One of the rules in our family is that you aren’t allowed to watch a movie based on a book until you have read the book first. As such, I’m ashamed to admit that I haven’t read the book Holes, by Louis Sachar, but I did see the movie (years ago), which was great. However, my daughter Simi has read the book (and hasn’t seen the movie), and so she’s guest writing this Monday Morning.
This week I read Holes, by Louis Scachar. It’s an outstanding story. If you like surprises then you are for sure going to like this book.
Stanley Yantell is under a curse – a curse that ran through the family since his great great grandfather. Now Stanley is a criminal and had a choice to be sent to Camp Green Lake or jail. Being poor he chose camp.
But camp is not what he expects. Instead of playing in the so-called “lake,” Stanley finds that the lake has no water and all they do all day is dig holes five feet down up and side to side. The warden says that they are digging for character, but it does not take Stanley long to realise that they are digging holes because the warden is looking for something.
Stay with Stanley and figure out: What is the warden looking for and why?
I guess you’ll just have to read the book to find out!
Koby and I recently finished a wonderful book by the amazing Kate DiCamillo, The Beatryce Prophecy. I’ve enjoyed reading many of her books with my kids, and this one was no exception. Without giving away too much, we meet Beatryce when she wakes up with amnesia, remembering only her name, and that she can read. This is worrying because in the world in which she lives, girls aren’t allowed to learn to read (and some boys haven’t learned). The storyline is superficially about how she re-discovers who she is, but more importantly, it’s about the relationships she makes along the way, and the bravery she exhibits when she figures out who she is and what she’s capable of.
Just Because I Liked It:
- What are we supposed to teach in school? Thinking skills or content? Take a listen to this fascinating Science of Reading podcast to find out.
- I basically think anything Matti Friedman writes is worth reading, and this article about music and the war is no exception.
- I’ve never found interviews with sports figures interesting, but this clip of Kobe Bryant talking about failure (or rather, the lack of failure) is certainly worth listening to.