About the Author

Louise Sachar was born in East Meadow, New York and graduated from the University of California at Berkeley and Hastings College of Law. He is married and has one daughter. He writes at his home in Austin, Texas under the watchful eyes of his dogs Lucky and Tippy.

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

"This delightfully clever story is well-crafted and thought-provoking." —VOYA

"[Sachar] comes fully, brilliantly into his own voice. This is a can't-put-it-down read." —The Bulletin

This wry and loopy novel about a camp for juvenile delinquents in a dry Texas desert (once the largest lake in the state) by the author of There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom and the Wayside School series has some serious undercurrents. Stanley Yelnats (appropriately enough for a story about reversals, the protagonist's name is a palindrome) gets sent to Camp Green Lake to do penance, "a camp for bad boys." Never mind that Stanley didn't commit the crime he has been convicted of‘he blames his bad luck on his "no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather." He digs five-foot-deep holes with all the other "bad" boys under the baleful direction of the Warden, perhaps the most terrifying female since Big Nurse. Just when it seems as though this is going to be a weird YA cross between One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Cool Hand Luke, the story takes off‘along with Stanley, who flees camp after his buddy Zero‘in a wholly unexpected direction to become a dazzling blend of social commentary, tall tale and magic realism. Readers (especially boys) will likely delight in the larger-than-life (truly Texas-style) manner in which Sachar fills in all the holes, as he ties together seemingly disparate story threads to dispel ghosts from the past and give everyone their just deserts. Ages 12-up. (Sept.)

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

"This delightfully clever story is well-crafted and thought-provoking." -VOYA

"[Sachar] comes fully, brilliantly into his own voice. This is a can't-put-it-down read." -The Bulletin