Holes | About the author | Interview with the author | Extract | Further reading

All About 'Holes'

Holes’ is the story of Stanley Yelnats, whose family has a history of bad luck going back generations, so Stanley is not surprised when a miscarriage of justice sends him to Camp Green Lake Correctional Facility. Nor is he surprised when he is told that his daily task is to dig a hole, which is supposed to be character-building. Justice, friendship, inheritance and fate are all themes dealt with by the book. 

'Unmistakably powerful' Philip Pullman

'Holes' has been the subject of at least two other citywide reads already, in Seattle (where the idea of citywide reads originates from) and Austin, Texas, where Louis now lives. The organisers of Liverpool Reads only found this out recently!

Since 'Holes' was published by Bloomsbury in 1998, it has sold over half a million copies in the UK alone and has been made into a major movie starring Sigourney Weaver and Jon Voight. 

Bloomsbury have produced an excellent readers’ guide to ‘Holes’. With a brief introduction to the book and tens of questions for discussion it makes a good starting point for anyone thinking about the book in depth. Readers' Guide available on our downloads page.
For Bloomsbury’s press release on ‘Holes’ click here.