Holes

Sachar, L. (1998). Holes. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux: New York.

Realistic Fiction
Chapter Book
Film

Holes is/was my favorite book from my childhood. I personally own 3 copies and have read it multiple times. Holes follows a boy named Stanley Yelnats who believes he is affected by a family curse and ends up in a detention center (Camp Green Lake) for "stealing" a pair of shoes. Juveniles at this camp dig holes all day in order to "build character". It is determined that the Warden of the camp actually makes the kids dig holes because he is looking for a buried treasure. Stanley and his new friend, Zero, go looking for the treasure on a mountain and eat onions in a field to curb their hunger. Upon finally finding the treasure, the boys find themselves face to face with yellow spotted lizards (venomous lizards). The lizards do not attack the boys because of the onion odor they are producing. Finally, Stanley is released from Camp Green Lake and leaves with treasure that belonged to his great-great-grandfather.

When I was in elementary school, my 3rd grade teacher used this novel for a read-aloud. She would read a chapter everyday and ask us to predict what we thought was going to happen next. We would confirm or revise these predictions daily.
I also read this book in 5th grade and proceeded to watch the movie version, also. For a project, I made a Venn Diagram comparing the book to the movie on a piece of poster board. Both of these activities would be fun and effective ways to use this novel.