Holes

I re-read this book in my quest to own all the Newbery Medal winning books. I read it a long, long time ago- before it even won the medal- and really didn't like it. I just hated it. I don't know why. Maybe it was the lizards. Maybe it was the rattlesnake venom nail polish. Maybe it was because I hate sweating, I hate orange, and I hate having stomach cramps. Could be because I don't like westerns, and could be becuase I am not a fan of sneakers. All of those things were in this book, so... oh, and I'm pretty sure the lack of dead rats in the book directly contributed to my initial dislike. But having said that, I liked it a little better this time.

I love Louis Sachar books. They are so silly. The first one I ever read was Sideways Stories from Wayside School, and ever since then I expected each one to be just as crazy and nutty. Well, of course they couldn't all be that insane. But they are all fun in their own way. There's always, always an element that just makes no sense (like ticklish spaghetti) but generally (except for Wayside School) there is a minor point hidden in the pages somewhere. Now, I don't like to be taught things while I'm being entertained, so I'm awfully picky about this. Luckily for Louis, there's no real lesson, just sort of a moral. Rather, the good guy wins. That's good enough for me. The good guy is not always the person you thought it was, but he's good enough to count.

So I'm not going to tell you what this book is about because first of all, that will ruin it, and second of all, I can't. I don't mean I have some moral obligation to keep the plot a secret, I just mean that even after reading it a second time... I have no idea what the book is about. I know waht happens in it, and I understood absolutely everything that I read. But I still couldn't tell you what it was about if I tried. But I don't care. I still liked it. After that mess of chick lit that I plowed my way through, I was relieved to be reading something sans manageable plot.

Pick up a Louis Sachar book and read it. You'll enjoy it. It's probably silly and it may make absolutely no sense. But that's the whole point. You don't care what book is about because you just enjoy the ride on your way there.