I just finished reading “Holes”a few hours ago. It is a great work of children’s literature written by Louis Sachar, and was awarded the Newbery Medal and the National Book Medal.

This book is an adventure and mystery story. At the beginning, we are introduced to an unlucky boy named Stanley Yelnats, who despite being innocent is convicted of a crime and must make a choice between jail and Camp Green Lake. Stanley chooses Camp Green Lake, which is a terrible place, run by a disgusting, authoritative Warden and her two assistants. They make Stanley and the other kids dig a five-foot-by-five-foot hole every day in order to build their character, or so they say. But Stanley and his friend Zero finally unlock the secret behind the holes. They use their bravery and intelligence to finally achieve a happy ending—Zero finds his long-lost mother, and Stanley not only lifts his family’s curse, but also finds tons of money.

The part that impressed me most in this book was the end of the story, when everything began to become better for the main characters. Stanley’s father successfully invents a cure for foot odor; Stanley’s family obtains precious jewels, which means they will never have to worry about money again; Ms. Warden closes Camp Green Lake; and so on. It is like when a student who works very hard in school is rewarded with a good grade. Stanley and Zero spend so much time together and experience so many hardships, they deserve a good ending. What’s more, I was really amazed by Sachar’s writing skill. In my opinion, the most brilliant point of this book is the way he balances so many different elements, like the valuable friendship between Stanley and Zero, the terrible Camp Green Lake, the legendary bank robber Kate Barlow, and so on. They are all totally different, but Sachar brings them together without any difficulty, and that is really remarkable to me.

I think you will really enjoy this book when you read it for its fantastic plot and structure.