From the very beginning, I was attracted by the name of this book; before picking it up I wondered endlessly what it could be about. What’s the plot of the story? How will holes play a role in the book? What kind of story could this be?

The story begins with a boy, Stanley, accidentally stealing a pair of famous sneakers. Being a juvenile, he is sent to a camp for his punishment, Camp Green Lake.

The students at the camp are there for many different reasons and they are all from different backgrounds and places. Unaware of what his punishment actually is before he arrives, he is in for a rude awakening. He is made to dig holes, every day, under the scorching hot sun. While at the camp, Stanley builds a friendship with a boy named Zero.

It turns out, Zero can’t read or write. Under these harsh circumstances, Stanley decides that after digging every day, he will also teach Zero how to read and write. This shows Stanley’s personality, how big his heart is, and how much he cares about others.

After reading this memorable book, I think Stanley is a positive boy, because he doesn’t lose heart when everyone thinks he is a thief, and he doesn’t complain or even cry like the others when he digs his holes in the hot sun.

One thing that really touched me was that he writes a letter to reassure his mother that he is having a good time at camp instead of telling her what is actually happening.

Stanley is also very kind and begins to feel responsible for Zero. At one point, Zero steals the keys of one of the guards, hops into the truck with Stanley and attempts to escape the camp.

After crashing the truck, Zero runs off into the desert and Stanley gets caught. Eventually, Stanley also breaks away from the camp looking for Zero, hoping he is safe.

As I read, I thought of myself last week. This semester I signed up for PE class and the first task was to run eight laps on the playground, which is 1,600 meters.

By the time I got to the fourth lap, I had lost hope and my legs didn’t seem to belong to me. I saw some students go to the school infirmary, some students stopped running; then the teacher asked me if I wanted to go to the infirmary for water and air conditioning.

It was at that moment that I thought about Stanley, who has encountered all kinds of difficulties, but not given up hope. Why should I give up?

So I persisted, although I was tired, hot, and thirsty. After finishing, I felt a sense of achievement and was happy and proud.