Recommendations based on Holesby Louis Sachar

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. The Phantom Tollbooth

    by Norton Juster
    A whimsical adventure through a magical land, searching for a way out of the boredom of everyday life.

    Milo is a boy bored by the world around him; every activity seems a waste of time. He arrives home from another boring day at school to find a mysterious package. Among its contents are a small ... (Wikipedia)

  2. The Graveyard Book

    by Neil Gaiman
    A young boy's journey through a graveyard, learning the secrets of the dead.

    The story begins as the man Jack murders most of the members of a family (later revealed to be the Dorian family) except for the toddler upstairs. Unknown to him, the toddler has climbed out of his ... (Wikipedia)

  3. Because of Winn-Dixie

    by Kate DiCamillo
    A girl's journey of self-discovery and healing, as she finds friendship in an unlikely companion.

    Kate DiCamillo's beloved, best-selling debut novel is now available in a paperback digest edition. Kate DiCamillo's first published novel, like Winn-Dixie himself, immediately proved to be a keeper—a ... (Goodreads)

  4. The Tale of Despereaux

    by Kate DiCamillo
    An epic adventure of an unlikely hero, on a quest to save his kingdom and restore justice.

    A noble mouse named Despereaux saves a princess named Princess Pea. Book one tells a story about a small, sickly mouse named Despereaux who was born in a castle with his eyes open. Despereaux, unlike ... (Wikipedia)

  5. Hatchet

    by Gary Paulsen
    A boy must learn to survive in the wilderness after a plane crash leaves him stranded.

    Brian Robeson is a thirteen-year-old son of divorced parents. As he travels from Hampton, New York on a single engine Cessna bush plane to visit his father in the oil fields in Northern Canada for ... (Wikipedia)

  6. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

    by E.L. Konigsburg
    Two adventurous children who run away from home and hide in New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art.

    When suburban Claudia Kincaid decides to run away, she knows she doesn’t just want to run from somewhere, she wants to run to somewhere — to a place that is comfortable, beautiful, and, preferably, ... (Goodreads)

  7. Walk Two Moons

    by Sharon Creech
    A young girl embarks on a road trip with her grandparents to find her missing mother, while reflecting on her own life and relationships.

    The novel is narrated by a 13-year-old girl named Salamanca (Sal). Sal's mother has recently left Sal's father, and Sal's grandparents are taking her on a cross-country car trip to Lewiston, Idaho to ... (Wikipedia)

  8. Where the Red Fern Grows

    by Wilson Rawls
    A young boy embarks on an adventure with his beloved hunting dogs, learning valuable life lessons.

    An old man named Billy Colman rescues a redbone hound under attack by neighborhood dogs. He takes it home with him so that its wounds can heal. In light of this event, he has a flashback to when he ... (Wikipedia)

  9. Esperanza Rising

    by Pam Muñoz Ryan
    A young girl from a wealthy Mexican family is forced to flee to California during the Great Depression and learns to adapt to a new life as a farm worker.

    Esperanza is a child in Aguascalientes , Mexico, daughter of wealthy landowner Sixto Ortega. She lives on her family's ranch, El Rancho de la Rosas, with her mother, father, and grandmother Abuelita. ... (Wikipedia)

  10. Frindle

    by Andrew Clements
    A boy's simple idea revolutionizes the English language, sparking a debate among teachers and students.

    Nicholas "Nick" Allen is a class clown who has been formulating creative schemes throughout grade school . At the start of fifth grade in 1987, he is unhappy because his English teacher is the ... (Wikipedia)

  11. The Bad Beginning

    by Lemony Snicket
    Three orphans must use their wits to survive a cruel and unusual guardian.

    Dear Reader, I'm sorry to say that the book you are holding in your hands is extremely unpleasant. It tells an unhappy tale about three very unlucky children. Even though they are charming and ... (Goodreads)

  12. Small Steps

    by Louis Sachar
    Two boys, one black and one white, are released from a juvenile detention center and must navigate the challenges of starting over.

    Two years after being released from Camp Green Lake, Armpit is home in Austin, Texas, trying to turn his life around. But it’s hard when you have a record, and everyone expects the worst from you. ... (Goodreads)

  13. Tuck Everlasting

    by Natalie Babbitt
    A young girl discovers the secret of a family that has found the key to eternal life.

    12-year-old Winifred "Winnie" Foster is frustrated with her family because they keep her cooped up in the house, and considers running away from her home in rural Treegap. One day, while in a wooded ... (Wikipedia)

  14. Inkheart

    by Cornelia Funke
    A young girl's journey to uncover the secrets of a magical book, and the power of books to shape our lives.

    12-year-old Meggie sees a stranger staring at her outside her window and tells her father, Mortimer (or Mo, as Meggie calls him) about it. Her father invites the stranger in, who introduces himself ... (Wikipedia)

  15. The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs

    by Jon Scieszka
    A humorous reimagining of the classic fairy tale, as told from the wolf's side of the story.

    You thought you knew the story of the “The Three Little Pigs”… You thought wrong. In this hysterical and clever fracture fairy tale picture book that twists point of view and perspective, young ... (Goodreads)

  16. Bud, Not Buddy

    by Christopher Paul Curtis
    A young boy searches for his father during the Great Depression, encountering adventure and unexpected kindness along the way.

    The story opens with Bud being placed with a new foster family, the Amoses'. Bud soon meets Todd Amos, their 12-year-old son, who teases him mercilessly and calls him Buddy. After a fight with Todd, ... (Wikipedia)

  17. Bridge to Terabithia

    by Katherine Paterson
    A young girl and boy's adventures in a secret kingdom, overcoming the harsh realities of life.

    Artistic young Jess Aarons deals with the hardships of his home life, such as his duties on his family's farm and the annoyances of his four sisters. Leslie Burke is an intelligent, wealthy girl who ... (Wikipedia)

  18. The Mark of Athena

    by Rick Riordan
    Heroes travel across the ancient world to save the gods from an ancient evil.

    Annabeth is terrified. Just when she's about to be reunited with Percy—after six months of being apart, thanks to Hera—it looks like Camp Jupiter is preparing for war. As Annabeth and her friends ... (Goodreads)

  19. A Light in the Attic

    by Shel Silverstein
    A whimsical collection of poems, stories and drawings exploring life, love and the power of imagination.

    Last night while I lay thinking here, Some Whatifs crawled inside my ear, And pranced and partied all night long, And sang their same old Whatif song:, Whatif I flunk that test?,Whatif green hair ... (Goodreads)

  20. The Very Hungry Caterpillar

    by Eric Carle
    A caterpillar's journey of growth and transformation to becoming a butterfly.

    THE all-time classic story, from generation to generation, sold somewhere in the world every 30 seconds! Have you shared it with a child or grandchild in your life? One sunny Sunday, the caterpillar ... (Goodreads)

  21. The House of Hades

    by Rick Riordan
    A daring quest by demigods to prevent an ancient evil from escaping and wreaking havoc.

    After Annabeth Chase and Percy Jackson fall into Tartarus at the end of, The Mark of Athena, , the other five demigods of the " Prophecy of Seven " ( Frank Zhang , Hazel Levesque , Jason Grace , Leo ... (Wikipedia)

  22. Stargirl

    by Jerry Spinelli
    An uplifting story of a unique girl who challenges her classmates to be their true selves.

    The book begins with a brief introduction to the main character, Leo, at an early age, which is followed by his move from his home state of Pennsylvania to Arizona when he is 12. Before the move, his ... (Wikipedia)

  23. There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom

    by Louis Sachar
    A bullied boy learns to stand up for himself and find his own courage.

    Bradley Chalkers is the protagonist of the book. He is the oldest student in the fifth-grade class, having repeated fourth grade. In his school, he sits at the back of the class, last seat, last row, ... (Wikipedia)

  24. The Witches

    by Roald Dahl
    A young boy's adventure to defeat a coven of wicked witches.

    The story is narrated from the perspective of an unnamed seven-year-old English boy, who goes to live with his Norwegian grandmother after his parents are killed in a tragic car accident. The boy ... (Wikipedia)

  25. A Prayer for Owen Meany

    by John Irving
    A boy's search for faith, set against a backdrop of unlikely events.

    The story is narrated by John Wheelwright, a former citizen of New Hampshire who has become a voluntary expatriate from the United States, having settled in Toronto , Ontario , Canada and taken on ... (Wikipedia)

  26. Wayside School Is Falling Down

    by Louis Sachar
    A humorous tale about the strange and wacky events at an unusual school.

    Louis yard teacher starts off 30 tales of unusual students. Comic sketches precede every chapter. Todd brings a cute adorable plastic puppy who bites back when Joy steals it. Cafeteria Mrs Mush ... (Goodreads)

  27. Cat's Cradle

    by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
    A satirical exploration of human folly, exposing the dangers of unchecked science and technology.

    Told with deadpan humour and bitter irony, Kurt Vonnegut's cult tale of global destruction preys on our deepest fears of witnessing Armageddon and, worse still, surviving it ... Dr Felix Hoenikker, ... (Goodreads)

  28. The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales

    by Jon Scieszka
    A collection of absurdly funny fractured fairy tales.

    The star of the book is Jack of Jack and the Beanstalk , who tells the stories and deals with the rest of the cast. There is a very loud and annoying Little Red Hen that comes in to complain about no ... (Wikipedia)

  29. Fablehaven

    by Brandon Mull
    A tale of magical creatures, secrets, and a grand adventure to save a hidden world.

    The series begins as 13-year-old Kendra and 11-year-old Seth Sorenson are traveling to their Grandpa and Grandma Sorenson's house while their parents are away on a 17-day cruise. When they get there, ... (Wikipedia)

  30. Howl’s Moving Castle

    by Diana Wynne Jones
    A young woman embarks on an adventure to break a curse and reclaim her identity in a magical world.

    18-year-old Sophie Hatter is the eldest of three sisters living in Market Chipping, a town in the magical kingdom of Ingary, where fairytale tropes are accepted ways of life, including that the ... (Wikipedia)