Holes/Out of the Dust by Louis Sachar/Karen Hesse

A boy is mistakenly arrested for the theft of an athlete’s shoes and ends up at a boys’ detention center. This story of friendship, kindness, and perseverance describes the rewards of hardworking individuals, contrasting them with the punishments of greedy and cruel people. Although this does not reflect what often happens in the world, the antagonists drive to their own destruction while the diligent and determined continue to move forward. The protagonist, Stanley Yelnats, the great-great grandson of a “no-good-dirty-rotten” pit stealer, perseveres. Holes is a story of endurance, of the sacrifices that friendship often requires, and the struggle to overcome odds. It is also a reminder to persevere and to treasure friendship.

This beautifully crafted novel tells a heartbreaking yet hopeful story about a piano-playing girl growing up amidst the bleak Oklahoma dust storms of the 1930s. She is devastated by a tragic accident that severely burns her hands and ultimately claims her mother’s life. Out of the Dust conveys the suddenness and tragedy of loss, the anger and despair of grief, how relationships are restructured, and the self understood. The hopeful message of the text suggests that from charred ground a person might find a single green twig sprouting with promise.

About the Series:

Novel/Drama curriculum units contain complete lesson plans with preliminary and follow-up work, teacher notes with plot summary, background, and rationale, ready-to-use worksheets, and suggested answers for student questions. These study guides encourage the development of thinking, reading, speaking, research, and writing skills as well as critical thinking skills such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.