Holes

Everybody has bad luck at one point or another, and this is no exception for Stanley Yelnats. He was blamed for a crime that he really didn't commit and sent to Camp Green Lake, a juvenile detention camp. The conditions of the camp are awful. The boys have to be in the hot desert sun all day digging holes and looking for something the warden wouldn't tell them what they were digging for. In the end Stanley is relieved of being at the camp and the truth comes out that he didn't commit the crime. Also, all of his bad luck seems to have worked out and he is in the clear for a while. 

This book covers a lot of important concepts that can be discussed in a classroom setting. For example, racism. Since Katherine was white and Sam was a black man and they fell in love the towns people were furious and in the end Sam is killed because of his color. Everyone was against this even the sheriff of the town who was suppose to be the safe haven. It would be interesting to see how students thought about this novel and the topic of racism presented in this way. 

This novel was also turned into a movie with a popular actor. This idea of popular culture may play a role in motivating students to read this longer text and get them excited to discuss the differences between the movie and the book.