Holes by Louis Sachar

I haven’t read Holes since probably sixth grade, but when I saw it for a dollar at a big library book sale, I couldn’t pass it up (I got a really cool edition, too–the cover is full of holes). I was surprised and pleased to find that it held up quite well to my memory of it.

In case you’re unfamiliar with the plot, Holes stars an unlucky young man named Stanley Yelnats (Yelnats = Stanley in reverse), who descends from a long line of unlucky Stanley Yelnats (oft-repeated line: “It was all because of his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing great-great-grandfather!”). This latest generation has been sent to a boys camp in the middle of the desert for a crime he didn’t commit, in order to dig holes and build character (totally reminding me of the grandpa on Grounded for Life). This camp is run by an asshole named Mr. Sir and a sadistic warden.

Mixed in with Stanley’s experiences at the camp and interactions with his fellow campers (who all have lovely names like Armpit and Barf Bag) are flashbacks to a story about a young woman named Katherine Barlow, and the injustice she endures that leads to a curse on the land where the camp is located in present day).

It’s a fun story, full of neat coincidences and wrapped up neatly at the end. It’s YA, but enjoyable for an adult reader (even one who read it as a child). Stanley Yelnats is an excellent hero, no matter what your age.

“You’re responsible for yourself. You messed up your life, and it’s up to you to fix it. No one else is going to do it for you — for any of you.”  Words worth living by.