For stealing a famous basketball player's sneakers, overweight, unlucky, but innocent Stanley Yelnats, is sentenced to hot, desolate Camp Green Lake in Texas, a detention center for bad boys. Every day each of the teen inmates must dig a hole five feet around and five feet deep in the bone dry lakebed. Zero, mocked by all because he can't read, is the best digger. He and Stanley become allies, running away together when staying at camp becomes life threatening. There are several subplots running through the book, including the famous 19th century outlaw Kissing Kate Barlow and her connection with Stanley's great great grandfather, cursed for eternity by Madame Zeroni; poisonous yellow-spotted lizards; the tragic story of Sam the onion man; and a frantic search for buried treasure. Everything does tie together in unlikely but satisfying ways in this innovative and intricately plotted, all-time great and classic Newbery and National Book Award winner.

Readers can discuss and decide which is more satisfying, the book or the movie. They’ll probably want to follow up with the sequel, Small Steps, about the subsequent lives of the characters Armpit and X-Ray. Find information about the author and his books and watch a trailer of the movie at www.louissachar.com.

Reviewed by JF.

Themes: ADVENTURE AND ADVENTURERS. BOOKS AND READING. FRIENDSHIP. NEWBERY MEDAL.

A READKIDDOREAD CLASSIC