- middle schooler Stanley is falsely accused of a crime, is sent to a work camp for boys with harsh conditions
- author cleverly weaves Stanley’s modern story with a historic one, all tying together in the end
- language: x1 gee, x1 golly, x5 stupid, x2 G*d, some name-calling, x1 hell
- convo: mentions adults kissing, mentions murder, Stanley has to undress in front of counselor to make sure isn’t hiding anything, boyish banter, Stanley lies in his letters back home, racism*, drinking mentioned
Type: middle grade fiction
Ages: 10-14
Author: Louis Sachar
*The racism is part of the historical portion of the story. A white woman and black man fall in love, and their town does not take it well.
The camp requires each boy to dig a hole five feet deep and five feet wide…every…single…day. The faster they finish, the more free time they have. Being in a hot, Texan desert setting, the boys quickly learn how to deal with the heat, blisters, and thirst.
There’s a whole lot more to the situation than first meets Stanley’s eye. He soon discovers the camp warden is actually looking for something–the holes aren’t just busy work. An element of mystery combined with treasure seeking? This is getting exciting!
There are occasional scenes of intensity that I can’t recommend for lower than age 10. An evil lady poisons someone, the boys have tough conditions to work in (though that does improve as their bodies get stronger), there are some murders in the historical story woven throughout, and a boy is near to death at one point (from starvation, dehydration, and exposure).
Overall, this is a boy-erific book. Dirt, boyish banter, hard work, solving mysteries, and solid friendships. The author’s writing style was enjoyable, and there were occasional funny comments that broke up the intensity of various situations. That’s all I’m saying, because the rest would be spoilers!
Hope this review helped you! 🕳️🕳️🕳️🕳️🕳️