me because of the way Sachar weaves different stories together from the past and the present. This narrative style takes careful teaching (if you're using the book instructionally), but done well, the book serves as a great mentor text for showing kids a technique they might use in their own writing.
ReplyDeleteYour final question asks kids to "read like writers" and figure out how Sachar was able to put together a story with so many narrative threads. Have you read The Time Traveler's Wife (in fact, did we discuss this in one of our book groups at Amy Cook's?). The reason I ask if because I have a really interesting professional book called Novel Perspectives that presents writing minilessons inspired by children in adult fiction. Even though Time Travelers Wife isn't discussed in the book, I think it would fit the concept well. Teachers could share their own adult reading in a minilesson when they want to teach kids a new craft (like weaving different times into a story).
I think that was confusing. I'll bring the book to class tonight to share with you--you'll see what I mean!
Glad you enjoyed this story. Have you seen the movie? Those long red nails must be something on the big screen :-)