Hickey's Favorite Book

The favorite book that I choose out of the mass of books that I have read is Holes by Louis Sachar. I read this book in fifth grade outside of assigned classroom reading because my teacher often urged (and sometimes forced) her students to read books of our own interest. At the time I was not sure as to what style of reading I was most drawn to but after reading this book, I started to develop a desire for certain themes. Holes was one of the newest books out with an interesting cover, which is also very appealing to me when it comes to choosing a book to read.

The first chapter was one of the more stranger things I had every read. The language used in the book was slightly out of the ordinary yet the setting was very much in the present. Holes is about a young boy named Stanley who gets accused for stealing and is sentenced to hard labor at a strange camp. Stanley is not witty, strong, or very bright yet he becomes increasingly charming because he is such an underdog in this story. His chance of survival at the camp seems near to none. But through meaningful friendships mixed with slight clever and charm Stanley is able to wiggle out of almost every unfortunate circumstance that is thrown his way.

I enjoy mystery, action, and adventure books, which may seem slightly uncommon for girls, yet Holes is written completely gender neutral. I believe that gender-neutral books are better accepted by all the students and are more enjoyable overall. Also this book is very funny in an offbeat type of way. That also attracts my reading attention.

This book is great for higher levels of reading, possibly grades 4-6. I think this book can be incorporated into any literacy curriculum because the multiple themes that you will be able to dissect in the classroom. Examples of some of the themes that could be used are honesty, friendship, and selflessness. There are also very unique male characters that range in very different personalities. It also may be interesting to discuss whether or not the students think that Stanley in the hero at the end of the story or was it someone else. Before that can be determined that class must decide what they believe to be a hero. This upbeat book is great for discussing in any literary classroom.