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Holes by Louis Sachar
Book Summary Novel Activities Vocabulary Words Writing Activities Discussion Topics Online Test
Stanley Yelnats is in a tough situation. He was wrongly accused and convicted of stealing the shoes of a very famous baseball player from a charity event. Stanley is not surprised that such a rotten thing happened to him because he and his family are under a curse. The curse started with his great-grandfather. Ever since then, Stanley’s family has had rotten luck.
Because Stanley is a minor, he is sent to a detention center for boys, Camp Green Lake, as his sentence. Though the name implies that it is a nice place, it is not. The lake has turned into a dry desert. As punishment, Stanley and the other boys at the detention center are forced to dig a hole that is five feet wide by five feet deep each and every day. They are told that digging the holes will build their character. However, Stanley learns the truth when he pieces together the story of Kissin’ Kate Barlow. The boys are merely being used as labor to dig holes in search of a buried treasure. Will Stanley find the treasure and escape the evil warden? This story will have children glued to their seats as they anxiously read to discover exactly what will happen next.
1. Stanley was lucky that the attorney general came to get him from Camp Green Lake just in time. What would have happened if Stanley was returned to camp and no one came to rescue him? What would the Warden have done to him? Write the ending to the story imagining that the attorney general had not come to take Stanley away. What would have been the fate of both Stanley and Zero?
2. Green Lake was once a lush and beautiful land. Since the rain stopped, the land has become barren and desolate. Draw Green Lake 110 years ago and Green Lake as it is when Stanley lives there.
3. We do not know much about the past of the boys who are at Camp Green Lake. The reader is not told what each of them did to get them sentenced to Camp Green Lake. Make up a past for each of the boys. For each nickname below write how you think they got the nickname and what they did to get sentenced to Camp Green Lake.
4. Mr. Pendanski acts as a sort of counselor to the boys. They have sessions where they discuss things like what they will do when they leave Camp Green Lake. One day Mr. Pendanski asks all the kids what their goals are. List five goals you have for the next three years.
5. Try eating sunflower seeds. Do you like them?
descendant perseverance desolate excavate recede
writhing vile frail increment leech fugitive precarious
Sensory/Descriptive Essay: In chapter nine, Stanley began writing a letter to his mother. He knew she would worry about him if he did not write to her. So, Stanley decided to make up details about the camp to make it sound wonderful to his mom. As he is writing, Squid notices what he is doing. Stanley decides to finish the letter later when none of the boys are around. Use your imagination to finish writing the letter. Be descriptive and creative in telling Stanley’s mom what the camp looks like and the kind of things they do. Also, describe how Stanley is doing there, making it sound very positive.
Imaginative/Narrative Essay: For most of the story, the reader does not know anything about Zero’s past. Toward the end of the story, Zero confides in Stanley a little bit about his mother. Yet, we still do not know where his mother disappeared to and what she was doing.
Write Zero’s biography. Include information about his mother and father. Where was his father when he was a baby? What was his early childhood like? What happened to his mother when she disappeared? How did he manage to survive on his own at such a young age? Describe in detail the events leading up to Zero’s arrest.
Analytical Essay: Being at Camp Green Lake was the toughest experience Stanley has ever had. I don’t think he believes that digging holes is really a way to help boys turn into productive members of society. Write a speech from Stanley’s point of view explaining in detail what it was like at Camp Green Lake. He should explain in detail his views on this type of punishment. Stanley should also offer a suggestion for an appropriate type of detention facility.
Practical Informative Essay: The Warden was worried that she would be required to write an accident report for Stanley and Zero should the authorities find out they went missing. How would she explain what happened? Write an accident report for Stanley based on how you think the Warden would answer. Remember, the Warden would have to make up the information since Stanley would have died from running away from camp.
Chapter One: “The Warden owns the shade.”
Chapter Three: “He was on a long bus ride to nowhere.”
Chapter Twelve: “Nothing in life is easy. But that’s no reason to give up. You’ll be surprised what you can accomplish if you set your mind to it. After all, you only have one life, so you should try to make the most of it.”
Chapter Twenty: “Mr. Sir is not going to die. Unfortunately for you.”
Chapter Thirty-One: “He had nobody. He was nobody.”
Chapter Thirty-Six: “When you spend your whole life living in a hole, the only way you can go is up.”
Chapter Thirty-Six: “Death would be a relief.”
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http://users.smartlite.it/pdi/quizzes/holes.htm
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