A Short Summary

I have read 143 pages so far,that means 40 chapters and I want to write a short summary for the readers,who want to know the main points of the story.It will be really helpful for your first impression of the book.

In the beginning we read some information about yellow-spotted lizards,which will appear several times in the novel and then we meet our main character:Stanley Yelnats.Stanley goes to Camp Green Lake,because he stole sneakers of a famous baseball player.Actually it is what the people think.He didn't steal the sneakers he just found them,but he has no choice,he has to go either to jail or to Camp Green Lake.

Camp Green Lake is the place,where ''bad boys'' have to go.Although it is called a ''lake'',you can see no lake there.There used to be a lake,but it dried out.If we could go there in real life,we would just see thousands of holes in a place like desert.These holes must be dug by the boys in the camp.I imagine the place would look like this :

The counselors think that digging holes ''build up'' their character,that's why boys have to dig holes everyday.Stanley has to dig holes,too.

In the novel we have a sub-story as well.This the story of Stanley's ancestors and an outlaw Kissin' Kate Barlow,who robbed the fortune of Stanley's great-grandfather.

In the main story Stanley make some friends in the camp,but Zero is his best friend,because he is the only one,who tries to help him.The other guys and the counselor Mr. Pendanski think that Zero is stupid,but Stanley knows he is really clever,but he just doesn't want to answer the questions.

One day,as Stanley digs his hole as usual,he finds a golden tube.Letters KB are engraved on it.Stanley thinks it belonged to Kate Barlow.He gave it to X-Ray,a boy at the camp,because they made a deal.If Stanley finds something,he will give it to X-Ray,because if boys find something,which can interest The Warden,they will get a day off.In the upcoming chapters we will learn that,this golden tube was the lipstick Kate Barlow used.She kissed her victims after she killed them,that's why she is called Kissin' Kate Barlow.

In his time at the camp Stanley teaches Zero,his best friend, how to read.For this education Zero digs holes for Stanley and it annoys the other guys at the camp.Zigzag beats Stanley up,because he gets angry and then Zero comes and chokes Zigzag.The counselor fires his pistol to make the children calm down,When the other counselors and The Warden hear the voice,they come to see what happened.They learn from Zigzag,that Zero digs holes for Stanley,so The Warden wants that everybody digs his own holes.However Zero doesn't want to dig holes anymore,so he hit Mr. Pendanski's face with his shovel and escapes.

Stanley wants to find his best friend Zero,so he steals the truck,as the counselors fill their canteens,but he can't drive so far away,because a wheel of the car gets stuck in a hole.

As he goes through the desert,he remembers what his great-grandfather said about God's thumb.He sees a mountain,which has a shape of a thumb,so he plans to go there.

On his way he understands that it is not so easy to there.Besides he sees a thing on the desert and wants to see what it is.When he goes there,he sees that it is a boat and he finds Zero there.He thinks that they need go back to camp,but Zero says he doesn't want to dig holes anymore,so Stanley persuades him to go to the ''Thumbs Up'' together,but there is a problem.Zero ate a kind of spiced peaches he calls ''sploosh'' to survive,but it hurts him,so he can't walk and climb so easy like before.Although he is hurt,he still wants to go there so they make their way to the ''Thumbs Up''.
(716 Words)