"Holes" by Louis Sachar

     This book is really, really wonderful. It is one of the better Kids Lit books that I have read in a really long time. I go back to it and reread it every once in a while just to remind myself that all of the good books aren't written by dead people. It has never failed to cure me of my cynicism. For you purists, there are spoilers in the next paragraph.

     It is about Stanley Yelnats and his family curse, and how it gets broken. It appears to be quite purposefully calling up the story of Adam's curse and Jesus' curse-breaking activities, with Stanley, the "second Elya" breaking the Yelnats curse in the fifth generation. Interestingly, his actions break the curse for his family and secure the curse on the Wardens family. The curse/blessing imagery is so prevelant that I am not sure if I would even believe Sachar himself if he tried to convince me that it wasn't on purpose.

     It is a worthwhile read and I happily give it five stars