Holes by Louis Sachar

Title: Holes
Author: Louis Sachar
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Mid-Grade Fiction
Rating: Adore
Alerts/Warnings: None
Premise: "As further evidence of his family's bad fortune which they attribute to a curse on a distant relative, Stanley Yelnats is sent to a hellish correctional camp in the Texas desert where he finds his first real friend, a treasure, and a new sense of himself." (King County Library System)
Opinions: This book was a Newberry Award winner back in 1999. I read it upon recommendation of my friend and co-blogger Stephanie and LOVED it. This book is an easy read, but wonderfully done and parts of it are just brilliant. I love that the reason the Yelnats family (by the way Yelnats is Stanley spelt backward) is cursed is because of their "no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing great grandfather." The stories you learn about Kissing Kate Barlow, Sam the onion man, and Stanley's grandfather are fantastic. I think it is fantastic that, though Stanley is wrongly accused of a crime and sent to a boys correctional farm for it, he has the opportunity to set everything straight in the end, not only for himself but for his entire family. The cast of characters that you meat at the correctional camp are brilliant and inventive. The courage and inner strength that Stanley shows to help his friend Zero is heart-warming. Overall, this is a wonderful book and a quick read, so if you have the time please read this book.