Holes

by Louis Sachar
This young adult book is great fun for adults as well, though we may try to read too much into it. Relax. It's a tall-tale, meant to be enjoyed. Stanley Yelnats' first Summer Camp experience is no vacation; he's sent there by a judge for a crime he didn't commit. His camp-mates are the toughest juvenile delinquents in the country, and the motto of the camp is, "If you take a bad boy and make him dig a hole every day in the hot sun, it will turn him into a good boy." But what's the real reason for all the hole-digging? Is Stanley's bad luck all because of a curse put on his family? And if so, how can he turn his misfortune around?