Holes

By: Louis Sachar

Narrated by: Kerry Beyer

Length: 4 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

Stanley Yelnats isn't so surprised when a miscarriage of justice sends him to a juvenile detention center. After all, his family has been ridden with bad luck ever since a one-legged gypsy put a curse on his great-great grandfather. He is told that the hard labor he must perform, digging five-foot holes in the dried up soil where Green Lake once sat, is meant to build character. But it soon becomes clear to Stanley that the warden is really using the boys to search for something very valuable. The story of the hidden treasure, along with the warden, Stanley's friend Zero, and the curse on the Yelnats family are all part of a compelling puzzle that has taken generations to unravel.

Holes is the 1999 Newbery Medal winner for most distinguished American children's book.

©1998 Louis Sachar (P)1999 Random House, Inc., Listening Library, An Imprint Of Random House Audio Publishing Group

Critic reviews

• Newbery Medal Winner, 1999

"A brilliant achievement. There is no question, kids will love Holes." (School Library Journal)
"Sachar inserts humor that gives the suspense steep edges; the tone is as full of surprises as the plot." (The New York Times Book Review)
"Beyer's buoyant, boyish manner ensures that Sachar's witty novel, winner of both the Newbery Medal and the National Book Award, makes a smooth transition to audio." (Publishers Weekly)