Stanley Yelnats was innocent. He never stole the shoes of the basketball player, but too bad, life isn’t fair. Now Stanley has been unjustly sent to a boy’s detention center–Camp Green Lake. It was odd that Camp Green Lake isn’t actually a lake. Well, it used to be a lake, but it’s not anymore. Right now, it’s like a desert. All of the water from the past has dried out, but the name is still Camp Green Lake. It is where boys are punished by being forced to dig holes that are exactly five feet wide and five feet deep. Some people said that 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. But that is not what the Warden at Camp Green Lake wanted. She wanted something that had sunk down into the water many years ago, and it was still there. Making the boys dig holes will help her to find what she wants. All of the boys did something bad, except for Stanley. He didn’t deserve to be digging holes all day with the other boys, but for the Warden, he was a big help. Without him, the Warden would never find the object that was buried under layers and layers of sand. What do you think that object was? If you want to know, you have to read the book, of course! Oh! I almost forgot to introduce the author to you! The author of Holes is Louis Sachar. I don’t know about you, but I love his books! They are amazing! And also, Holes won the National Book Award, as well as many others. You may recognize his name as the writer of the Wayside School Stories and also There’s a Boy in the Girls’ Bathroom. Read Holes! You won’t be disappointed! It sounds like I am advertising, but it’s actually true! I can also introduce you to many more books that are good as well. Read my book reviews if you want to read more new books! Holes by Louis Sachar. Yearling Books, 2000. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process! Check out a past review that we’ve published of Holes. Have you read it too? Feel free to submit your own review!
book review
Wish, Reviewed by Audrey, 10
Reading OBOB books (Oregon Battle of the books, also known as OBOB is a reading program for students 3rd-12th grade), I found a book that left me amazed. This book had many recommendations and reviews, and many people that I knew had suggested this book. I have read this book so many times; I am still not sick of it. The book is called Wish by Barbara O’Connor. Charlie’s life turned unexpectedly when she had to move to Colby from her home in Raleigh, because of her “broken” family. Her father (nicknamed “Scrappy”) is in jail, her sister is graduating from high school, and her mama won’t get her “dang feet” on the ground. She is sent to live with her aunt and uncle that she barely knows, and she is very unhappy about it. There were so many cons. The house hanged off the hill, people ate squirrel pies, the teacher called her Charlemange, and her only friend was Howard, who had a strange walk that went up and down from side to side. But on her journey in Colby, she will find a pro, a very good pro that would change her life forever. Wishbone. This stray dog that she sees one day, she knew that Wishbone would be perfect. Luckily, Howard, who looked quite shabby and seemed annoying, was a great friend and was very brainy too. Together, they could catch Wishbone. Along their quest to find Wishbone, there are things that will spark their friendship. Charlie has been making the same wish everyday since 4th grade (she is in 5th grade). She has never told anyone until she met Howard. One day when they are at the creek, they say something at the same time, so they get to make a wish. After they have made their wish, Charlie decides to guess what Howard’s wish is. She guesses that Howard didn’t have his up down walk. She instantly regrets it, and Howard gets up and leaves. Will she still be able to catch Wishbone (while fixing her friendship)? This book really makes the reader want to continue reading this book. Wish teaches a great lesson about perseverance. You can tell that Charlie is perseverant because the author noted that Charlie made the same wish for a year. I really hope you read this book and enjoy it as much as I did. In conclusion, I believe this is one of the best books I have ever read. The book doesn’t tell what Charlie’s wish is until the end, which I think makes the book suspenseful and keeps the reader hooked in the book. This book includes a lot of adventure, understanding, and friendship. I encourage you to read this novel. You won’t regret it once you read Wish. Wish by Barbara O’Connor. Square Fish, 2017. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process!
The True Meaning of Smekday, Reviewed by Pragnya, 12
The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex is not your typical science fiction novel. Sure, it does have some mind-boggling gizmos and gadgets, and your typical alien invasion, but it also has humor, an overload of alien cuteness, a few weird but funny wordplay jokes on an even weirder alien race, and much more that makes it stand out way more than you’d expect it to. The True Meaning of Smekday is a uniquely mind-bending, witty and hilarious novel centered around 11-year-old Gratuity Tucci’s essay about the time alien races invaded the United States and what it meant to her. The story starts out on Moving Day, the day when the Boov, an alien race trying to find a home for themselves, decides to put the whole population of America within one state, Florida. The protagonist, Gratuity, along with her pet cat called Pig decide to embark on a quest to find her mother, who had gone missing the same morning. After hiding from the Boov spaceships in a convenience store, she meets J.Lo, a quirky yet lovable Boov who tells her he accidentally sent a radio transmission of their location to another enemy alien race called the Gorg, who destroyed every planet they could get their hands on. Gratuity reluctantly teams up with J.Lo, who proves to be very resourceful when he wants to be. Together, their adventure to find Gratuity’s mother takes them across the country where they meet many friends and foes alike, visit many places to hide from the Gorg, and use many futuristic devices, like Slushious, Gratuity’s family van which J.Lo modifies to float in the air, and a cloning device which J.Lo used to refill the petrol in Slushious. Above all, though, the growing bond between girl and Boov is extremely heartwarming and special, and I personally enjoyed reading about the two of them learning and trying to experience each other’s culture and lifestyle. This book is special mainly because it has a trait which seldom many books have; you can’t summarize the whole story without revealing too much, like after Gratuity and J.Lo find ”mimom”, the story takes an even bigger plot twist. It seems as though all the adventures the two of them undergo for 300 pages seem to have nothing on what happens next. Another example is seen in the very beginning of the book, the title. What is the true meaning of Smekday? I also like the fact that the author has made all the characters (including the non-humans!) in a very humane way, unlike many science-fiction novels, where most scenes are exaggerated. Debut novelist Adam Rex was originally known for his picture books like ‘Frankenstein makes a Sandwich’, and in this full-fledged novel, his small drawings and comics like Smektastic Voyage, and guide to the Nimrog add little comedic touches which push this book to the next level. This book is definitely worth reading, and its entertaining narration, funny and easily relatable characters and one-of-a-kind plot will definitely make you want and reread and relive Gratuity and J.Lo’s world of adventures again and again. The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex. Disney-Hyperion, 2009. Buy the book here and support Stone Soup in the process!
