Educational
Holes
by Louis Sachar
"If you take a bad boy and make him dig a hole every day in the hot
sun, it will turn him into a good boy." Such is the reigning philosophy
at Camp Green Lake, a juvenile detention facility where there is no lake,
and there are no happy campers. In place of what used to be "the largest
lake in Texas" is now a dry, flat, sunburned wasteland, pocked with countless
identical holes dug by boys improving their character. Stanley Yelnats,
of palindromic name and ill-fated pedigree, has landed at Camp Green Lake
because it seemed a better option than jail. No matter that his conviction
was all a case of mistaken identity, the Yelnats family has become accustomed
to a long history of bad luck, thanks to their "no-good- dirty-rotten-
pig-stealing- great-great-grandfather!" Despite his innocence, Stanley
is quickly enmeshed in the Camp Green Lake routine: rising before dawn
to dig a hole five feet deep and five feet in diameter; learning how to
get along with the Lord of the Flies-styled pack of boys in Group D; and
fearing the warden, who paints her fingernails with rattlesnake venom.
But when Stanley realizes that the boys may not just be digging to build
character--that in fact the warden is seeking something specific--the plot
gets as thick as the irony.
It's a strange story, but strangely compelling and lovely too. Louis
Sachar uses poker-faced understatement to create a bizarre but believable
landscape--a place where Major Major Major of Catch-22 would feel right
at home. But while there is humor and absurdity here, there is also a deep
understanding of friendship and a searing compassion for society's underdogs.
As Stanley unknowingly begins to fulfill his destiny--the dual plots coming
together to reveal that fate has big plans in store--we can't help but
cheer for the good guys, and all the Yelnats everywhere. (Ages 10 and older)
--Brangien
Davis - Amazon.com
(Paperback -- May 9, 2000)
The Catholic Youth Bible: New Revised Standard Version: Catholic
Edition
by Brian Singer-Towns et al.
Listed under Religion for Children
Organizing
from the Inside Out for Teens: The Foolproof System for Organizing Your
Room, Your Time, and Your Life
by Julie Morgenstern, et al
Paperback: 238 pages
Owl Books; ISBN: 0805064702; 1st Owl edition (September
2002)
The
Chocolate War
by Robert Cormier
oes Jerry Renault dare to disturb the universe? You wouldn't think
that his refusal to sell chocolates during his school's fundraiser would
create such a stir, but it does; it's as if the whole school comes apart
at the seams. To some, Jerry is a hero, but to others, he becomes a scapegoat--a
target for their pent-up hatred. And Jerry? He's just trying to stand up
for what he believes, but perhaps there is no way for him to escape becoming
a pawn in this game of control; students are pitted against other students,
fighting for honor--or are they fighting for their lives? In 1974, author
Robert Cormier dared to disturb our universe when this book was first published.
And now, with a new introduction by the celebrated author, The Chocolate
War stands ready to shock a new group of teen readers. Amazon.com
Mass Market Paperback: 191 pages
Laureleaf; ISBN: 0440944597; Reissue edition (May 1999)
The
Voyage of the Frog
by Gary Paulsen
(Paperback -- November 1990)
The
American Heritage Student Thesaurus
by Paul Hellweg (Editor), et al
(Hardcover -- July 1, 1999)
A
First Thesaurus
by Harriet Wittels, Joan Greisman
(Library Binding -- October 1999)
Little House on the Prairie
by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Garth Williams
Listed under Little House Books
 |
On
That Day
by Andrea Patel
(Hardcover -- September 2002) |
|
|
|
The
Pigman
by Paul Zindel
(Paperback -- March 1, 1983)
America: A Patriotic Primer
by Lynne V. Cheney, et al
Listed under History
» Click
here for top sellers in Educational
