Holes

Holes - Louis Sachar

Holes is a children’s novel that takes you on an adventure of Stanley Yelnats when he is sent to a children’s detention camp for a ‘crime’ he did not commit. Through his time at this camp Stanley discovers the secrets and history of the town that was once established where this camp is now located. Through a number of chaotic events Stanley learns more about his family history, is able to put his and his families past actions to rest and to bring a justice to those around him.

This novel by Louis Sachar is a highly engaging text that has the ability to create a world and a series of events that relate to the lives of the young adolescent. Through this novel a great deal of adventure, mischief, problem solving and fun are evident within the short chapters and particular events that occur in the story. This novel would be most appropriate for students in years six to year nine. The chapters are easily constructed and easy to read which help engage the reader and develop the key ideas in the story quite quickly. This novel can somewhat be considered fantasy as many events within the text are unrealistic and would be an exaggeration of a child’s imagination. Many classroom tasks, comprehension tasks, English activities can be created from this text to develop students understanding of the plot, setting, characters, the complication, climax and resolution. I studied this text in year seven and have recently re-read it as I think it would fit perfectly within the English curriculum for either primary school or high school students. The issues raised within the text are relevant and uses a great variety of English techniques.

Author: Louis Sachar

1998, Bloomsbury, America, New York City

IBSN: 0-7475-4847-1

Genre/theme: Adventure/comedy/fantasy

Age: 11-15 (years 6-10)

Contributor: Keelan Mackle