Review of 'Holes' by Louis Sachar - by Heena Pala, aged 13

Hello everyone - and a very belated Happy New Year (it's still January - just!)

As promised, I'll be featuring some more reviews of YA books this year by a young reader, Heena Pala, aged 13. Here is the first of the year - and it's of one of my all-time favourites. It's a great read for adults as well as younger readers: Holes, by Louis Sachar.

 
 “Holes” by Louis Sachar
Reviewed by Heena Pala
 
“Holes” is a book about a young boy of 11 who is accused of stealing a famous baseball player’s sneakers. Not being able to prove he hadn’t taken them, he has to be punished, he is given a choice of jail or a juvenile detention centre called Camp Green Lake. He chooses to go to the camp, where he has to dig a hole a day, five feet deep and five feet across to “build character” or so they say.

Stanley makes a loyal friend, unlike in school where he was continuously bullied for being overweight. One morning, when he finds his friend missing, he decides to go and look for him. After managing to escape from the camp, Stanley finds his friends, but they are both stranded in the desert for a week. Starving and surviving on onions and dirty water, the two boys give in and make their way back to camp, only to discover what the motive for digging holes is.
 
I like this book because it was so in depth that once I picked it up it was glued to my hands! This book at times has made me fill up with tears but burst out with laughter at the same time. It has also made me think about how lucky I am just to have loving friends and family around, which most of the boys in this book haven’t.
 
Please make time to read this book and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.


Thank you, Heena, for another great review. Happy reading, everyone.

Best wishes
Ros

Book Details:
Title: Holes
Author: Louis Sachar
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing plc
Publication Date: October 2000