Since its release in 1998 Holes by Louis Sachar has remained one of the most well-loved books among young people. It is a rare book that appeals to both book lovers and reluctant readers. Many students who never read for “fun” are fully engrossed and read with enthusiasm until the end. 

DESCRIPTION
This winner of the Newbery Medal and the National Book Award features Stanley Yelnats, a kid who is under a curse. A curse that began with his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather and has since followed generations of Yelnats.
Now Stanley has been unjustly sent to a boys' detention center, Camp Green Lake, where the warden makes the boys "build character" by spending all day, every day, digging holes five feet wide and five feet deep. It doesn't take long for Stanley to realize there's more than character improvement going on at Camp Green Lake: the warden is looking for something. Stanley tries to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime, punishment, and redemption.

A novel study allows kids to develop their reading comprehension and thinking skills through high-quality literature. It lets them practice and refine their skills in a much more engaging format than the typical reading textbook.
A novel study is, also - and just as importantly -an opportunity to build a love of reading.

My role will be allowing for a lively discussion and allow the readers to take it where they like, while asking questions related to reading comprehension strategies like: making inferences, comparing and contrasting, cause and effect, sequencing, setting, and character analysis and traits.

I will provide questions each week to help guide their reading. These questions will get them thinking about the book, in a deeper way, prior to our meeting and help get our conversation started. Shy readers, who may not be as active in class, can send me their answers for feedback. This way they will also receive validation for their good work. 

We will also study vocabulary words from the text, and practice using context clues to define them.


During this novel study students will practice both close reading to notice details in the text and examine the big picture themes. 
I will provide both guided reading questions where they can find the answers in the text with careful reading and questions about the larger themes that will take sell reflection and big picture thinking. Students will respond to these questions verbally, via short answer written responses and conclude with several short essays. 

Here are some examples:

 Chapter questions:
•	Draw or describe your mental image of Camp Green Lake. Which details help you form this image? What mood or feeling does the setting create?
•	What do you think of Stanley so far? What is his family like? Are the Yelnatses like your own family in any way?
•	Do you think Stanley will make friends at Camp Green Lake? What kind of nickname might the boys give him?
•	Do you think Stanley believes in the family curse? Explain.
Theme questions:
•	Which factor is more important in shaping the direction of our lives: destiny or decision making?
•	How does a person’s past influence his or her present and future?
•	Do you believe that “what goes around comes around”? Why, or why not?
•	How does helping others make a person whole?
Students will demonstrate being able to identify story structure by answering the following questions:
Setting: Describe the setting of the story. Choose three quotes from the text that best represent the novel’s setting.
Characters: Get to know Stanley. What are his values and motives? Explain how Stanley grows and changes throughout the story.
Conflict: How does the setting affect the conflict? Identify an example of internal conflict.
Plot: Create a plot diagram for Holes. Identify three key moments that changed the course of the story.
Theme: Record quotes from the novel that you believe are important or wise. What does the novel Holes suggest about life?