A few years back there were television commercials all over the place advertising this movie called Holes, which apparently held some big secret because the previews never revealed anything but dirt and that kid from the Disney channel.

            Well turns out it was based on a young adult novel. I had never planned to read it, or see the movie, but one day my mom brought it home from a friend and told me that it was really good. So I said what the heck, and I read it cover to cover in one night.

            As I have grown older I have steadily moved away from young adult novels, and yet there is really no need to. If the writing and story is good, anyone can enjoy it. Much like anyone can enjoy Harry Potter even though the main character is an adolescent.

            If you happen to be one of those people who are wondering what the secret of Holes is; let me just say right now, that those previews were misleading. There is no all encompassing secret for the story, the reason they didn’t reveal anything is because every event that takes place ties in heavily with the over all story. It really is best if you read the whole book, or in the other case watch the whole movie, the real enjoyment of the story is how well every event has a purpose and ties in with the ending.

            I don’t want to give any spoilers away myself but I will try to give you a brief description to give you a better idea of what you are getting into.

            Much of the story is told through Stanley Yelnats; who one day was walking down the street when a mysterious pair of shoes fell from the sky and smacked him in the head. Stanley isn’t quite sure how it happened but he runs home with the shoes anyway. Well turns out these shoes were from a famous basketball player, and worse yet they had been donated to an orphanage. So of course the police don’t believe Stanley when he tells them that they fell from the sky.

            Stanley is then taken to court to determine his punishment. This punishment then comes in the form of service at a place called Camp Green Lake. At first Stanley is excited; he has never been to camp before, but when he arrives at a desert like, heat choked environment, he finds something altogether different.

            Each and every boy at this camp digs holes, as deep and wide as the shovel they are using. No one seems to know why they are digging these, and when they ask, the officials say it is to “build character.” However they also tell them that if they find anything interesting they are to report to them immediately.

            Obviously something bigger is going on here, and as the story unfolds through multiple characters in multiple times, we see what exactly that is.

            I must say that I was amazed how complex and thought provoking this story was. Every story told through the multiple characters is vital to the ending and it all comes together so seamlessly.

            I also really loved the characters in this story, especially Mr. Sir and his line that never fails to give you a laugh “This is not a girl scout camp!”

            I truly enjoyed this book and I recommend it to every reader out there, not just young adults.