Stanley didn't steal the shoes.

No, really. He didn't. He was walking home after an abysmal day at school, minding his own business, and the shoes fell from the sky.

But those same shoes were taken from a homeless shelter just minutes earlier.

And they just happened to belong to a baseball great who was auctioning them off for charity.

And poor Stanley was seen running in the opposite direction of the shelter in question.

Two choices: Prison, or Camp Green Lake.

Stanley chose the latter.

Stanley Yelnats is more or less your average, junior-high school kid, who gets picked on by the popular kids and is just overweight enough to become the butt of endless taunts. After he finds himself in an incredibly sticky situation that he cannot explain, he is sent to Camp Green Lake, a reform camp for children with crimes under their belt. The Warden at Camp Green Lake believes that bad boys can become good boys by digging holes in the barren wasteland that is the Texas desert. Stanley soon befriends Zero, a mysterious boy who has, until then, kept to himself. Further mystery unfolds as Stanley and Zero tie villains from the past into their present lives.

Holes is easily one of the most engrossing books I have ever read. Three stories are told in Holes, three stories that tie together in the final chapters amazingly well. Readers will not only connect with Stanley, but also with outlaw Kissin' Kate Barlow, Sam the Onion man, and Madame Zeroni, the ancient psychic who curses the Yelnats family name. The author is a genius, not only for the brilliant tale, but for flawlessly linking up events that have occurred a hundred years apart, such as the boat in the desert and God's Thumb.

I was read this work of art in grade 3; it has been a favourite of mine since. Holes is a vital part of any library.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment, Holes follows the story of Stanley Yelnats who is serving time for a crime he didn't commit. At Camp Green Lake, Stanley has to dig a hole each day - holes that will lead to his destiny. Louis Sachar is also the author of There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom. Holes is the 1999 recipient of the prestigious Newbery Medal, awarded to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.

This winner of the Newbery Medal and the National Book Award features Stanley Yelnats, a kid who is under a curse. A curse that began with his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather and has since followed generations of Yelnats. Now Stanley has been unjustly sent to a boys'' detention center, Camp Green Lake, where the warden makes the boys "build character" by spending all day, every day, digging holes five feet wide and five feet deep. It doesn''t take long for Stanley to realize there''s more than character improvement going on at Camp Green Lake: the warden is looking for something. Stanley tries to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment-and redemption.