Wayside School Is Falling Down
Quotes from the Book
If only, if only," the woodpecker sighs, "The bark on the tree was as soft as the skies." While the wolf waits below, hungry and lonely, Crying to the moo-oo-oon, "If only, If only.
It was all because of his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing great-great-grandfather!
If only, if only, the moon speaks no reply; Reflecting the sun and all that's gone by. Be strong my weary wolf, turn around boldly. Fly high, my baby bird, My angel, my only
Rattlesnakes would be a lot more dangerous if they didn't have the rattle.
When you spend your whole life living in a hole, the only way you can go is up. (Zero/Hector Zeroni)
There is no lake at Camp Green Lake.
You have only one life, make the most of it
You make the decision: Whom did God punish?
Zero wasnt worried, " When you spend your whole life living in a shole", he said, "the only way you can go is up.
In a way, it made him sad. He couldn't help but think that a hundred times zero was still nothing.
I'm not stupid. I know everybody thinks I am. I just don't like answering their questions.
Well, let me tell you something, Caveman. You are here on account of one person. If it wasn't for that person, you wouldn't be here digging holes in the hot sun. You know who that person is?" "My no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather.
You're responsible for yourself. You messed up your life, and it's up to you to fix it. No one else is going to do it for you -- for any of you.
Each beat told him he was still alive, at least for one more second.
Nothing in life is easy. But that's no reason to give up. you'll be surprised what you can accomplish if you set your mind to it.
A lot of people don't believe in curses. A lot of people don't believe in yellow-spotted lizards either, but if one bites you, it doesn't make a difference whether you believe in it or not.
If only, if only, the moon speaks no reply; Reflecting the sun and all that’s gone by. Be strong my weary wolf, turn around boldly. Fly high my baby bird, My angel, my only.
The bark on the tree was just a little softer.
He could hardly lift his spoon during breakfast, and then he was out on the lake, his spoon soon replaced by a shovel.
If only, if only, the woodpecker sighs, The bark on the tree was just a little bit softer. While the wolf waits below, hungry and lonely, He cries to the moo-oo-oon, If only, if only.
When you spend your whole life living in a hole,” he said, “the only way you can go is up.
How’d you like to take a ride on my new boat this Saturday?” he asked her one evening after class. “No, thank you,” said Miss Katherine. “We’ve got a brand-new boat,” he said. “You don’t even have to row it.” “Yes, I know,” said Miss Katherine. Everyone in town had seen—and heard—the Walkers’ new boat. It made a horrible loud noise and spewed ugly black smoke over the beautiful lake. Trout had always gotten everything he ever wanted. He found it hard to believe that Miss Katherine had turned him down. He pointed his finger at her and said, “No one ever says ‘No’ to Charles Walker!” “I believe I just did,” said Katherine Barlow.
When the shoes first fell from the sky,he remembered thinking that destiny had struck him. Now he thought so again. It was more than a coincidence. It had to be destiny.
You may have done some bad things, but that doesn't mean you're a bad kid.
Back at the compound, they had dug in a systematic order, row upon row, allowing space for the water truck. But out here there was no system. It was as if every once in a while, in a fit of frustration, the Warden would just pick a spot at random, and say, “What the hell, dig here.” It was like trying to guess the winning numbers in a lottery.
Now you be careful in the real world" said Armpit " Not everyone is as nice as us.
Did you know?
- "Holes" won the 1999 Newbery Medal and the 1998 National Book Award for Young People's Literature.
- The novel interweaves three separate storylines set in different time periods.
- Louis Sachar wrote the screenplay for the 2003 film adaptation.
- In 2013 School Library Journal ranked "Holes" sixth among all-time children's novels.
- Sachar is also known for the "Wayside School" series, beginning in 1978.
About Louis Sachar
More by Louis Sachar
Wayside School Is Falling Down
Small Steps
Sideways Stories from Wayside School
There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom
About the book
"Holes" by Louis Sachar follows Stanley Yelnats IV, a boy wrongly convicted of theft and sent to Camp Green Lake, a harsh juvenile detention facility in the Texas desert where boys are made to dig a hole every day, supposedly to build character. As Stanley digs, he begins to suspect the warden is looking for something buried in the dry lakebed, and the novel braids his story together with the tale of his ancestor Elya Yelnats in old-world Latvia and the legend of the outlaw Kissin' Kate Barlow from more than a century earlier.
The book's three interwoven timelines slowly converge to reveal how a broken promise, a family curse, and long-buried secrets connect the past to Stanley's present. Along the way, its central themes emerge: friendship, fate and chance, justice and injustice, and the way actions ripple across generations. Stanley's bond with a fellow inmate nicknamed Zero drives the story's emotional core.
First published in 1998, "Holes" won both the National Book Award for Young People's Literature and the 1999 Newbery Medal, and it has become a staple of school reading lists and a widely admired work of children's literature. Its tight, puzzle-box structure and blend of realism, tall tale, and mystery helped cement its lasting reputation, and it was adapted into a 2003 feature film.
Key characters
- Stanley Yelnats IVProtagonist, a boy wrongly convicted and sent to Camp Green Lake
- Zero (Hector Zeroni)Fellow inmate who becomes Stanley's close friend
- The WardenCamp Green Lake's ruthless overseer searching for buried treasure
- Katherine BarlowSchoolteacher who becomes the outlaw Kissin' Kate Barlow
- Elya YelnatsStanley's ancestor whose broken promise curses the family
Book details
- First published
- 1998
- Length
- 272 pages
- Reading time
- 2 hours
- Author
- Louis Sachar
- Genre
- Fiction
- Goodreads rating
- 4.02 (1.4M ratings) →
- First line
- “There is no lake at Camp Green Lake.”
Series & reading order
- 1 Holes
- 2 Small Steps
Movie & TV adaptations
- IMDb
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