Welcome
Whether you’re reading Holes, by Louis Sachar, with a class, a book club, or your family, these questions will help you dig deeper.
There are twelve questions in five groups. The first four groups avoid the ending, and the last group is full of spoilers, so I’ll warn you before we get there.
The Camp
Question one. Camp Green Lake has no lake, and nothing about it is green. Why do you think Sachar chose such a misleading name?
Question two. The boys dig a hole every day, and the warden says it builds character. Is she right about that, even if her reasons are not honest?
Question three. How would you describe the adults at the camp? Are they realistic, or are they meant to be a joke?
Stanley and Zero
Question four. Stanley begins the book as a shy, overweight boy who is used to being picked on. What small changes do you notice in him as the story goes on?
Question five. Stanley teaches Zero to read, and Zero helps Stanley dig. Is their friendship a fair trade? What does each really give the other?
Luck and Fate
Question six. The Yelnats family blames their bad luck on a curse. Do you think luck is something you are born with, or something you make?
Question seven. Stanley’s bad luck keeps putting him in the right place at the right time. Is that a coincidence, or something more?
The Past
Question eight. Sachar tells stories from a hundred years ago alongside Stanley’s story. How does that change how you read the present?
Question nine. Several characters in the past are treated unfairly because of who they are. How does the book connect those unfair moments with what is happening to the boys at camp?
Spoiler Questions
Now a warning. These last questions give away the ending, so if you haven’t finished the book, pause here.
Question ten. Stanley carries Zero up the mountain, just like his great great grandfather was supposed to. Why does that matter so much?
Question eleven. The treasure turns out to be worth less than the boys expected. Do you think the real treasure is something else?
Question twelve. Sachar ends with a party, a television commercial, and a mysterious woman. Why do you think he chose to end that way?
Wrap Up
If your group only has time for one question, pick this one: how do the many stories in Holes fit together?
Share your answers in the comments, and thanks for reading along. See you next time.
