by Louis Sachar
First published 2017
Stanley Yelnats arrives at Camp Green Lake, a juvenile detention facility in the Texas desert where there is no lake. The warden forces every boy to dig a hole five feet deep and five feet wide in the blazing heat, supposedly to build character. Stanley believes his family curse has landed him here after being wrongly accused of theft. He struggles with the backbreaking labor and hostile environment until he befriends Zero, a quiet boy the others dismiss. As Stanley digs day after day, he uncovers connections between the camp, his family history, and a legendary outlaw named Kissin' Kate Barlow. The holes hide secrets that stretch back generations. Through friendship and unexpected discoveries, Stanley transforms from victim to hero, breaking free from the bad luck that has plagued his family.
Genres: fiction, adventure, coming-of-age, mystery
Vibes: emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, underdog
Setting: Camp Green Lake, Texas
Period: 20th-century
289 pages · Library Binding · Thorndike Press Large Print