Holes

Just finished reading Louis Sachar's Holes to the kids last night.

I found it to be very enjoyable. It reminded me strongly in sensibility to Joe R. Lansdale's work, particularly in the situations the characters found themselves in and in the ways the characters reacted to the awful people they had to deal with (could the fact that they're both from Texas have anything to do with it?).

Stanley Yelnats finds himself through a series of mishaps, or perhaps bad luck, at a juvenile detention facility called "Camp Green Lake", which is actually a dried up, baking hot lake bed, in which all the inmates must dig one hole every day, five feet deep by five feet in diameter. The warden and the counselors there, though seemingly normal at first, slowly begin to reveal their true natures to Stanley as he finds his place among the residents.

Combining a parrallel story line that gives some background to Stanley's family's history, the story weaves together a plot that finishes with a satisfying ending. With a great cast of characters, a trip across the desert, a climb to a magic onion field, and a buried treasure waiting to be found, Holes is a highly recommended read, especially if done so out loud to your kids.

Go check it out from your local library!