Licence information | This resource is free to use for educational purposes. ©British Council 2015Source | This resource was originally developed by Deborah Owen and Charlotte Hurley and has been adapted by EAL Nexus.

Holes for Beginners

Chapter summaries – Parts 2 and 3Subject: EnglishAge range: 10–12, 12–14Topic: Holes by Louis Sachar

EAL Nexus resource

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Holes: Chapter summariesPart Two – The Last Hole

Chapter 29

The weather changes. It is very humid. Stanley is drenched in sweat while he is digging. There is a loud boom of thunder. There is a storm in the west on the other side of the mountains. Stanley can see the mountains each time there is a flash of lightning. The boys hope that the rain comes over to them. There is a big flash of lightning and Stanley thinks he can see the top of a mountain peak. It looks like a giant fist with a thumb sticking out of it. He thinks about what his great-grandfather said after he was robbed by Kissin’ Kate Barlow and left behind in the desert: ‘I found refuge on God’s thumb.’

Key words or phrases with pictures

sweat lightning

rain a mountain peak

a fist a thumb

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Key words to translateWord or phrase Write a translation of this word or

phrase

the weather changeshumid

drenched

thunder

I found refuge on God’s thumb

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Chapter 30

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The next day is Zigzag’s birthday. It is July 8th. Stanley came to Camp Green Lake on May 24th. Stanley tries to work out how long he has been here but Zero works it out very quickly. Zero tells Stanley they have been at Camp Green Lake forty-six days. Stanley knows Zero is correct as Zero is very good at maths. Stanley digs his forty-fifth hole. He feels much stronger than when he arrived at Camp Green Lake. Mr Sir gives Stanley water again. Zero still digs Stanley’s holes. Zigzag says Zero is Stanley’s slave. The boys are angry that Zero digs Stanley’s holes. Stanley tells the boys that Zero wants to dig holes. The boys joke that they all want to dig Stanley’s hole for him. The boys tell Stanley to go to the front of the line because he thinks he is better than the other boys. Zigzag tells Stanley he will give him a cookie if Stanley lets him dig his hole. Zigzag and Stanley start to push each other. Mr Pendanski tells Stanley to hit Zigzag because he is a bully. Stanley lightly hits Zigzag. Zigzag jumps on Stanley and hits him. Zero pulls Zigzag from Stanley and holds Zigzag around the neck and doesn’t let go. Zigzag is choking. Armpit runs into Zero and they all fall on the ground. Mr Pendanski fires a pistol in the air and all the other counsellors and the Warden come over. The Warden asks what happened and Zigzag tells the warden that he gets angry when he is working hard in the hot sun and Stanley does nothing. Stanley tells the Warden that Zero digs his holes and Stanley teaches Zero to read. The Warden asks Zero what he has learnt. Zero doesn’t speak. Mr Pendanski laughs. The Warden gives Zero some words to spell. He spells some words correctly but can’t spell ‘cat’ because Stanley hasn’t taught him ‘cat’ yet. Mr Pendanski calls Zero stupid. The warden tells Zero to stop digging Stanley’s holes. Zero says that he won’t dig another hole. Mr Pendanski gives a shovel to Zero. Zero smashes the shovel across Mr Pendanski’s head and

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knocks him unconscious. The counsellors all point their guns at Zero. The Warden tells them not to shoot him because she doesn’t want an investigation. Zero runs away toward the lake. Zero has left his water bottle behind so the Warden knows he will come back for water. The Warden says that it is time to paint her nails. She tells the boys that she still wants seven holes.

Key words or phrases with pictures

Key words to translateWord or phrase Write a translation of this word or

phrase

birthday

very good at maths

slave

push each other

lightly hits

runs into

choking

fires a pistol into the

air

a cookie unconscious

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Word or phrase Write a translation of this word or

phrase

does nothing

what he has learnt

to spell

correctly

investigation

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Chapter 31

Stanley is angry with everyone but he is mostly angry with himself. He knows that he shouldn’t let Zero dig his holes. He thinks he should go after Zero but he doesn’t. The other boys don’t help Stanley dig Zero’s hole. Stanley has to dig Zero’s hole. He looks out for Zero. Stanley thinks maybe he could find Zero and climb to the top of Big Thumb (God’s Thumb?) or he could make a deal with the Warden. Stanley could tell her where he really found the gold tube if she won’t scratch Zero. Stanley realises that this would get X-Ray into trouble and make him angry.

The next morning, Zero is still missing. Mr Pendanski has two black eyes and a bandage over his nose. Stanley hopes that Zero finds God’s Thumb (the mountain looks like a giant thumb). There could be water on top of the mountain. Stanley goes back to the tent. The Warden, Mr Pendanski and Mr Sir are waiting for Stanley. They ask Stanley if he has seen Zero and if Stanley knows where Zero is. The Warden speaks to Mr Pendanski about Zero. They say that Zero doesn’t have family and that Zero lived on the streets. The Warden tells Mr Pendanski to destroy all of Zero’s records. Mr Pendanski says that no one cares about Hector Zeroni.

Key words or phrases with pictures

black eyes God’s Thumb

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Key words to translateWord or phrase Write a translation of this word or

phrase

angry with himself

shouldn’t have let

climb to the top of

still missing

doesn’t have family

lived on the streets

destroy Zero’s records

no one cares about

God’s thumb

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Chapter 32

Two days later, a new kid arrives in Group D’s tent. He is called Brian but X-Ray calls him Twitch because he fidgets. Twitch sleeps in Zero’s bed. Twitch is in Camp Green Lake because he stole a car. He can break into cars and steal them in less than a minute. Stanley worries about Zero. He worries that Zero is alive crawling around searching for water.

The next morning, Stanley digs his hole. The water truck comes and Stanley thinks about what he can do to help Zero. Stanley thinks he will need a car to help Zero. Stanley wonders if the keys are in the ignition of the water truck. Stanley doesn’t know how to drive. Stanley flings open the door of the truck and quickly climbs inside. He starts the engine but the truck doesn’t move. Stanley puts his foot on the pedal and the engine roars but the truck still doesn’t move. Mr Sir runs around the side of the truck. The door is still open. Twitch tells Stanley to put the truck in gear. The truck moves. The truck goes faster and faster across the dry lake. It bounces over a pile of dirt. Stanley drives into a hole and the truck stops and Stanley falls out of the open door onto the ground. Stanley stands up. He hurts. Stanley looks at Mr Sir and then runs. Stanley’s water bottle is around his neck but it is empty.

Key words or phrases with pictures

crawling keys in the ignition

an empty water bottle foot on the pedal

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Key words to translateWord or phrase Write a translation of this word or

phrase

two days later

new kid

twitch

fidgets

to steal (stole)

break into

flings open

doesn’t move

engine roars

in gear

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Chapter 33

Stanley slows down. No one is chasing after him. He hears voices from the truck but he doesn’t know what they are saying. He walks towards where he thinks Big Thumb? is. He knows that he can’t survive without water. He thinks he will go back later when everyone has calmed down. He decides to keep walking and look for Zero. There are still a lot of holes even though he has walked away from camp. Stanley looks into one hole and sees a family of yellow-spotted lizards. They look at Stanley with their red eyes. Stanley runs until he can’t run any further. He collapses onto the ground. Stanley notices something nearby. He walks towards it. It is an empty sack of sunflower seeds. There is one seed inside the sack. Stanley eats it.

Key words or phrases with pictures

Key words to translateWord or phrase Write a translation of this word or

phrase

survive

calmed down

chasing after

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he can’t run any

further

collapses

Chapter 34The sun is overhead. Stanley decides he will walk for another couple of hours and then walk back. Stanley is hot, tired, hungry and very thirsty. He thinks he sees a pool of water but it is a mirage. It isn’t there. He is carrying the empty sack of sunflower seeds. He sees the mountains in the distance. He keeps walking towards the mountains. He sees a large object on the lake. Stanley walks towards it. It is part of a boat. It is upside-down and half of the boat is buried under the dirt. The name of the boat is painted on the side. It is red, faded paint. Stanley reads the name of the boat: Mary Lou. He hears a noise. Something moves under the boat. Stanley shouts ‘Hey!’ and the thing under the boat says ‘Hey’ in a weak voice. A dark hand and an orange sleeve reach out from under the boat.

Key words or phrases with pictures

an upside down boat red

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Key words to translate

Word or phrase Write a translation of this word or

phrase

overhead

hot

tired

hungry

thirsty

mirage

weak voice

faded paint

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Chapter 35

The thing under the boat is Zero. Zero looks terrible and he is very weak. Zero asks Stanley if he has any water. Stanley tells Zero that his water bottle is empty. Stanley tells Zero that he tried to bring the whole water truck but he drove it into a hole. Stanley says that they must go back to camp. Zero says that he isn’t going back to camp. Zero asks Stanley if he wants some sploosh. They crawl under the boat because it is cooler under the boat. Stanley fits under the boat because he is much thinner now. Zero has a glass jar in his hand and tries to unscrew the lid. Zero tells Stanley he calls the jars sploosh. Zero drank fifteen jars of sploosh already. Zero can’t get the lid off the jar because he is so weak so he breaks the top off with a shovel. Zero drinks some sploosh and then tells Stanley to drink some too. Stanley thinks it looks horrible. The sploosh is a brown liquid. It must be one hundred years old. Stanley has a drink of the sploosh. It is very sweet and stops him being thirsty. They drink the whole jar then Zero tells Stanley that it is the last jar. Stanley tells Zero that he is taking Zero back to camp. Zero doesn’t want to go back and dig any more holes. Zero tells Stanley that Barf Bag stepped on a rattlesnake. Zero knows that Barf Bag did it on purpose because he took his shoes and socks off first. Zero asks Stanley what ‘Mar ya, Luh oh oo’ is. Zero is trying to read the name on the boat. Zero groans, grabs his stomach and falls onto the ground. Stanley says that he is going to take Zero back to camp but Zero says that he would rather die. Stanley tells Zero to look at the mountain and asks him what he thinks it looks like. Zero looks at the mountain and then makes a fist and raises his thumb.

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Key words or phrases with pictures

Key words to translateWord or phrase Write a translation of this word or

phrase

to try (he tried)

cooler

he is much thinner

now

unscrew the lid

breaks the top off

looks horrible

very sweet

the last jar

on purpose

a glass jar brown liquid

stomach

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Word or phrase Write a translation of this word or

phrase

groans

grabs his stomach

makes a fist

raises his thumb

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Chapter 36

Stanley and Zero put the four empty unbroken jars in the sack. They give each other the thumbs up and set off. They have no water. Zero falls onto the ground and clutches his stomach. He manages to sit up. They carry on walking. Stanley thinks that Big Thumb? isn’t getting closer. Zero wonders about Mary Lou. They think Mary Lou was special if she had a boat named after her. Zero collapses again. Stanley thinks Zero is dying. Then, Zero asks Stanley to give him some words to spell which seems to help Zero. They are thirsty and weak. Stanley worries about how his parents would feel if he dies. Stanley and Zero imagine that there is an Italian restaurant at the top of the mountain. They imagine the food at the restaurant. They come to the end of the lake. There are huge white stone cliffs in front of them. They try to climb up using some ledges. Zero is trembling and weak. They help each other climb. They lift each other and use the shovel to help them climb. Zero has deep gashes in his wrists from holding the blade of the shovel and helping Stanley to climb. One of the jars is broken but they keep the pieces because they might use the pieces to make a knife. After that, it is easier to climb. They reach flat ground and look up. Stanley sees the sun. The sun looks like it is balancing on top of Big Thumb?. Stanley thinks it looks like God is twirling a basketball.

Key words or phrases with pictures

an Italian restaurant food

white stone cliffs a knife

a broken jar twirling a basket ball

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Key words to translateWord or phrase Write a translation of this word or

phrase

unbroken

thumbs up

clutches

he manages to sit

up

a boat named after

her

imagine

deep gashes

flat ground

looks like

an Italian restaurant food

white stone cliffs a knife

a broken jar twirling a basket ball

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Chapter 37

Stanley tells Zero that they are nearly at the bottom of the mountain. Stanley hopes that there is water on the mountain. The ground gets steeper and steeper as they go up the mountain. There are patches of weeds on the mountainside. They use the weeds to help them to climb. The weeds get thicker and they have thorns on them. They keep climbing because it will be dark soon. The sky gets dark and gnats fly around the boys. Stanley gives Zero some words to spell. Suddenly Zero doubles over and grabs his stomach and then he is sick on the ground. Then Zero stands up and carries on climbing. They climb higher and the weeds get thicker and there are thorny vines. Stanley says that there must be water nearby because there are weeds and gnats. Zero smiles at Stanley and then collapses on the ground. He doesn’t get up. Stanley tries to wake Zero by talking to him. Zero says nothing.

Key words or phrases with pictures

The mountainside steep

thorns a gnat vines

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Key words to translateWord or phrase Write a translation of this word or

phrase

the bottom of

hopes (to hope)

gets steeper

patches of weeds

the sky gets dark

to spell

doubles over

the weeds get

thicker

he is sick on the ground

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Chapter 38Stanley pulls Zero’s arms so that he is sitting upright. He lies Zero over his shoulder and carries him. He leaves the shovel and the sack of jars behind. Stanley climbs higher and higher with Zero over his shoulder. The ground is flatter now. Stanley smells a foul odour. Stanley thinks that there is no water at the top of the mountain. He doesn’t think he is going to be able to climb any more but he carries on climbing. Stanley slips and falls onto the ground. Stanley is face down in a muddy ditch. Suddenly Stanley realises that you need water to make mud. He crawls to the muddiest part of the ground. The mud splashes as Stanley hits the ground. Stanley digs in the mud with his hands. There is water in the bottom of the hole. He digs again and fills his hands with water and drips the water on Zero’s face. Zero sticks out his tongue to try and lick the water. Stanley drags Zero to the hole. Stanley pours more water into Zero’s mouth. Stanley digs again and finds a round, smooth object. It is an onion. Stanley wipes the dirt off the onion and bites it. He doesn’t peel the skin off first. He eats half the onion and then gives the other half to Zero. Stanley jokes that it is a hot fudge sundae.

Key words or phrases with pictures

Key words to translateWord or phrase Write a translation of this word or

phrase

flat ground a muddy ditch

splashes drip a tongue

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carries (to carry)

higher and higher

face down

a foul odour

slips and falls

fills his hands with waterdrips (to drip)

Stanley jokes

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Chapter 39

The next morning, Stanley wakes up in a meadow. He is lying down and looking up at a giant rock. He is too weak to sit or stand up. His mouth and throat is full of sand. He looks in the hole he has dug with his hands and realises that it is very muddy, brown water. Zero moans and tells Stanley that he is ‘not good’. Zero shakes violently. Stanley thinks about going back down the mountain to get the shovel so he can dig a bigger hole, and the jars so they can drink from them. He thinks that the water might be cleaner if he can dig a bigger hole. Stanley sees that he is in a meadow of white flowers. He picks a flower and eats it. Stanley spits the flower out. Stanley looks at the trail that shows him which way he walked last night. He wants to follow the trail and get the shovel but he doesn’t want to leave Zero. Stanley is worried that Zero will die. Zero tells Stanley that he took Stanley’s shoes. Stanley doesn’t know what Zero is talking about. Zero says that he means the shoes from the shelter. Stanley realises that Zero means Clyde Livingston’s shoes. Zero says sorry. After Zero confesses, he relaxes and sleeps. Stanley sings a song to Zero. It is the song that Stanley’s father sings to Stanley: ‘If only, if only’.

Key words or phrases with pictures

a white flower picks a flower

a trail

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Key words to translateWord or phrase Write a translation of this word or

phrase

meadow

too weak

shakes violently

he means the shoes from the shelterrealises

confesses

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Chapter 40Stanley thinks about the onion he ate last night. He wonders if there are more onions. He digs up a flower and the roots too.

More than one hundred years ago at Green Lake, Sam the onion man was selling his onions. It was a beautiful spring morning. Mrs Tennyson ran after Sam in her nightgown. She told Sam that her daughter Becca’s fever had gone. Becca was feeling better. Mrs Tennyson thanked Sam and told him that Sam’s onion tonic made Becca well. Some people from the town laughed at Mrs Tennyson because she was wearing a nightgown. Mrs Tennyson explained that she had been awake all night looking after her daughter. She said that they were ill because they ate bad meat. Then Mrs Tennyson bought some onions from Sam.

Stanley and Zero sleep a lot for two days. They eat onions and drink dirty water. Big Thumb? shades them. Stanley tries to make a bigger hole but he needs the shovel. Zero is still sick and weak but he is better. When Zero wakes up, Stanley goes for the shovel. He walks down the mountain. He walks a long way so he thinks he has walked past the shovel but he finds the shovel and the sack and jars. Stanley can’t believe that he carried Zero for such a long way. Stanley climbs up the mountain again. It is a long, hard climb.

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Key words or phrases with pictures

Key words to translateWord or phrase Write a translation of this word or

phrase

he wonders if

beautiful spring morningfever

nightgown

feeling better

onion tonic

can’t believe

roots onion roots

bad meat dirty water

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Chapter 41

Zero is feeling better. The water hole is as large as the holes at Camp Green Lake. Stanley dug the hole. Stanley told Zero to rest. Stanley is surprised because he isn’t sick from the sploosh, the dirty water or from eating onions. Stanley was sick a lot when he lived at home. Zero tells Stanley that he didn’t go to the homeless shelter very often. Zero worried that if he went to the homeless shelter without an adult, they would make Zero a ‘ward of state’. Stanley asks Zero what a ‘ward of state’ is. Zero says that he liked sleeping outside. He pretended he was a Cub Scout. Zero tells Stanley that his mother was a Girl Scout. Stanley is surprised. He thinks that Zero doesn’t have a mother. Zero tells Stanley that, when he was a little boy, Zero and his mum took what they needed all the time. Zero says that he didn’t realise it was stealing. Zero says that when he saw Clyde Livingston’s shoes, he took them. Zero says that he thought they were some old shoes. He didn’t know they were famous. Zero tells Stanley that he put the shoes on his feet and ran out of the shop. Then he took them off and put them on top of a car. They were very smelly. Zero says that he was arrested because he stole some new shoes from a shop.

Key words or phrases with pictures

Cub Scout Girl Scout

an old shoe

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Key words to translateWord or phrase Write a translation of this word or

phrase

feeling better

dug (to dig)

surprised

a ward of state

took what they neededstealing/stole (to steal)famous

arrested

smelly

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Chapter 42

Zero is stronger. He helps Stanley dig the hole. It is six feet deep. They fill the bottom of the hole with rocks to separate the dirt from the water. Zero says that he won’t dig another hole ever. Stanley knows they need to go back to Camp Green Lake. There is nowhere to go because the mountain is surrounded by desert. Stanley bites an onion and realises that the onion doesn’t taste strong now. Zero works out that if they have been on the mountain for one week, they have eaten two hundred and eighty onions. Two nights later, Stanley is awake. He is happy. He can’t remember being happy before today. Camp Green Lake made him miserable and school made him feel unhappy. At school he doesn’t have any friends and there are bullies. These bullies bully Stanley. No one at Stanley’s school likes him. Stanley likes himself now. Stanley is glad Zero put the shoes on the car. Stanley is glad the shoes fell from the bridge and hit Stanley on the head. Stanley thinks that they don’t need to go back to camp. He wonders if they can live as fugitives. He has an idea. He knows he will need money, a treasure chest of money, so that he can be a fugitive. He thinks about the lipstick container with ‘KB’ and wonders whether there is a treasure chest buried at Camp Green Lake. He asks Zero if he wants to dig another hole.

Key words or phrases with pictures

rocks unhappy

a treasure chest

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Key words to translateWord or phrase Write a translation of this word or

phrase

six feet deep

separate

surrounded by

desert

before today

miserable

bullies (to bully)

Stanley is glad

fugitive

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Chapter 43

Zero tells Stanley that he wasn’t homeless when he was a baby. Zero says that he remembers he had a yellow room. He remembers his mother singing to him. Zero thinks the song is the same as the song Stanley sings but Zero’s song has different words.

Stanley and Zero fill the sack full of onions. They are going to leave the mountain very early in the morning so they can get to Camp Green Lake before night time. They are going to hide by the hole where they found the lipstick. When everyone is asleep, then they will dig the hole. Then they are going to steal food and drink from the kitchen and run away. Stanley thinks about a letter from his mum. His mum worries that they are going to be thrown out of their apartment because of the smell of burning trainers. Stanley wonders if his parents know he has run away. He wonders if his parents think he is dead.

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The next morning, they head down the mountain. Stanley steps on a loose rock and slides down the mountain. The onions spill everywhere. They lose a lot of the onions. They are both thirsty but don’t want to be the first to drink the water. They finally agree to drink at the same time. They see the Mary Lou and walk towards it. Zero tells Stanley that he doesn’t know what happened to his mother. One day his mother left and didn’t come back. Zero’s mother left him at a park called Laney Park. Stanley says he knows Laney Park. Zero says he waited there for a month. Stanley and Zero eat more onions while they are talking. Zero tells Stanley that they are going the wrong way. Stanley thinks it is the right way. Zero draws a diagram in the dirt to show the right way. In the middle of the afternoon, they hear noises. They hear Mr Sir’s voice in the distance. Stanley and Zero walk slowly and quietly. They both climb into a hole and they hide. When all the campers finish digging for the day, Stanley and Zero creep towards camp. Stanley points at the hole where he found the gold tube. They climb into some holes nearby and wait for all the people in the camp to fall asleep.

Key words or phrases with pictures

Key words to translateWord or phrase Write a translation of this word or

phrase

Yellow

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before night time

homeless

a yellow room

he remembers his mother singing to himthey are going to

smell of burning trainersStanley wonders (to wonder)in the middle of the afternoona diagram

in the distance

creep towards

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Chapter 44

Stanley tries to sleep in the hole. He hears the boys taking showers and eating dinner. He falls asleep. Zero wakes Stanley up. It is dark. There is one light on in the office. Stanley takes Zero over to the hole. Stanley climbs inside the hole and digs. Zero goes to fill the jars with water. Zero has found a box of cereal. Zero gives the box to Stanley. The cereal tastes strange because they have only eaten onions for a long time. Zero digs the hole and Stanley looks through the dirt. He can’t see much as it is dark and he hasn’t got a torch. Zero goes to fill the jars with water again and Stanley digs. Stanley digs the hole wider. He feels the shovel bounce off something hard. There is an object sticking out from the side of the hole. Stanley says that he thinks it is the treasure chest. Stanley scrapes at the dirt with the shovel. He can see a box-like object. He digs underneath the box. He can feel latches and a leather handle. He digs wider and deeper and then grabs the leather handle and pulls it out. ‘We did it,’ says Stanley. He tries to pull himself out of the hole but a bright light is shining in his face. It is the Warden. She thanks the boys and tells them they have been a big help.

Key words or phrases with pictures

a box of cereal a torch

a latch a leather handle

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Key words to translateWord or phrase Write a translation of this word or

phrase

tries to sleep

one light on

tastes strange

he can’t see much

wider

box-like

a bright light is shining in his facethanks the boys

they have been a big help

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Chapter 45

Mr Pendanski is holding a torch and Mr Sir is next to him. Mr Sir is pointing a gun at Stanley and Zero. Mr Sir and the Warden are in their night clothes. Suddenly the Warden stops talking and backs away from the hole. A lizard is on top of the suitcase. The suitcase is on Zero’s knee. Its big red eyes glow in the light. Its mouth is open and Stanley sees its white tongue moving between its black teeth. A second lizard crawls over the suitcase and across Zero’s fingers and up his arm. Mr Pendanski shines the torch on the hole and Stanley sees a nest of lizards. There are three lizards on the ground, two on Stanley’s leg and one on his shoe. A lizard crawls up the back of Stanley’s neck. Mr Pendanski asks what they should do and the Warden says they will wait because they won’t need to wait long. Mr Pendanski says that they will now have a body to give to ‘that woman’. Mr Sir says that the woman will ask a lot of questions. The Warden says that she doesn’t care so long as she has the suitcase. The Warden remembers when she was a little girl. She watched her parents dig holes every weekend and holiday. The Warden had to dig even when it was Christmas Day. Stanley feels the lizard’s claws on his face.

Key words or phrases with pictures

Key words to translateWord or phrase Write a translation of this word or

a suitcase claws

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phrase

pointing a gun at

night clothes

a nest of lizards

backs away

up his arm

the back of Stanley’s neckask a lot of questionsChristmas Day

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Chapter 46

Mr Pendanski screams. A lizard springs towards him. Mr Sir shoots it in mid-air. The noise disturbs the lizards. A lizard runs across Stanley’s closed mouth. The Warden tells Mr Pendanski and Mr Sir that they are going to tell ‘that woman’ and ‘The AG’ that Stanley ran away in the night and fell in a hole and the lizards killed him. The Warden says that they won’t give Zero’s body because he doesn’t exist. The Warden is going to tell the woman that Stanley was delirious. That he was dangerous. The Warden is going to tell the woman that is why Stanley ran away the day before he was going to be released. Stanley doesn’t know who ‘that woman’ is. He doesn’t understand what the counsellors are talking about. Stanley remembers when he was a little boy. He remembers holding his mother’s hand and slipping on some ice and falling in the snow. Mr Sir tells Stanley that Stanley is innocent. Stanley’s lawyer came yesterday to collect Stanley to take him home. Stanley isn’t listening to Mr Sir because he is thinking about his mother. It is 4.30a.m. so the Warden sends the counsellors to their tents. The counsellors give the campers breakfast and tell them not to talk to anyone. If they talk they will be punished. A lizard sits on Zero’s shoulder. Zero gives Stanley the thumbs up sign.

Key words or phrases with pictures

snow the thumbs up sign

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Key words to translateWord or phrase Write a translation of this word or

phrase

screams (to scream)

springs (to spring)

mid-air

disturbs

he doesn’t exist

delirious

is going to tell the woman thatStanley remembers

innocent

lawyer

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Chapter 47

There are eight lizards in Stanley’s hole. The Warden looks tired. Zero says ‘Satan’. The Warden tells Mr Sir to take the suitcase from Zero. She says the lizards are not hungry. Mr Sir tells the Warden to take the suitcase. They wait. Zero says ‘Sa-tan Lee’. Stanley sees a tarantula near the hole. Stanley feels a sharp sting on his neck as the lizard jumps off Stanley’s neck. The lizard jumps on the tarantula and eats it. Mr Sir says that the lizards are hungry. The sun rises and the lizards move lower in the hole into the shade. The lizards are sitting on Stanley’s stomach, legs and feet. Zero asks Stanley if his last name is his first name backwards.

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Stanley hears cars stopping nearby. He sees Mr Pendanski and two strangers coming over. There is a tall man in a suit and a cowboy hat and a woman holding a briefcase. The woman shouts Stanley’s name. She tells Stanley not to worry and that she will get him out of the hole. She tells Mr Sir that if any harm comes to Stanley, she will be filing charges against Ms Walker, Camp Green Lake and the entire state of Texas. She will file charges of child abuse, false imprisonment and torture. The Warden tells the man and woman that Stanley and Zero stole the suitcase from her cabin while the Warden was asleep. She chased them and they fell into a hole into the lizard nest. The Warden says that she told Stanley he would be freed today, but Stanley was delirious. Stanley tries to climb out of the hole. The lizards move down into the bottom of the hole into the shade. Stanley holds Zero’s arm and helps him stand up. Zero holds the suitcase. The lizards under the suitcase scurry into the hole. The Warden pretends she is pleased and hugs Zero. She grabs the suitcase. Zero holds onto the suitcase and tells the Warden that the suitcase belongs to Stanley. He tells her that the suitcase has Stanley’s name on it. Zero points to the name and reads it aloud ‘Stanley Yelnats’. The Warden doesn’t know what to say.

Key words or phrases with pictures

Key words to translateWord or phrase Write a translation of this word or

a tarantula a suit

a cowboy hat a briefcase

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phrase

looks tired

Satan

are not hungry

the sun rises

last name

first name

strangers

filing charges

child abuse

false imprisonment

torture

scurry

pretends she is

pleased

reads it aloud

©British Council 2015

Chapter 48

The tall man is the Texas Attorney General. He is the chief law enforcement officer. The woman is Stanley’s lawyer. Her name is Ms Morengo. Stanley holds the suitcase. Mr Sir gets Stanley’s belongings. Ms Morengo tells Stanley that he will see his parents soon. The Warden says that Stanley used his suitcase to steal the Wardens valuables. She wants to open the case but Ms Morengo tells Stanley not to open it. The Attorney General tells Stanley that he is free to go. Stanley doesn’t want to leave Zero behind. Ms Morengo says that she can’t help Zero. She tells Stanley that there will be an investigation at Camp Green Lake. Stanley doesn’t move so Ms Morengo asks for Hector’s file. Mr Pendanski tells Ms Morengo the file has been misplaced. The Attorney General says that he will make a phone call to find out about Zero. The boys from Group D see Stanley and Zero. The boys are surprised that Stanley and Zero are alive and haven’t been eaten by buzzards. Mr Pendanski tells the boys that Stanley is being released today. They are pleased for Stanley and Zigzag shakes Stanley’s hand and apologises for the fight. X-Ray doesn’t come over. Squid writes his mother’s phone number on a piece of paper and gives the paper to Stanley. He tells Stanley to call his mother and tell her that Squid is OK. The Attorney General comes out of the Warden’s office. He says that the people in his office can’t find Hector Zeroni’s files. Ms Morengo asks the Attorney General when Zero is going to be released and how long Zero has been in Camp Green Lake. The Attorney General doesn’t know anything about Zero because he can’t find the information about Zero on the computer. The Attorney General doesn’t even know why Zero is in Camp Green Lake so Ms Morengo says that she is taking Zero with her.

©British Council 2015

Key words or phrases with pictures

Key words to translateWord or phrase Write a translation of this word or

phrase

the Texas Attorney Generalthe chief law enforcement officerStanley’s belongingsvaluables

investigation

Hector’s file

has been misplaced

released (to release)free to go

make a phone call a buzzard

a computer

©British Council 2015

Chapter 49

One hundred and ten years ago in Green Lake there were no yellow-spotted lizards in the town. The lizards lived in the desert hills. One afternoon, Sam the onion man and Mary-Lou were by the lake. Three men ran after Sam and called his name. They asked Sam for some lizard juice (onion juice). They told Sam that they were going rattlesnake hunting and they didn’t want to be bitten by lizards. Sam told the men to drink a bottle of onion juice that night then the onion juice would be in their bloodstream and the lizards didn’t like onion blood.

Stanley and Zero sit in the back seat of Ms Morengo’s car. The suitcase is on the back seat between the boys. The suitcase is locked so the boys are going to ask Stanley’s father to open the suitcase in his workshop. Ms Morengo explains that she is a patent lawyer and she is helping Stanley’s father with a new invention. Ms Morengo tells Stanley that she wanted to help Stanley’s father so she investigated what happened to Clyde Livingston’s shoes. Ms Morengo found out that the shoes were stolen at 3.15p.m. and a boy named Derrick Dunne said Stanley was fishing his notebook out of a toilet at 3.20p.m. Ms Morengo says that is how she knows that Stanley didn’t steal the shoes. Zero tells Ms Morengo he stole the shoes. Ms Morengo tells Zero not to tell anyone that he stole the shoes.

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Ms Morengo tells Stanley about his father’s new invention. The new invention is a product that eliminates foot odour. Ms Morengo has some of the product in a small bottle which is in her briefcase. Stanley and Zero smell the liquid in the bottle. It smells fresh and spicy. Stanley asks what the new invention is called. Ms Morengo says that it doesn’t have a name yet. She says that everyone thinks that the new invention smells like peaches. The boys fall asleep. It is dark. At Camp Green Lake, a drop of rain falls. It hasn’t rained for more than one hundred years on the Lake.

Key words or phrases with pictures

Key words to translateWord or phrase Write a translation of this word or

phrase

one afternoon

onion juice

rattlesnake hunting

the desert hills a rattlesnake

locked a toilet a small bottle

a drop of rain

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they don’t want to be bitten by lizardsbloodstream

patent lawyer

was fishing his notebook outStanley didn’t steal the shoesnew invention

liquid

fresh and spicy

smells like peaches

it hasn’t rained

©British Council 2015

Part Three: Filling in the Holes

Chapter 50

Stanley’s mother insists that there is no curse. However, Stanley’s father invents a cure for foot odour on the same day the great-great-grandson of Elya Yelnats carried the great-great-grandson of Madame Zeroni up a mountain.

The Attorney General closes Camp Green Lake. The Warden, Ms Walker, sells the land at Green Lake because she has no money. Green Lake is going to be a Girl Scout camp.

Stanley’s father opens the suitcase. Inside the suitcase there are jewels. The jewels are only worth twenty thousand dollars. Under the jewels are papers belonging to the first Stanley Yelnats. They are papers that show where all Stanley Yelnats money is invested. Stanley and Zero receive about one million dollars each. Stanley buys his mother and father a new house. Hector hires a private investigator.

It is a year and a half after Stanley and Zero left Camp Green Lake. There is a small party at the Yelnats house. They have caviar, champagne and ice cream sundaes. The Super Bowl is on the television. When the commercial break (adverts) come on the television, everyone watches.

The advert shows a baseball game. Clyde Livingston is in the advert. Clyde is selling a product called Sploosh. Sploosh is a spray that eliminates foot odour. In the advert, Clyde says that he used to have smelly feet but now his feet are ‘sweet’. The advert finishes and everyone at the party claps.

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Clyde Livingston is at the Yelnats party with his wife. Clyde jokes with Stanley and pats him on the shoulder. Hector is sitting on the floor next to a woman. The woman is playing with Hector’s hair with her fingers. The woman sings a song to Hector. It is the song that her grandmother sang to her when she was a little girl.

‘If only, if only …’

Key words or phrases with pictures

Key words to translateWord or phrase Write a translation of this word or

phrase

a cure for foot odour

invested (to invest money)

jewels champagne

an ice cream sundae a spray

clap (to clap)

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hires a private investigatoreliminates foot

odour

when she was a little girl