HOLES (Playsmith Book 1)

Name: HOLES (Playsmith Book 1)
Price: 9.99 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.4 (440 reviews)
Author: Louis Sachar

by Louis Sachar

Mystery Thriller Young Adult

4.4 (440)

4.4 stars from 440 reviews

$9.99KU

Last checked: May 25, 2026

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Price history: $5.99 – $9.99

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Price range: $5.99 – $9.99

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Fans of these authors will like this...

Rick Riordan
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Fans of these books will like this...

The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency
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Perfect for you if...

You love stories where seemingly unconnected details click into place—the curse, the holes, the warden's real agenda all matter.
You enjoy humour that doesn't shy away from darkness: a boy wrongly imprisoned digging pointless holes is genuinely funny and genuinely grim.
You appreciate middle-grade books that don't talk down to you and reward careful reading on a second pass.

Maybe not for you if...

You want a fast-paced thriller; this takes time to layer its mystery and payoff.
You prefer purely comedic or purely serious stories; the tonal balance between darkly funny and genuinely tense won't satisfy if you want only one.
You need explicit action sequences; much of the tension is psychological and atmospheric rather than physical.

About this book

Stanley Yelnats is a boy burdened by a family curse that originated with his great-great-grandfather and has affected generations of his family. After being unjustly sent to Camp Green Lake, a boys' detention center, Stanley finds himself forced to dig holes five feet wide and five feet deep each day as part of the warden's character-building program. Stanley soon suspects that the warden has ulterior motives beyond character improvement—she appears to be searching for something. As Stanley attempts to uncover the truth behind the camp's activities, the story unfolds as a darkly humorous tale involving crime, punishment, and redemption. This work won the Newbery Medal and the National Book Award.

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Price History

Kindle price over time. Green zones = periods when the book was free.

$5.99 – $9.99

Price has been stable at $9.99 for 5 years. This book rarely goes on sale.

Sales Rank

Amazon sales rank: lower number = better selling book. #1 is the bestseller.

Currently around #33K in the Kindle store — a steady mid-list seller. Climbing the charts — 47% improvement recently.

Rating & Reviews

Purple line = star rating over time. Blue area = total review count growth.

Currently 4.4★ from 440 reviews

Gaining approximately 2 new reviews per month. Rating has remained stable at 4.4 over the tracking period.

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Prices shown in USD from Amazon US. We continuously pull new data to improve tracking. If dates look old, it usually means there has been no significant change since the last data point.