Holes

“Holes” by Louis Sachar is a novel that intertwines three storylines, all connected by the mysterious curse of the Yelnats family.

The main plot revolves around Stanley Yelnats, who is unjustly sent to a juvenile detention center called Camp Green Lake after being falsely accused of stealing a pair of sneakers. At the camp, the boys are forced to dig holes in the dry lake bed under the guise of character-building, but there’s a hidden agenda.

Key themes in “Holes” include:

Fate and Destiny: The Yelnats family believes in a curse that has plagued them for generations. As the story unfolds, the characters’ destinies are revealed to be interconnected, challenging the idea of fate.

Friendship and Loyalty: Stanley forms strong bonds with his fellow campmates as they endure the hardships of Camp Green Lake together. These relationships become crucial to their survival and play a central role in the resolution of the story.

Injustice and Prejudice: Stanley’s unjust imprisonment sets the stage for exploring issues of injustice and the impact of societal prejudice. The narrative also delves into historical injustices, particularly relating to the character of Kissin’ Kate Barlow.

Family Legacy: The Yelnats family history and the curse provide a backdrop for exploring the idea of family legacy and how the actions of past generations can impact those in the present.

Survival: The harsh conditions at Camp Green Lake and the characters’ struggle to overcome adversity highlight themes of survival and resilience. The characters must navigate the challenges presented to them and find ways to persevere.

“Holes” is a well-crafted novel that weaves together these themes, providing readers with a compelling and thought-provoking story. The book has received critical acclaim for its engaging narrative, well-developed characters, and exploration of complex themes suitable for both young and adult readers.

Sample Retrieval Question

In Chapter 1, a character called ‘the Warden’ is first mentioned. What two things are we told belong to the Warden?

A. The Camp and the hammock.

B. The Lake and the holes.

C. The two old oaks and the hammock.

D. The hammock and the shade.

E. The shade and the log cabin.

Sample Spelling Question

In the passage below, there is a word spelt incorrectly. Write the correct spelling of the word.

‘Here’s a good rule to remembar about rattlesnakes and scorpions: If you don’t bother them, they won’t bother you.’

This is our chosen list of questions for Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 of ‘Holes’. We have placed both together (something we don’t normally do) because the chapters are very small.

Your UKS2 class will:
– complete questions linked to characters such as the Warden
– think about descriptions of settings such as Camp Green Lake
– familiarise themselves with the life of a camper
– learn key vocabulary
– identify missing punctuation
– find synonyms
– find spelling errors
– make inferences

Sample Retrieval Question

Who liked to say, “I learn from failure”?

A. Stanley

B. The driver

C. Stanley’s mother

D. Stanley’s father

E. The guard

Sample Sequencing Question

Sequence the events of Chapter 3.

A. Stanley remembers Mrs Bell teaching ratios.

B. Stanley smiled, remembering a family joke.

C. The bus drives past a telephone wire.

D. The bus hit a small bump and the guard sat up.

E. Stanley notices that he couldn’t see a lake and hardly anything was green.

Summary

In chapter 3, Stanley takes a bus to Camp Green Lake. There’s a guard with a gun on the bus, making Stanley feel nervous. He only has a small backpack with him, packed with basic stuff like a toothbrush and paper. He imagines the camp will be like a fancy holiday place for rich kids.

Even though Stanley tries to seem positive, he’s struggling with how people see him, especially because of his weight. Other kids and teachers make fun of him for it. He remembers a math class where he felt really embarrassed because he was much bigger than another kid. His family has a history of bad luck, starting with a story about a stolen pig from a Gypsy with one leg, which has been passed down through generations in a sad song.

The Yelnats family has faced a lot of challenges over the years, but they’ve always kept going. Each Stanley Yelnats has had their own problems. The first Stanley Yelnats was rich, but lost everything because of thieves. The most recent Stanley Yelnats, Stanley IV, struggles because his dad’s inventions don’t work, and they live in a poor area surrounded by the smell of burning rubber and stinky shoes. When Stanley arrives at Camp Green Lake, he realises it’s not what he expected. Instead of a beautiful green place, it’s just desert. This sets the stage for Stanley’s journey to figure out who he is in this tough environment.

Sample Retrieval Question

What were the bus driver’s last words to Stanley?

A. “Well, duh!”

B. “Thanks for the ride.”

C. “Goodbye.”

D. “That’s a lot of sunflower seeds.”

E. “Be careful.”

Sample Antonyms Question

Replace ‘long, miserable’ with antonyms of these two words. Select from the options below.

‘Stanley thought about the long, miserable bus ride and felt a little sorry for the guard and the bus driver.’

A. quick, depressing

B. elongated, saddening

C. gruelling, sorrowful

D. short, cheerful

E. happy, fun

Summary

In Chapter 4 we learn that Stanley Yelnats arrives at Camp Green Lake, feeling dazed and dehydrated after an eight-hour bus ride. The barren and desolate camp features few run-down buildings, tents, and only two trees in sight. A guard leads Stanley to a small, air-conditioned building where he meets Mr. Sir, a man with a cowboy hat and a tattoo of a rattlesnake. Mr. Sir informs Stanley about the camp’s rules and assigns him work clothes, explaining that Stanley must dig a five-foot-deep hole each day to avoid the hottest part of the day.

Stanley is instructed to address the man as “Mr. Sir” and learns that the camp lacks guard towers or fences, making escape futile due to the vast desert and lack of water. Mr. Sir emphasizes the harsh conditions and the necessity of digging, warning Stanley that he will be thirsty for the next eighteen months. Stanley gets a glimpse of the hard life at Camp Green Lake as he sees other kids dragging themselves with shovels, and he begins to grasp the reality of his new environment.

Summary

In Chapter 5 your Year 5 / Year 6 Class will find out that Stanley is assigned to D tent at Camp Green Lake, where Mr. Pendanski, his counsellor, greets him and explains the importance of respecting the Warden above all else. Mr. Pendanski reassures Stanley that despite past mistakes, he is not a bad kid and offers support to help him turn his life around. Stanley meets two boys, Rex (X-Ray) and Alan (Squid), who are weary and covered in sweat. He learns that his cot was previously used by someone named Barf Bag, now hospitalised.

Mr. Pendanski introduces Stanley to the rest of the boys in the tent: José (Magnet), Theodore (Armpit), Ricky (Zigzag), and Zero, who is often teased for his perceived lack of intelligence. Despite Mr. Pendanski’s preference for using their real names, the boys stick to their nicknames. After the introductions, Stanley learns the location of the water spigot from Theodore, who insists on being called Armpit. Stanley is puzzled by the unusual nicknames but feels a bit better about his own situation.

Summary

In Chapter 6 Stanley endures his first day at Camp Green Lake, struggling with a brief, cold shower, tasteless dinner, and a smelly, uncomfortable cot. He recalls how he ended up at the camp: accused of stealing Clyde “Sweet Feet” Livingston’s sneakers, which had fallen on him while walking home. Though innocent, Stanley’s truth was dismissed, and he was sent to the camp for discipline. Reflecting on his trial, he realises he could have lied but blames his predicament on his “no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather.” As he tries to sleep, Stanley contemplates the injustice and harshness of his new reality.

This is an incredibly long chapter for your KS2 class to read in one sitting, brace yourselves for the summary…

Summary

Early on in the chapter, your class will learn that Stanley struggled to dig his first hole at Camp Green Lake, battling the hard earth and painful blisters on his hands. He noticed Zero efficiently digging nearby, already making significant progress. For breakfast, they had lukewarm cereal and orange juice before being marched to the lakebed. The boys were assigned areas to dig and were told to report any interesting finds. Stanley wondered about the purpose of the digging and learned it was supposedly to build character, though any valuable discoveries could earn a day off.

He initially struggled, but Stanley eventually made headway by targeting a crack in the ground. As he dug deeper, the sun intensified, and his hands blistered painfully. Mr. Sir and Mr. Pendanski periodically checked on the boys, offering minimal encouragement. The story then transitions to a flashback about Stanley’s great-great-grandfather, Elya Yelnats, who sought help from Madame Zeroni to win Myra Menke’s hand in marriage. Despite Madame Zeroni’s advice, Elya pursued Myra, only to be disappointed by her shallow nature.

Elya emigrated to America, falling in love with Sarah Miller and having a child named Stanley. Meanwhile, Stanley at the camp continued to struggle but felt a sense of accomplishment as his hole neared completion. Despite physical exhaustion and pain, he managed to finish his first hole, feeling a small but significant pride in his achievement.

In Holes we have created 50 question sets.

Each set consists of:
– 4 retrieval questions
– 4 SPAG questions
– 4 Deeper questions (authorial technique, inference, sequencing, summarising, similes, metaphors etc.)

How does our website work?

1. You will assign each child in your class the questions of a particular chapter.
2. They will login and complete the questions online.
3. You will view the ‘Results’ section and see how each child did.

Results
Green means that the child got the question right first time.

Orange means that the child got it right but it took a few attempts – a number will be displayed inside to show how many attempts.

Red means that the child didn’t get the question correct – a number will be inside the red box to show how many failed attempts.

Interpreting the Results
Select a range of chapter question sets in the results section and choose a child. Next you will be able to see all completed activities and look for patterns, areas of strength and areas for improvement.