Holes
Author & Illustrator: Louis Sachar
Publisher: Frances Foster Books
Year of Publication: 1998
Genre: Adventure, Realistic Fiction
Horn Book or Kirkus Review rating: Hornbook Rating of a 1.
Summary: Holes is an astonishing chapter book full of surprises. The main character in this book Stanley Yelnats, is accused of stealing a pair of sneakers that was donated to a charity by a very famous athlete known as: Clyde Livingston. Due to his accused stealing of the sneakers Stanley is sentenced to eighteen months at Camp Green Lake in Texas. Camp Green Lake is a boys juvenile detention center. At this center each boy has to spend a day in the dessert, which was a lake in the 1800s. Each boy must dig a hole that is five feet deep, and five feet wide. The staff inform the boys that they are digging to break them from their bad habits as criminals, but eventually Stanley catches on to their lies and finds out why they are really digging. The boys are digging for hidden treasure that was hidden by outlaw Kate Barlow.
Summary of Professional Reviews: According to Horn Book Reviews, Holes received a very high rating of a 1. The review gives a brief description of the chapter book and it mentions why it is exceptional. The review emphasizes on the authors great work and how they haven’t seen a book like this in a very long time. The book is full of suspense, and most importantly a huge plot.
Review by Sasha Ishak: Holes is a interesting book about a boy who is accused of stealing and his journey in a juvenile detention center in Texas. The story takes place at Camp Green Lake, where there is deserts. The main character in the book is very caring but this doesn’t do him any good when he is sent away to Texas. The emotions portrayed by Stanley in this book are incredible, he is sad at times and doesn’t know why he must attend this camp. But at times he is determined to catch what the staff is really making the boys do. The chapters in the book are extremely short, which makes the text short, but it is one of the greatest chapter books out there for young readers. The book is very inviting and indeed keeps the readers attention chapter after chapter. The text is also very unpredictable and this is what keeps the reader hanging on. At times the book was a little repetitive but this didn’t distract me from enjoying the book.
This book would be useful when teaching...
Publisher: Frances Foster Books
Year of Publication: 1998
Genre: Adventure, Realistic Fiction
Horn Book or Kirkus Review rating: Hornbook Rating of a 1.
Summary: Holes is an astonishing chapter book full of surprises. The main character in this book Stanley Yelnats, is accused of stealing a pair of sneakers that was donated to a charity by a very famous athlete known as: Clyde Livingston. Due to his accused stealing of the sneakers Stanley is sentenced to eighteen months at Camp Green Lake in Texas. Camp Green Lake is a boys juvenile detention center. At this center each boy has to spend a day in the dessert, which was a lake in the 1800s. Each boy must dig a hole that is five feet deep, and five feet wide. The staff inform the boys that they are digging to break them from their bad habits as criminals, but eventually Stanley catches on to their lies and finds out why they are really digging. The boys are digging for hidden treasure that was hidden by outlaw Kate Barlow.
Summary of Professional Reviews: According to Horn Book Reviews, Holes received a very high rating of a 1. The review gives a brief description of the chapter book and it mentions why it is exceptional. The review emphasizes on the authors great work and how they haven’t seen a book like this in a very long time. The book is full of suspense, and most importantly a huge plot.
Review by Sasha Ishak: Holes is a interesting book about a boy who is accused of stealing and his journey in a juvenile detention center in Texas. The story takes place at Camp Green Lake, where there is deserts. The main character in the book is very caring but this doesn’t do him any good when he is sent away to Texas. The emotions portrayed by Stanley in this book are incredible, he is sad at times and doesn’t know why he must attend this camp. But at times he is determined to catch what the staff is really making the boys do. The chapters in the book are extremely short, which makes the text short, but it is one of the greatest chapter books out there for young readers. The book is very inviting and indeed keeps the readers attention chapter after chapter. The text is also very unpredictable and this is what keeps the reader hanging on. At times the book was a little repetitive but this didn’t distract me from enjoying the book.
This book would be useful when teaching...
- Holes can be introduced in a fourth grade Language Arts lesson during a daily read aloud. The teacher can read one chapter or two a day since they are extremely short. After each chapter the teacher can lead a class discussion and allow students to ask any questions. As the teacher reads each day he/ she can have students keep a character journal, and each time a new character is presented in the book the student has to write a brief description of their characteristics throughout the book. Students will do this until they have a page for every single character in the book. This can helps students strengthen their writing as well as their knowledge of character descriptions.