Holes Information
Louis Sachar
①. Summary (English & Chinese)
First Part: English Summary
Stanley Yelnats the 4th is a teenager born to a family who have been cursed with bad luck. One day, Stanley is falsely accused of stealing a pair of sneakers. Upon conviction, Stanley decides to attend Camp Green Lake, a juvenile detention camp, in lieu of serving his time in jail.
He arrives to find that the camp is a dried-up lake run by the Warden, Louise Walker, her assistant Mr. Sir, and camp counselor Dr. Pendanski. Prisoners spend each day digging holes in the desert to "build character." The inmates are told that they may earn a day off, if they find anything interesting or unusual. After finding a golden lipstick tube initialed K.B. and a fossil, Stanley is accepted into the group and is given the nickname "Caveman." After taking the blame for Magnet's stealing of Mr. Sir's sunflower seeds, Stanley is taken to the warden's house where old wanted posters and newspapers lead him to suspect that "KB" stands for Kate Barlow.
In a series of flashbacks the history of Camp Green Lake is revealed. The town was a lake town, thriving with water and life until Katherine Barlow, a local teacher, was involved in a love triangle with the wealthy Trout Walker, whom Kate rejected, and an African American onion seller named Sam, whom Kate loved. One day she ended up kissing Sam. At that time, it was illegal for people of different races to show affection towards one another. After much turmoil, a group of men from the town, including Walker, kills Sam while he is rowing his boat. Kate kills the local sheriff in retaliation and becomes an outlaw. Sam's death causes the Green Lake to turn into an arid wasteland. Years later the now bankrupt Walkers approach the outlaw Kate and demand she hand over her buried treasure, but Kate responds that they could "dig for a hundred years" and not find it. Kate allows a yellow spotted lizard to bite her killing her within minutes. Before she allows the lizard to bite her she says in a resentful tone, "Start digging, Trout". For the next generation the Walker family sets about digging for the treasure but never actually find anything.
While digging one day, Pendanski insults Zero, who responds by hitting Pendanski with a shovel and running into the desert. Stanley goes searching for Zero. Stanley and Zero survive in the arid wasteland. Eventually Stanley carries the now ill Zero up the mountain, where they find a wild field of onions and a spring, helping them regain strength and at the same time unknowingly fulfilling his ancestor's promise to the fortune teller, breaking the curse, and restoring his family's luck.
Suddenly feeling lucky, Stanley and Zero decide to return to the camp and investigate the hole where Stanley found the lipstick, where they dig deeper and uncover a chest just as they are discovered by the warden, Mr. Sir, and Pendanski. After escaping Walker, with the help of some lizards, it's revealed that she is Trout's granddaughter and using the inmates to search for treasure. The next morning, the attorney general and Stanley's lawyer arrive, the chest Stanley found is revealed to have belonged to his great-grandfather before being stolen by "Kissin' Kate". The warden, Mr. Sir (who turns out to be a paroled criminal named Marion Sevillo), and Pendanski (who, as it turned out, was impersonating a doctor) are arrested for perverting the laws of justice, Stanley and Zero are released from the now-under-investigation camp. With justice finally being served, rain returns to Green Lake. The Yelnats family claims ownership of the chest, which contains jewels, old money, deeds, and promissory notes, which they share with Zero, who reunites with his missing mother. Camp Green Lake was closed and Stanley and
his friends heard it was supposed to reopen as a Girl Scout camp. The Yelnatses and the Zeronis move to new houses along with their friends, and Clyde Livingston apologizes to Stanley for accusing him of stealing the shoes.
Louis Sachar
①. Summary (English & Chinese)
First Part: English Summary
Stanley Yelnats the 4th is a teenager born to a family who have been cursed with bad luck. One day, Stanley is falsely accused of stealing a pair of sneakers. Upon conviction, Stanley decides to attend Camp Green Lake, a juvenile detention camp, in lieu of serving his time in jail.
He arrives to find that the camp is a dried-up lake run by the Warden, Louise Walker, her assistant Mr. Sir, and camp counselor Dr. Pendanski. Prisoners spend each day digging holes in the desert to "build character." The inmates are told that they may earn a day off, if they find anything interesting or unusual. After finding a golden lipstick tube initialed K.B. and a fossil, Stanley is accepted into the group and is given the nickname "Caveman." After taking the blame for Magnet's stealing of Mr. Sir's sunflower seeds, Stanley is taken to the warden's house where old wanted posters and newspapers lead him to suspect that "KB" stands for Kate Barlow.
In a series of flashbacks the history of Camp Green Lake is revealed. The town was a lake town, thriving with water and life until Katherine Barlow, a local teacher, was involved in a love triangle with the wealthy Trout Walker, whom Kate rejected, and an African American onion seller named Sam, whom Kate loved. One day she ended up kissing Sam. At that time, it was illegal for people of different races to show affection towards one another. After much turmoil, a group of men from the town, including Walker, kills Sam while he is rowing his boat. Kate kills the local sheriff in retaliation and becomes an outlaw. Sam's death causes the Green Lake to turn into an arid wasteland. Years later the now bankrupt Walkers approach the outlaw Kate and demand she hand over her buried treasure, but Kate responds that they could "dig for a hundred years" and not find it. Kate allows a yellow spotted lizard to bite her killing her within minutes. Before she allows the lizard to bite her she says in a resentful tone, "Start digging, Trout". For the next generation the Walker family sets about digging for the treasure but never actually find anything.
While digging one day, Pendanski insults Zero, who responds by hitting Pendanski with a shovel and running into the desert. Stanley goes searching for Zero. Stanley and Zero survive in the arid wasteland. Eventually Stanley carries the now ill Zero up the mountain, where they find a wild field of onions and a spring, helping them regain strength and at the same time unknowingly fulfilling his ancestor's promise to the fortune teller, breaking the curse, and restoring his family's luck.
Suddenly feeling lucky, Stanley and Zero decide to return to the camp and investigate the hole where Stanley found the lipstick, where they dig deeper and uncover a chest just as they are discovered by the warden, Mr. Sir, and Pendanski. After escaping Walker, with the help of some lizards, it's revealed that she is Trout's granddaughter and using the inmates to search for treasure. The next morning, the attorney general and Stanley's lawyer arrive, the chest Stanley found is revealed to have belonged to his great-grandfather before being stolen by "Kissin' Kate". The warden, Mr. Sir (who turns out to be a paroled criminal named Marion Sevillo), and Pendanski (who, as it turned out, was impersonating a doctor) are arrested for perverting the laws of justice, Stanley and Zero are released from the now-under-investigation camp. With justice finally being served, rain returns to Green Lake. The Yelnats family claims ownership of the chest, which contains jewels, old money, deeds, and promissory notes, which they share with Zero, who reunites with his missing mother. Camp Green Lake was closed and Stanley and
his friends heard it was supposed to reopen as a Girl Scout camp. The Yelnatses and the Zeronis move to new houses along with their friends, and Clyde Livingston apologizes to Stanley for accusing him of stealing the shoes.
