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1-Page Summary of Holes

Overview

Stanley Yelnats IV is a teenager from a poor family who has bad foot odor. He’s also been cursed by his great-great grandfather, who didn’t honor an old woman with magical powers. His father tries to find the cure for Stanley’s problem and hopes that will bring good luck to the family. Unfortunately, he gets framed for stealing baseball star Clyde Livingston’s shoes and ends up at Camp Green Lake instead of in prison like he should be.

Stanley Yelnats is a teenager who has been accused of stealing a pair of sneakers. He is sent to Camp Green Lake, where he meets Mr. Sir, one of the camp supervisors and someone that Stanley should watch out for. We also meet Mr. Pendanski, another camp supervisor who tells Stanley about Warden Walker and his strict rules at the campground. As we learn more about Camp Green Lake (the food they eat there tastes terrible, the showers are limited), we find out that Zero (who’s actually Hector Zeroni) was brought to Camp Green Lake because he’s related to Madame Zeroni; she cursed Stanley’s family years ago when they stole her pig from her ranch in Mexico.”

Stanley and other boys are forced to dig a hole every day. They have to dig five feet deep and five feet wide, which is exhausting work in the hot sun with no shade. The Warden says that digging will help them learn how to work hard, but she really wants to find treasure stolen by Kate Barlow, an infamous bandit.

Katherine Barlow is a schoolteacher who falls in love with a black man during the era of racism. Their relationship was forbidden, and when they were caught kissing by the sheriff, Sam was killed. This drove her to madness and she became a serial killer known as “Kissing Kate” because she kissed each victim on their lips before killing them. She left great treasure buried somewhere in the desert before committing suicide.

Stanley is sent to Camp Green Lake, where he begins teaching Zero how to read. Eventually, Zero runs away from the camp and Stanley steals a truck in order to find him. He eventually finds Zero under an overturned boat eating peaches that Katherine Barlow loved making.

Stanley’s great-great-grandfather was cursed by Madame Zeroni. He received a piglet from her and promised to take her up a mountain and sing for her while she drank from a life-giving stream, but he forgot those promises. Stanley has the chance to break that curse, since he is descended from Madame Zeroni.

Stanley and Zero are climbing a mountain in search of water. They’ve been going for days, but the mountain is still far away. Stanley’s great-great-grandfather promised to fulfill his promise if he ever saw the thumb shaped mountain from afar, so they continue their journey until they reach it.

Stanley Yelnats and Zero go back to Camp Green Lake after finding the treasure, but they are caught by the warden. Stanley’s lawyer shows up and saves them from being killed. The warden sells Camp Green Lake and it becomes a Girl Scout camp. The two boys split their treasure equally, with Zero using his half to find his mother. Stanley’s father is able to patent a cure for foot odor, which makes him rich. The rest of their lives are spent in comfort because of this newfound wealth.

Chapters 1-6

Stanley Yelnats IV is a boy who lives in Texas and was caught stealing sneakers. Instead of going to jail, he gets sent to Camp Green Lake, where boys are made into men by digging holes every day.

Despite his innocence, Stanley is convicted of stealing the shoes and sentenced to Camp Green Lake. He believes that he’s innocent because it was destiny for him to find those shoes. However, he blames a family curse for his bad luck since he was sent to Camp Green Lake instead of being rehabilitated into society.