Newbery Books discussion

So it's a few days late but if anyone would like to comment I would be interested to hear your thoughts.

I personally loved the book, I had already seen the movie so I was familiar with the storyline, but it was refreshing to have all the details the book contained. I like that it was serious but at the same time fun, and how she tied up the storylines together was kind of cheesy but still perfect. It was VERY creative and well thought out. 4 stars.

This is one of those rare books that sweeps the nation winning almost all the awards.

Have I told you before how much I love books where the innocent good prisoner escapes from the evil warden? I saw this movie on a plane about 5 years ago. I'd never heard of it, but I enjoyed it immensely. Ever since the Newbery Goodreads group started I have been anxiously waiting for time to read the book. It did not disappoint.

This is one of my favorite Newberies. I read this book to my two older kids several years ago. I did not expect to like the movie, I typically don't like what Hollywood does to my favorite books, so you can imagine my surprise when I watched the movie and actually liked it!
By the way, has anyone read the sequel? It's called Small Steps.

Wow, I didn't know there was a sequel. I'll have to check it out. The first time I read Holes, my main impression was that it was a bizarre story. But the more I thought about it, the more I decided it was really good. I've read it at least twice and just read it a third time to my daughter at her request. She liked it, too.

I think the movie definitely added to my appreciation of the book. I agree with you, Annette, that Hollywood usually does a poor job with books I like, but this was an exception. I really like the casting in the movie. I also enjoy the cinematography and the way the movie transistions between past and present events. The part in the book where Zero tells about his mom disappearing and his imaginary stuffed animal giraffe almost makes me cry, so I was actually glad that got left out in the movie. I always think of Zero when I see tunnels at playgrounds. We like to joke about "sploosh," too.

Small Steps takes place in Austin Texas, and follows Armpit and X-ray. I have not read it yet but the overall feeling of this one is that it's ok not great.

Kristen wrote: ". . . the overall feeling of this one is that it's ok not great."

That's exactly how I felt about it. It just doesn't have that same magic Holes has. And even if I don't compare it to Holes, it just isn't a very memorable or interesting story.