Analysis of the book

hi everyone,

   Finally I'm done with this book, I mean, I can finally focus on my blog, it is wonderful isn't it? :P I know how you are excited to read my comments.

   First of all I can say that the book “Holes” is the best book that we’ve  read in this school for the English lesson. If I don’t have to blog about my reading journay, I ccould read it in 2 days.

   However Louis Sachar has written a very interesting book. There are 3 stories, main story and the sub stories. These 3 stories are all connected to each other. Louis Sachar should be a very creative author. Wenn I read the half of this book, I couldn’t recognize the connection between these stories, but then I can slowly recognize. It was like a puzzle. You should read and find the pieces of this puzzle and finish the story. I like the stories, wenn they surprise me. I don’t like common idea sor general endings. Which one of us can guess that Zero’s great-grandmother is Madam Zeroni. Nobody can know it in the beginning, so I like these stories to be so close together.

  We can say for this connections  just coincidences, but I think that Louis Sachar has describe them as the destiny. It was Stanley’s destiny to be at the Camp Green Lake and to meet with Zero, maybe it was their destiny to be lost together in desert but they can survive and together they break the curse. With using the old stories Louis Sachar wants to tell us about destiny, and in my opinion he made it very well.

Interview with Louis Sachar

Hi everyone, while I was searching about our book "Holes" I found an interview in New York Times with Louis Sachar. I want to share it in my blog but I should warn you this entry is longer than the others :D


Q: At this point you have many adult fans as well as "young adults" among your readers. What appeals to you most about writing for kids?
A: More than writing for kids, I like writing about kids. They are at the mercy of authority figures (parents, teachers, employers, or — in the case of "Holes" — prison guards) yet at the same time the world is opening up to them, offering unlimited opportunities and new experiences. The characters, along with the readers, are learning about the world and about themselves. But the stories I write are ones that appeal to me, as an adult. I make sure they are accessible to young readers, and I respect my reader's intelligence, which is why I think I have many adult fans as well.
Q: Who were your favorite authors when you were growing up? Why?
A: I remember my fourth grade teacher reading "Charlotte's Web" and "Stuart Little" to us — both, of course, by E. B. White. His stories were genuinely funny, thought provoking and full of irony and charm. He didn't condescend to his readers, which was why I liked his books, and why I wasn't a big reader of other childrens' books. I didn't start loving to read until high school. Then it was J. D. Salinger and Kurt Vonnegut who really got me excited about reading, and then writing.
Q: As you know, Camp Green Lake has attained almost mythic status among fans of your novel "Holes". Were you nervous at all about returning to two of the characters of that book while setting the story in the "real" world of Austin, Texas?
A: I wasn't trying to write a sequel to "Holes." I wanted to write a story addressing some of the problems faced by an African-American teenager, especially one with a criminal record. Since "Holes" was so popular, I thought readers would enjoy being with a familiar character, but the story stands very much on its own.
Q: You mentioned in an earlier interview that you started thinking about Armpit and X-Ray because at first you weren't happy with how they were portrayed as the movie of "Holes" was being filmed, and you imagined them traveling to Hollywood to complain about it. What was it you were concerned about during the filming process? Were you able to fix it?
A: When I write a novel, every word is mine. I welcome suggestions from my editor, but in the end, I make all the final decisions. Once I sold the movie rights, I lost that control. The movie had several producers along with their staff, all looking at the material for the first time, and saying how things should be changed, often not even realizing the effects of all their changes. There were times when the screenplay (which I wrote) had been so badly altered, and in my mind, distorted, that I contemplated taking my name off of it. Fortunately I had a very good relationship with the director, who would always listen to my protests, and by the time the movie was shot, most of the things I really felt strongly about were fixed. Don't get me wrong. Other people also added a lot of great things to movie. There were a lot of extremely talented people involved; the actors, the director, the editor, and in the end, the movie was made better by everyone's combined talents and efforts.
But the initial development process took about three years. It was during that time, when the script looked out-of-control to me, that I got the idea about writing a story about the "real" Armpit and X-Ray going to Hollywood to complain about the way their characters were portrayed, and to demand money for the rights to "their" story. I never got very far into the novel, but I liked the dynamics I had created between those two characters, and so I still wanted to write about them.
Q: I'm guessing you had a good time writing the lyrics you give the character Kaira DeLeon to sing in "Small Steps" (and I see your publisher has announced a kids' songwriting contest). What do you like to listen to when you're working? Did you have anyone in mind when writing Kaira?
A: I don't listen to music when I write. I need silence. I didn't have any particular artist in mind when I wrote about Kaira. But yes, I had a blast writing the lyrics.
Q: You once said that you like to write for only about two hours a day. What do you do for the rest of the day?
A: I'm an avid bridge player. I usually go to the local bridge club three or four times a week. I've always been a game-player, and I think bridge is one of the greatest games ever invented. It's too bad that not many young people play it any more.

Dear journal,

To be honest I don’t know, how long I have been here. Days are passing very fast, I  can’t even figure out. Every single day I’m digging holes to build my character. Are they kidding me? It must be a joke, but I know, these are all because of my no-good- dirty-rotter-pig-stealing-great great-grandfather. He did it! He did it to me, to my father, to my grandfather!

For the first time of my life I lied to my mom, because I don’t want her to be sad. If she knows what I’m doing here, she will be very upset about it. I’m the who is cursed, not she.

I dig holes very slow. There is a boy at this camp, Zero. He is absolutely talented about it. He finishes his hole when I dig only the half of mine. I believe that I can get use to it too. Even in my dreams I’m digging holes,when it becomes a nightmare, I’m falling into this holes. In this holes there are rattlesnakes and lizard and they are waiting for me. When I wake up Iget very happy because I ‘m still alive.

I think I have some friends, but I don’t believe  that I can trust them, I shouldn’t forget that they are criminals too. Everyone in here is a little big weird , I get it

                                                                                                Stanley Yelnarts

Charakter Analysis - Zero

Actually, Louis Sachar has described the characters in this book, with very strong attributes. First they seem very normal people, but than we learn their stories with their own characters.

   I think every person in this book has a very interesting character. Even the boys at Camp Green Lake has different personalities.

  

  Especially Zero’s character interests me. In the beginning we get to know him as a stupid boy. He doesn’t speak, smile much. Everyone at the Camp thinks that he is stupid, even Mr. Pendanski. Mr. Pendanski calls him Zero, too. Everyone behaves him like he doesn’t understand anything, because he doesn’t talk, but then he begins to speak with Stanley. He wants Stanley to teach him how to read and write.In return he help Stanley to dig his hole, because Zero digs very fast, and Stanley doesn’t get tired and can teach better.

  In the end we recognize that he isn’t a stupid boy, he is actually smart, works hard to figüre things out. He and Stanley become best friends. He tells Stanley his own life story, he lives on the Street, he lost his mom, but still he becomes a good person. I think that’s the important part of it.

First Impressions - Part 2

Hi everyone, I'm back again.

   While I'm reading, I noticed a kind of a different story in this book about a young man, Elya. His story is happening long time ago. He promised a old lady, Madam Zeroni, and he broke this promise to her, and he believes that he is cursed by Madam Zeroni. Then we recognize, that he was great-great-grandfather of Stanley. As we can see, Stanley was right, he's cursed, because of his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather.

   On the other hand, Stanley begins to have new friends at the Camp Green Lake. He is trying to get used to this situation. He writes a letter to his mom, and tells lies about the camp. He describes the camp as a summer camp. He tells that he passes the swimming test, and will learn how to waterski. He tells a lot of lies about the camp to his own mom, just because he doesn't want her to be sad. Life isn't easy for him, especially at the Camp Green Lake.

   I know, our lifes can't be compared, he is such an unlucky boy but sometimes I do the same as Stanley does. I live in dormitory without my mom, and when I have some little problems, I don't tell every detail to heri because I don't want to make her sad. It should be very hard for Stanley, because his problems are so many times bigger than mine.

That is a photo of me, my sister and my mom, I love them so much :)

Holes - First Impressions

I haven't had a blog before, so even if it's a homework for our holiday, I'm kind of excited about it :D.

   Secondly, I must say, that I've watched the movie of this book two years ago, but t be honest, I don't remember at all. I thought, if I don't remember the movie, it must be very boring.It wasn't like how I excepted, it wasn't.

   The main character of the book "Holes" is Stanley Yellnats. He is overweight and innocent of a crime that he is being punished for. He is sent to the Camp Green Lake for the punishment. He is a little bit optimist, because he thinks, that this camp is as a vacation near the lake, but it isn't. He and the other children must dig holes everyday on a dry lake.
   There is a funny thing about Stanley, he is always in wrong place in wrong time,and he believes that it's because of his no-good- dirty-rotter-pig-stealing-great great-grandfather, - I must confess when I see this words in the book, I didn't actually read all of the words :D- Stanley believes, he and his family has been cursed, that's the reason why bad things always happens to him.

   This story reminds me of my grandmom. When someone breaks a mirror, she believes, that it brings 7 years curse for the family. By the way I don't know why it is 7 years.

   Stanley has not any idea of his curse, either. We can only know it from the next chapters ;)