This book is part of a series.

In Holes, we’re introduced to Stanley Yelnats, a boy whose family has been cursed ever since the days of his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather. For Stanley, the curse takes the form of being arrested and sentenced for a crime he didn’t commit. As punishment, Stanley is sent to Camp Green Lake, a detention center that has neither greenery nor a lake — or hasn’t in a long time, at any rate. The whole area has dried up, and in the bottom of the former lakebed, boys “build character” by digging holes, all day, every day.

But of course, there’s more going on than meets the eye. Three distinct timelines and narratives weave through this book, each revealing a piece of the puzzle, until the whole thing ties together in the book’s stunning conclusion. Holes has become a beloved piece of young adult literature not only for its handling of racial issues and the criminal justice system, but for the deft, sure-handed way it balances both the absurd and the tragic.