Holes facts for kids

Holes is a popular novel written by Louis Sachar. It was first published on August 20, 1998. The book won the important Newbery Medal in 1999, which is given to the best children's book each year.

The story is about a 15-year-old boy named Stanley Yelnats. He is wrongly sent to a camp for young people who have broken the law. At this camp, located in a very hot desert, the boys have to dig large holes every day. Stanley soon starts to wonder if the camp's boss, called the Warden, is actually looking for something hidden. The book also tells two other stories: one about Stanley's great-great-grandfather, and another about the history of the desert area where the camp is.

In 2003, Disney made a movie based on the novel. The movie was directed by Andrew Davis, and Louis Sachar, the author of the book, wrote the movie script himself! In 2006, Sachar also wrote another book called Small Steps. This book is a follow-up to Holes and tells more about one of the characters from the first novel.

About the Book

The Story of Stanley

The main character in Holes is Stanley Yelnats. He is a teenager who finds himself in a tough situation. He is sent to Camp Green Lake, a place for boys who have gotten into trouble. But Stanley is innocent; he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

At Camp Green Lake, there is no lake. It's a dry, hot desert. The boys spend their days digging holes. Each hole must be five feet wide and five feet deep. This is hard work in the scorching heat. Stanley soon realizes that this digging is not just to build character. He suspects the Warden is searching for something valuable.

Connecting Past and Present

The novel Holes is special because it tells three stories at once. While Stanley is digging holes, the book also shares tales from the past. One story is about Stanley's family history. It explains why his family seems to have bad luck.

Another story is about the history of the area where Camp Green Lake is located. This part of the story introduces interesting characters and events from long ago. All these different stories slowly connect. They help Stanley understand the secrets of the camp and his own family's past.

Awards and Adaptations

Holes quickly became a very popular book. It won the Newbery Medal in 1999. This award is one of the highest honors for children's literature in the United States. The book was praised for its clever plot and unique characters.

Because the book was so successful, Disney decided to turn it into a movie. The film came out in 2003. What's cool is that Louis Sachar, the author, wrote the screenplay for the movie. This means he made sure the film stayed true to his original story. Later, in 2006, Sachar wrote a companion novel called Small Steps. This book continues the story of one of the characters from Holes, giving fans more adventures to read.

Images for kids

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  A hole through a dead tree.

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  Perforation holes between a pair of postage stamps from a coil of stamps.

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  In geometric topology, the doughnut and the coffee cup are considered to fall into the same mathematical "genus" because each has one hole.

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  Hole types in engineering: blind (left), through (middle), interrupted (right).

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  Shallow potholes in a road surface.

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  The Great Blue Hole near Ambergris Caye, Belize, is an underwater sinkhole.

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  Hole in the ground dug by a fox as its burrow.

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  Hole in a Eucalyptus tree used as a nest by Lorikeets.

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  Trees visible through a large hole in a tree trunk in Laos.

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  Hole in a cloud over Karawanks, Slovenia.

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  Sock with a hole in it.

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  Simulated view of a black hole in front of the Large Magellanic Cloud.

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  First image of a black hole by the Event Horizon Telescope.

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  Close-up view of an electronic circuit board showing component lead holes (gold-plated) with through-hole plating.

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  Sound holes precisely carved into the surface of a guitar can facilitate a desired sound.

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  First World War cartoon Well, if you knows of a better 'ole, go to it by Bruce Bairnsfather, 1915.

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  A hole in the Berlin wall, 2019.

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  A handheld hole punch, used to make holes in paper and similar materials.