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Holes  By  cover art

Holes

By: Louis Sachar
Narrated by: Kerry Beyer, Louis Sachar
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Publisher's summary

This groundbreaking classic is now available in a special anniversary edition with bonus content. Winner of the Newbery Medal as well as the National Book Award, HOLES is a New York Times bestseller and one of the strongest-selling middle-grade books to ever hit shelves!

Stanley Yelnats is under a curse. A curse that began with his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather and has since followed generations of Yelnatses. Now Stanley has been unjustly sent to a boys' detention center, Camp Green Lake, where the boys build character by spending all day, every day digging holes exactly five feet wide and five feet deep. There is no lake at Camp Green Lake. But there are an awful lot of holes.

It doesn't take long for Stanley to realize there's more than character improvement going on at Camp Green Lake. The boys are digging holes because the warden is looking for something. But what could be buried under a dried-up lake? Stanley tries to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment
—and redemption.

Special anniversary edition bonus content includes: A New Note From the Author!; "Ten Things You May Not Know About HOLES" by Louis Sachar; and more!

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

Critic reviews

Winner of the Newbery Medal

Winner of the National Book Award

#1 New York Times Bestseller

A New York Public Library's 100 Great Children's Books 100 Years Selection

"A dazzling blend of social commentary, tall tale and magic realism."—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"There is no question, kids will love Holes."—School Library Journal, Starred Review

"[A] rugged, engrossing adventure."—Kirkus Reviews

Featured Article: Take an Unforgettable Journey with These Exciting Action and Adventure Listens


Who doesn't love a story with a little adventure—or maybe a lot? No matter your age, there’s something truly engrossing about a tale that’s a nonstop adrenaline rush. If you’re anything like us, you just can’t press pause on those daring storylines and intrepid characters that compel you to keep listening until the thrilling conclusions. Here are action and adventure audiobooks for both adults and kids that will keep you hooked and have your heart racing.

What listeners say about Holes

Average customer ratings
Overall
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    3,327
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Story
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

A Wonderful and Enduring Story

Holes has been one of those classic stories that people tend to remember for years after they have read it. This is a marvelous tale about the interconnectedness of life, in which things that have happened in far-away places and times start a sort of karmic chain of events that ultimately comes full-circle and has life-changing consequences for our young protagonist. Old debts must be paid and old wrongs must be righted before Stanley Yelnats will be able to gain his freedom from Camp Green Lake. This is a great listen for children, young adults and grown-ups.

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26 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

An unexpected delight!

The title of this book always left me uninterested. But since it was so incredibly popular with kids I decided I should check it out and it is terrific! The narrator captures the spirit of Stanley Yelnats perfectly and you can't turn it off. The ending is a pretty neat and it really illustrates the old cliche "what comes around goes around." I recommend this for young and old alike.

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19 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Holes

Excellent story, well told. I couldn't quite give it 5-stars because I thought the narration was a bit stilted. But the story held my interest all the way through - the mixture of past and present was woven together well and tied up the loose ends very nicely.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Fun Read

This is an excellent audible book. I truly enjoyed the manner in which it was read by the narrator. The charachters were interesting, and well developed, and the plot was engaging. I highly recommend this read, especially for a young adult/pre-teen.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great read with a class!

This is a great book to read with a fifth grade class! My class enjoyed the book very much!

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

The Story is Awesome, Read the Book Instead.

What disappointed you about Holes?

The story was great, the major let down was the awful narration. The characters did NOT come to life and truly suffered for it in this retelling. The narrator's lack of diversity and passion really made a great story drag. The singing in particular was bland and did not capture the very poignant moment in the story that the song represents. Really a shame.

What did you like best about this story?

The story itself is great, the way that everything is interwoven is fabulous. Sachar is known for being witty and fun, this look at a more serious tale still had the lighthearted style of Sachar while presenting a more somber narrative.

Any additional comments?

I'd say read the book, skip the audible version, it will be a much better experience.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I loved it

it was really really good and interesting to me
and the narrator was really good to.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Audible + Kindle = Terrific Combination for Holes

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

My granddaughter feels discouraged when handed a chapter book to read. She loves a good story--when it is a shared experience. We live in a rural area--no bookstores close. She needed to finish Holes over the weekend to complete a school assignment. Audible let me download a professional reader for the book. Kindle gave me the opportunity to download the text.

My granddaughter is good to follow the text while the audiobook is read. I can continue to work in the same room while she listens. We stop the book at critical points to talk about what is happening in the plot, the conflict between characters, and to predict what might happen next. It's a win-win way to share a story and help her with her reading. No tears. The result of this reading strategy has been a hundred percent on comprehension tests for school assignments and improvement in her reading fluency. We're still working on independent reading stamina but that is improving, too.

When she was reading Holes alone, the three plot lines confused her. By listening together, I could help her follow the action and understand how the three plots twisted ever more tightly as the story progressed so that the events of the resolution were plausible and understandable. She went from confused to excited about this book and loved it. Watching her progress to more complex reading material is a joy. Holes gave us great discussion points along the way. She is beginning to feel the joy of sharing a book with other readers.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Holes?

One of the moments that made her face light up was when she drew the connection between the name Madame Zeroni and Zero.

Which scene was your favorite?

She loved the part where the yellow spotted lizards were all over Zero and Caveman but did not bite them. She loved the reason why but we won't spoil it here.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

The twists of time.

Any additional comments?

Several years ago, a 6th grade student came to my language arts class excitedly waving the book Holes before him. He handed it to me and said, "This is the best book ever. You've GOT to read it. You can borrow my copy. Please read it!"

Any student that excited over a book deserves to have his request honored. I started the book on a Saturday morning and read straight through to the end because it was too good to put down. We had a wonderful time discussing Holes the next Monday.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great family story

I would definitely recommend this book! A great story to listen to as a family!

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

great book

I loved this book I couldn't wait till I read the real book. I recommend this book

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6 people found this helpful