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Holes is a 1998 young adult novel written by Louis Sachar and first published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. The book centers on Stanley Yelnats, who is sent to Camp Green Lake, a correctional boot camp in a desert in Texas, after being falsely accused of theft. The plot explores the history of the area and how the actions of several characters in the past have affected Stanley's life in the present. These interconnecting stories touch on themes such as labor,  racism, homelessness,boyhood and masculinity, meaning of names, illiteracy, and elements of fairy tales. and arranged marriage.

The book was both a critical and commercial success. Much of the praise for the book has centered around its complex plot, interesting characters, and representation of people of color and incarcerated youth. It won the 1998 US National Book Award for Young People's Literature and the 1999 Newbery Medal for the year's "most distinguished contribution to American literature for children". In 2012 it was ranked number six among all-time children's novels in a survey published by School Library Journal.

Holes was adapted by Walt Disney Pictures as a feature film of the same name released in 2003. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, grossing $71 million, and was released in conjunction with the book companion Stanley Yelnats' Survival Guide to Camp Green Lake. A spin-off sequel to Holes entitled Small Steps was published in 2006 and centers on one of the secondary characters in the novel, Theodore "Armpit" Johnson.

Background[edit]                                                                                                                      .

Holes is one of forty two books written by Louis Sachar, most of which are classified as children’s literature. The novel is categorized as young adult literature but has also been labeled as realistic fiction, a tall tale, a folk tale, a fairy tale, a children's story, a postmodern novel, detective fiction, and a historical legend. Holes is considered an outlier of all Sachar’s published books, for its complex plot, character development, and elements of teen angst and mystery. Sachar says he “never intended to write a grim story” and instead “wanted it to be fun and adventurous”. According to Sachar, he wrote Holes so that it could be “understood by a ten- or eleven-year-old kid,” but also prioritized writing to please himself. The narrative of Holes is generally linear but also resembles multi-spatial and multidirectional narratives, similar to features of postmodernism literature. Holes' was inspired by Sachar’s dislike for the heat in Austin, Texas, the home state of his family.

Themes[edit]

Fairy tales[edit]

The themes typical of a folk or fairy tale are present throughout the novel, notable in both Stanley and Elya's narratives. Elya must go on an adventure to win his love's approval and prove his own worth and he is eventually placed under a witch's curse. Stanley's bad luck is blamed on the curse left on his great-great-grandfather and the Yelnats family easily believes in the power of this curse. Both Stanley and Elya are similar to fairy tale characters and are morally good, heroic protagonists who must overcome the challenges predestined for them. Both story lines are accompanied by a magic that is seen in the mountain stream, Madame Zeroni's song, and the healing power of the onions. Each of these elements in Holes mirror elements frequently found in fairy tales.

Names[edit]

Throughout the novel, names act as a theme that allows the characters to disassociate their lives at Camp Green Lake from their lives back in the real world. Names also demonstrate irony—Camp Green Lake is not actually a camp, it's located in a desert, and there is no lake. The "campers" all label themselves differently and identify with names such as Armpit and X-Ray and the guards are referred to as counselors. One of the counselors, Mr. Pendanski, is referred to by the boys as "Mom", representing the absent parents at Camp Green Lake. Only the woman in charge is referred to in a prison-like way and is called "Warden". The different names allow the boys to bond and form a team based in their hatred for their work and the counselors. Many of the characters also have names that connect them to their family history, like the passing down of "Stanley Yelnats" and Zero's last name of Zeroni, and remind them how the actions of their ancestors affect their modern-day lives. Stanley is the fourth Stanley Yelnats in his family, a name that is passed down due to its palindromic nature and adds to the connection to family history. In an interview, when asked about the significance of specific names in his novels, Louis Sachar says “when I get to naming characters, there's nothing leading up to it ... a name is just a name.” He typically writes a name for a character, and moves on, because otherwise it disrupts his flow of writing.

Labor[edit]

Labor is seen throughout the novel as the children are forced to dig holes while at Camp Green Lake. This theme is unusual in children's literature as many authors portray children as carefree and without responsibility. If they do engage in work, it is synonymous with play. Critic Maria Nikolajeva contends that Holes is set apart through the not just manual, but forced labor Stanley and the other campers do daily. This is first referenced at the beginning of the book when the purpose of the camp is stated: "If you take a bad boy and make him dig a hole every day in the hot sun, it will turn him into a good boy".

Masculinity [edit]

Masculinity is seen in the novel through the depiction of “boyhood” and coming of age. Boyhood is portrayed as the separation and distancing from all things feminine, specifically a mother figure. Traits, symbols, and characters resembling femininity in Holes are portrayed as frightening and threatening, particularly represented by the only female character: Warden. There are many instances of quotes and comments by characters within the novel labeling women and girls as being either incapable or undesirable, which was viewed as unacceptable. Particularly, Mr. Sir says “You are not in Girl Scouts anymore” implying that girls are unable to do physical labels or build character unlike their counterparts.  

Friendship [edit]

Friendship is seen throughout the novel through Stanley Yelnats' relationships with the other boys at Camp Green Lake. Particularly Stanley and Zero's friendship roots from an agreement that both boys can benefit from: Stanley teaches Zero to read and write, and Zero digs some of Stanley's holes. Many of boys at the camp have a strong loyalty to each other and it is indicated that after their departure from the camp, they remained friends.

Reception[edit]

Holes has received many accolades:

• John Newbery Medal
• 1998, US National Book Award for Young People's Literature
• 1998, American Library Association, Best Books for Young Adults
• 1999 Newbery Medal for the year's "most distinguished contribution to American literature for children"
• 1999, Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Fiction
• 2000, Zilveren Zoen
• 2000, Flicker Tale Children's Book Award
• 2000, Pennsylvania Young Readers' Choice Award for Grades 6-8
• 2000, Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award
• 2001, William Allen White Children's Book Award
• 2001, West Australian Young Readers' Book Award (WAYRBA) for Older Readers
• 2001, Grand Canyon Reader Award for Teen Book
• 2001, Nene Award
• 2001, Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award for Grade 6-9
• 2001, Massachusetts Children's Book Award
• 2001, Evergreen Teen Book Award
• 2003, Soaring Eagle Book Award
• 2002, Sunshine State Young Readers Award for Grades 3-5 and Grades 6-8
• 2001, Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader's Choice Award for Junior
• 2001, Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis Nominee for Jugendbuch
• 2001, New Mexico Land of Enchantment Award for Young Adult
• 2001, Oklahoma Sequoyah Award for Children and YA
• 2002, Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award
• 2000, Premi Protagonista Jove for Categoria 14-15 anys

Holes, considered the most complex of Louis Sachar’s published books, is often praised for its complex plot, character development, and suspense. Over two decades after its original publication, Holes continues to be well received by critics and was ranked number 6 among all-time children's novels by School Library Journal in 2012. The novel spent over 175 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List. Betsy Hearne of The New York Times applauded the novel's integration of mystery and humor that manages to keep Holes light and fresh, and she characterizes it as a "family read-aloud." Roger Sutton of The Horn Book Magazine called Sachar's declarative style effective, and argues that it helped make the novel more poignant. Sutton appreciated the positive ending and the suspense that leads the reader to it.

Holes’ choice as a read-aloud book in elementary school classrooms, particularly in the fourth and fifth grade, has been challenged several times by parents who question the morality of the book. Objecting parents found that the”book was more violent than the movie and that the book was not quality literature”.