Holes by Louis Sachar (Book Summary) - Minute Book Report

This is a story about a boy named Stanley
Yelnats who is found guilty of stealing a pair of shoes and sent to Camp Green Lake,
a detention camp for boys in Texas. Stanleys family has had a string of bad
luck since his great-great grandfather became cursed for not fulfilling his promise to carry
an old woman named Madam Zeroni up a mountain before coming to America. The area of the camp used to be a thriving
community, but after the rise of an outlaw named Kissin Kate Barlow, the lake dried
up and the community disbanded. At the camp, Mr.

Pendanski, a counselor, welcomes
Stanley to his new living quarters, which he shares with some boys, each with unique
nicknames - X-ray, Armpit, Zero, Magnet, Zigzag, and Squid. Stanley is instructed by a man named Mr. Sir
that he must dig a five foot hole each day and that if he finds anything interesting,
to turn it in for a reward. Stanley struggles with digging his hole, but
eventually gets the hang of it, earning himself the nickname, Caveman.

Stanley finds a golden metal tube and gives
it to X-Ray, who turns it in and gets a day off from digging. The Warden appears and tells the boys to keep
digging. However, they dont find anything and in
her anger, the Warden scratches Mr. Sirs face with her nails that have rattlesnake
venom nail polish.

Stanley teaches Zero how to read in exchange
for help digging his hole. However, the other boys become jealous that
Stanley doesn't dig and Zigzag and Stanley get into a fight. The Warden tells Stanley that he cant teach
Zero how to read and that he must go back to digging his own hole. However, Zero runs away into the wilderness
and the Warden orders that all of Zeros records be destroyed.

Stanley steals the water truck to go after
Zero, but he drives it into a hole. Stanley runs into the wilderness to search
for Zero with no water and supplies. Stanley finds an upturned boat in the middle
of the dry lake bed and discovers that Zero is resting there and eating what he calls
sploosh, which are actually preserved peaches. Stanley and Zero travel toward a distant mountain
that looks like a fist.

However, Zero begins to feel sick from eating
the sploosh and Stanley is forced to carry him up the mountain. Nearly dead, they arrive at the top of the
mountain and find water and onion plants. They stay on the mountain for a while, recovering
and resting before deciding to return back to the camp. Because Stanley doesnt know what to do,
he decides to dig around the spot where he found the golden metal tube.

They dig through the night and eventually
find a treasure chest. The Warden arrives and demands that they give
her the chest. However, the hole is swarmed with yellow-spotted
lizards and so everyone stands back, although they cant figure out why Stanley and Zero
havent been bitten. Stanleys attorney arrives the next day
and tells Stanley that he is being released from the camp.

The Warden continues to demand the chest,
but Zero discovers that Stanleys name is on the chest. Stanleys attorney escorts Stanley and Zero
away from the camp, which is shut down by the Attorney General. In the end, Stanley and Zero become rich from
the contents of the chest, Stanleys father invents a foot odor remedy, and Zero is reunited
with his mother..