Holes

1. General Impressions

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

• Stanley is not always a very likable character, but he changes in important ways during the story. Did you have sympathy for him from the beginning, or did you develop more sympathy as he changed? Why?
• Even though Holes deals with some serious subject matter, its tone is often darkly humorous. Did you find this tone appropriate for the book’s subject matter? How did the book’s humor impact your reading experience?
• Have you seen the film version of this book? How would you compare the two versions?

2. Personal Reflection and Connection

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

• The plot of Holes involves fate and curses. Do you believe in things like this? How do your beliefs impact your enjoyment of the novel?
• Have you ever been falsely accused of doing something wrong or forced in some other way to pay for someone else’s actions? Do you think that experiences like this influence your emotional reaction to the story?
• Stanley’s experiences are in some ways determined by the family he comes from. Based on your own observations of the world, how realistic is this? Do you think that the family you come from plays a strong role in how your life turns out?
• Zero’s friendship contributes significantly to the changes in Stanley’s character. How have your friendships contributed to your own growth and change?
• Many of the characters in the novel face bullying. Have you ever witnessed or been involved in a bullying situation? Based on your experience, how realistic would you say the novel’s depiction of bullying is?

3. Societal and Cultural Context

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

• In the 1980s, residential camps for “troubled teens” started to become popular. What are some of the scandals associated with this industry? In what ways is Camp Green Lake similar to and different from these real-life camps?
• The camp’s warden abuses her power in several ways. Which historical or current events do you know of that feature an authority figure misusing power in one or more of these ways?

4. Literary Analysis

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

• The story of Stanley’s experiences at Camp Green Lake is interrupted several times by historical flashbacks that tell the story of Stanley’s great-great-grandfather and Kate Barlow. What does it add to your understanding and enjoyment of the novel to have these stories told as a series of historical flashbacks instead of making the whole book one chronological narrative that starts with Stanley’s great-great-grandfather?
• What is the literal relationship between the onions that grow on the mountain and the yellow spotted lizards? What might these objects also symbolize about nature and the settings of Camp Green Lake and the mountain where the God’s Thumb rock formation is found?
• How well do the boys’ nicknames represent their true personalities? What does your answer indicate about the difference between perceptions and reality? Which other elements of the novel help to convey this same message?
• Key events from both the past and the narrative present take place in the area where Camp Green Lake is located. How does Sachar use imagery, details, and language to create different atmospheres for this location at different times in its history? What meaning are these shifting atmospheres meant to convey?
• How do Stanley’s and Zero’s character arcs help to convey the novel’s thematic arguments about how the past influences the present?

5. Creative Engagement

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

• If you worked for Sachar’s publisher and were in charge of creating a 30-second social media video to persuade people to read Holes, how would you construct your video? Would it be live-action, animation, or some other format? Would you use music? Which moments and characters would you focus on, and why? What hashtags would you include?
• Although they are too widely separated in time to actually meet one another, the present Stanley Yelnats and his great-great-grandfather are connected by the family curse, Kate Barlow’s theft, and Stanley’s actions at Camp Green Lake. What advice do you imagine Stanley might offer his great-great-grandfather? What advice do you imagine Stanley’s great-great-grandfather might offer in return?
• If you were wrongly convicted of a crime and sent to Camp Green Lake, how do you think you would react? Which of the Camp Green Lake boys behaves most similarly to this? Which of the boys do you think you might end up making friends with, and which do you think you would try to avoid?

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