Stanley Yelnats and his family have never been lucky; they've been cursed, and it's all because of Stanley's no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather. Stanley has always been in the wrong place at the wrong time, and it is no different when he is accused of stealing Clyde Livingston's sneakers from a charity auction for the local homeless shelter. Stanley serves his sentence at Camp Green Lake, where he will dig holes to build his character. As Stanley learns what it takes to survive at Camp Green Lake, he also learns about himself and about being a good friend. Will he also be able to break the Yelnats family curse?
From an English teacher's point of view, I like the book because it is filled with similes and metaphors, which are always part of district and state tests, so it's nice to see the kids recognize them while we read it out loud and see how a published author uses them in writing. It also has flashbacks and the kids get bits and pieces of information and it's awesome to see them say, "OH!" when they put all the pieces together, and then slowly but surely everyone realizes how everyone and everything is connected even thought some of the events happened over a hundred years ago.
From a reader's point of view, I think anyone would be able to relate to the characters in one way or another. Stanley is in middle school, which is an awkward time for people. I think anyone can relate to feeling insecure and wanting to fit in. It's also a good story about learning about who you are and who you want to be. Plus...there's a movie based on it (which I haven't shown my students...there's just no time!)!
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA287131.html?q=Holes
From an English teacher's point of view, I like the book because it is filled with similes and metaphors, which are always part of district and state tests, so it's nice to see the kids recognize them while we read it out loud and see how a published author uses them in writing. It also has flashbacks and the kids get bits and pieces of information and it's awesome to see them say, "OH!" when they put all the pieces together, and then slowly but surely everyone realizes how everyone and everything is connected even thought some of the events happened over a hundred years ago.
From a reader's point of view, I think anyone would be able to relate to the characters in one way or another. Stanley is in middle school, which is an awkward time for people. I think anyone can relate to feeling insecure and wanting to fit in. It's also a good story about learning about who you are and who you want to be. Plus...there's a movie based on it (which I haven't shown my students...there's just no time!)!
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA287131.html?q=Holes
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