Holes-Louis Sachar

Sachar, Louis. Holes. 1st ed. New York: Farrar, Straus And Giroux (Byr), 2008. Print. 

Summary
Holes is the story of a young boy named Stanley Yelnats and his stay at a detention center "Camp Green Lake." Stanley soon learns that there is more to Camp Green Lake then meets the eye and ventures out to dig up the truth.

Electronic Resources:

• Louis Sacher
• This is author Louis Sacher's personal webpage. Students can learn more about him as well as other books he has written, such as the Wayside School series, if they wish to continue reading his books. They can also find a Q & A session with the author to learn the behind-the-scenes of the book. They could follow this up by coming up with their own questions they would like to ask the author.
• Law for Kids
• This website gives kids a better understanding of the justice system and learn about juvenile deliquency programs, unlike the one Stanley went to in Holes. They can learn about laws for their state as well as compare those laws to the laws of another state.

Teaching Suggestions:

• Key Vocabulary to learn before reading:
• Juvenile delinquency
• Racism
• Desert
• Curse
• Buried treasure
• During Reading:
• Students may keep a reading log and respond to a prompt for each chapter read. The teacher may come up with the prompt or students may respond to a topic of their choice. The teacher can respond to student entries and encourage the students to look for the deeper meaning of the text.
• After Reading:
• Students can create a character analysis of the main character, Stanley Yelnats (may be another character as well.) Students will use the character sketch to demonstrate how Stanley has changed from the beginning of the book to the end of the book.
• Writing Response:
• Students may write a persuasive letter to explain why Camp Green Lake should be shut down. They should use specific examples from the story to back up their reasoning
• Mini-Lesson:
• A mini-lesson can be used to teach palindromes. Stanley Yelnats is a palindrome because one word (Yelnats) is the other word (Stanley) spelt backwards. Students can be creative and come up with their own palindromes.