Holes 1/8

chapters 1-12 Reading Guide

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I hope you are coming into 2022 bursting with the intention to read more and read better. At the start of every year I always get so excited about all the new books I’m going to read, the ones I’m looking forward to, and the ones I’ll discover along the way. And this time around is no different. But what makes this year extra special is that I get to share some great reads with you! It is with spirit that I happily announce that our first book of 2022 is Holes by Louis Sachar.

When I was thinking about which book to start off the year with I thought, oh, its winter, we should probably read about someone shivering in a frozen tundra. At least something involving a lot of snow. But then I thought, what is more transportable than a book? So here we are on a bitter January day reading about the blazing Texas heat. How better to illustrate the way a book can take us out of one world and into another? It just feels right! Right?

There is such rich material in this novel. Not only is it thematically dynamic, the plot points intersecting, the character’s refreshing and complex, it is first and foremost a book kids actually like to read. It’s thought provoking, emotionally stirring, a little weird, and so, so unbelievably well crafted. There is so much here to learn and to enjoy.

Over the month we’ll be covering a lot of ground. We’ll have discussion questions to help engage with the book and creative writing prompts to put some of your imagination into it. We’ll talk about plot and how multiple plot lines move action through this story. We’ll get into some themes like fate v. free will, good v. bad. There will be videos with the author and even recipes! Yes, that’s right, recipes. As in food you can make that relates to this book.

For now let’s jump right in to the first few chapters.