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| Edition: | Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (Hardcover) |
| Author: | Louis Sachar |
| Published: | September 2008 |
| Pages: | 240 |
| ISBN 10: | 0374332665 |
| New: | $9.70 (36) |
| Used: | $7.77 (76) |
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At the beginning of this novel, Stanley Yelnats, an unlucky adolescent boy is introduced. In a mix-up involving Clyde Livingston's (a famous baseball player) shoes, Stanley is falsely accused of theft, and sentenced to go to Camp Green Lake, a boys' juvenile detention facility. From the beginning, his terrible luck is always blamed on his great, great grandfather.
This was because when Stanley's great, great grandfather was in his late teen years, he fell in love with Myra Menke. His great, great grandfather's name was Elya Yelnats. He went to ask Myra's father for her hand in marriage, but so did another man named Igor Barkov. Igor raised pigs, so Myra's father wanted her to marry him, just for the food. Elya said the only thing he had to offer was a heart full of love. Elya Yelnats was upset with the whole marriage situation, so he went to go talk to Madame Zeroni, and old Egyptian women, with dark skin and one leg. Elya told her his problem, and she came up with a solution. She said her sow just had piglets the day before he went to talk to her. She continued, by informing him there was a runt, and that he could have it. Madame Zeroni told him that up on the mountain there is a stream that runs uphill. She instructed him to then take the runt up the mountain everyday, and sing to it while it drinks. She then told Elya that on Myra's fifteenth birthday, he had to carry the pig up the mountain for the last time, and it would be bigger and fatter than any of Igor's pigs. Madame Zeroni also said that after he gives the pig to Myra's father he would have to go and carry her (Madame Zeroni) up the mountain. Up there he would have to let her drink the water. While she drank the water, he would have to sing to her, just like he did with the pig. Madame Zeroni then said that if he didn't complete the task, him and his descendants could be cursed for life(she says "but if you do not come back for madam Zeroni.. you and all your descendants will be cursed forever and eternity") At the time, Elya didn't think the curse could really happen. On the last day, he didn't carry the pig up the mountain. When the pigs were weighed on Myra's birthday, they weighed the same. Also, Elya didn't carry Madame Zeroni up the mountain, so sure enough, the curse began.
At Camp Green Lake, Stanley and the other boys had to each dig a hole five feet wide and five feet deep. The other boys at Camp Green Lake were all there for the same reason. They were there because they committed a crime. All the boys had nicknames, just for fun. Their camp counselor was Mr. Pendanski. They liked to call him Mom. The Warden was feared by many of the kids. X-Ray was the leader of the boys. He'd spent the most time at Camp Green Lake and he wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. While digging, Stanley found a gold tube with the initials KB in it. He realized it stood for Kate Barlow. As Stanley found the gold tube, as X-Ray said to Stanley, that Stanley should gave him the tube and the other things he would find while he dig holes. One day, Magnet stole Mr.Sir's sunflower seeds. The seeds spilled on Stanley's hole. Mr. Sir came back and saw seeds in his hole. He took Stanley to the Warden. The Warden scratched Mr.Sir with her poisonous nailpolish for disturbing her. He had marks on his face. Mr.Sir was very mad at Stanley. Each time he came around to give the boys water, he would spill Stanley's water onto the hot, dry ground. Then Stanley's friend Zero ran away from camp. Stanley was still mad at Mr.Sir so he came up with a plan. He would steal Mr.Sir's pickup truck and drive away to find Zero. He went ahead with the plan. The car fell into a hole. Sadly, Zero didn't have a family, and he was poor. Stanley found Zero. Together they climbed a mountain that looked like a big thumb. They called it God's Thumb. They thought that water was on the mountain. Sure enough, they found not only water, but also onions.
At the end, Stanley find a suitcase filled with gold. There was one problem - when he did, Mr.Sir, the Warden, and Mr.Pendanski was there. Stanley and Zero found out that there were yellow-spotted lizards on the suit case. Stanley and Zero stood dead still. The lizards finally got off of them. The warden had been looking for that treasure since she was a little girl. She wanted to claim the treasure but the suitcase was inscribed with the name of Stanley Yelnats(the first). Stanley Yelnats could go home and he took Zero with him to his new home.
