Holes (Thorndike Large Print Young Adult Seires)

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Summary: A great parent-child read-along!
Review: This book took my son and I on an incredible journey of one child's path of misfortune, to his path of true friendship, to his path of family ties. Sachar captures moments of the past and interestingly weaves them to the main character's life so wonderfully that it is difficult to put this book down. We were at the edge of our seats sharing our reading time, each of us waiting to here what would happen next. What is interesting is that Sachar allows room for your imagination, a wonderful way for a young reader to share his/her thoughts on the outcome of a story.

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Summary: This is a great book.
Review: This is a great book. I really enjoyed reading it. How everyone connected was really neat and I found myself not wanting to stop reading.

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Summary: We thought the book was one of a kind.
Review: The book was fun and exciting. It was very unique and kept you wanting to read page after page. we did not want to put the book down. We believe this book would be great for any child to read.

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Summary: How interesting can digging holes be?
Review: At first I was pretty doubtful that a book about digging holes could be any good. It turns out that it is one of my favorites. Sachar literally leaves "holes" throughout the book that the reader learns as the different plots are revealed. It is a very clever way to put a story together, and therefore holds the reader's attention. "Holes" is definetely a good read.

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Summary: Unpredictable but good!
Review: I liked how this book was unpredictable. You never knew what was going to happen next. It was very interesting and kept me on my toes. It is one of the few books for school that I have actually finished. I would definitely recommend it.

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Summary: The humor and child like perspective will interest children
Review: As an education major, I read this book for a class about children's literature. Perhaps I am biased towards Sachar because I have always enjoyed his writings, but, I found Holes to be particulary interesting. Since it is told from Stanley's perspective, it is easy for children age 10 and up to relate to and identify. Children who have been outcast by society or believe they will amount to nothing in this world can identify with many of the characters. Children who are bullies or who are picked on by bullies as well as children viewed as trouble kids can relate with Sachar's characters. They are given hope by the survival and victory of Zero and Stanley Yenlats. The comraderie formed between the boys is very realistic in its representation of young boys' friendships. Furthermore, the odd and slightly twisted humor of the story make for a great plot line which will surely keep kids reading. The book is appealing and funny and interesting to kids, therefore getting the hooked on reading and hopefully turning them on to other books as well.

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Summary: Good, but very grim and gruesome; routine, casual cruelty
Review: This book is well written and has interesting plot twists. Its depictions of the harsh cruelty in a boys' prison camp are disturbing, however. Had I know about them, I would not have bought this book for my nine year old.

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Summary: A fascinating and exciting culmination of intrigue and plot.
Review: Holes is a backwards, yet wonderful book full of winding, relevant stories that come together to form quite a satisfying and excellent literary work. What captivated me most was the author's ability to have the me thinking one thing about a character and his/her traits - only to realize that I was completely wrong! I was also caught up in the portrayal of Stanley's life. To me, his life was a representation of all of our lives. How many times do we find ourselves in trouble (whether it is our fault or not), and no matter what anyone else is saying or not saying or doing or not doing on our behalf, our "holes" keep multiplying? We face the fact of our families not being there to help us; we face our friends letting us down. We face authority figures taking advantage of our vulnerability. But, like Stanley, we have to get our own acts together and realize that we are our only hopes. We have to find something that we believe in and press on towards the goal. And also like Stanley, we will learn more about ourselves and grow more as an individual if we just keep persevering. Reading Holes was a great experience for me. I loved the suspense, the plot, the characters, the closure, the underlying meanings - the whole bit. I've been reading a lot of "children's books" recently and, I must say, not all of them could cause a student to think (analyze, comprehend, evaluate) as much as this one does.

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Summary: The best book I have ever read!
Review: This is a great book! I have read it two times and I loved it both times! I read it three hours at a time (I'm a very slow reader). For anyone who is looking for a very very good book try out this book! Nice job Louis Sacher! Write more book this good!

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Summary: A must read book!!
Review: This is an excellent book for all ages. I think "HOLES" is one of the best books I've ever read. I liked how it kept the reader interested and intrigued to continue reading.