AUTHOR: Louis Sachar
REVIEWED BY: JPL TeenLink
BRIEF SUMMARY:
Holes: Stanley Yelnats 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 boys are digging holes because 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.
Small Steps: Two years after being released from Camp Green Lake, Armpit is home in Austin, Texas, trying to turn his life around. But it's hard when you have a record, and everyone expects the worst from you. The only person who believes in him is Ginny, his 10-year old disabled neighbor. Together, they are learning to take small steps. And he seems to be on the right path, until X-Ray, a buddy from Camp Green Lake, comes up with a get-rich-quick scheme. This leads to a chance encounter with teen pop sensation, Kaira DeLeon, and suddenly his life spins out of control, with only one thing for certain: he'll never be the same again.
WHY I PICKED IT UP: I first read Holes several years ago. I had watched the movie and felt compelled to read the book. I enjoyed it and left it at that for several years. This past year, I decided to read the sequel, Small Steps, which focuses on Armpit, one of the other Camp Green Lake boys.
WHY I FINISHED IT: Holes is a quick, fun read, and Louis Sachar did a wonderful job of tying together three different stories in three different time periods. Small Steps, while a bit harder to get into, was just as rewarding in the end. You get to see a different side to Armpit than you get in Holes.
WHO I'D GIVE IT TO: Anyone who likes mysteries, adventure stories, humor and good old-fashioned fun. While lessons are certainly taught (and learned), the books aren't preachy, but they do stick with you.
ADDITIONAL NOTES: While Holes is probably suitable for younger readers, Small Steps is definitely aimed at teenagers. There are some mature themes in both books, but while Holes is generally rated PG, Small Steps pushes further into PG-13 territory. Both are worthwhile reads.
See you at the library!
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