Chapter 9

Holes

Trailblazers · 4th–6th

Copywork

Nearly everything in the room was broken; the TV, the pinball machine, the furniture. Even the people looked broken, with their worn-out bodies sprawled over the various chairs and sofas.

Read the passage aloud. What does the word even do in the second sentence?

Discussion

Narration Tell back what happens from Stanley's shower to the end of the chapter: the Wreck Room, the Lump, the talk with the boys, the letter and Zero.

1. Stanley only wanted to avoid a fight, yet the boys name him Caveman. Why might they see him differently from how he sees himself?Inference

2. The chapter ends with “The Lump wasn’t the Caveman. He was.” Why might the author hold that back until the last lines?Author's choice

3. Stanley's letter says he will learn to water-ski. Why might he tell his mother that?Character

4. The chapter opens with a cold four-minute shower that the narrator calls “four minutes of heaven.” What does that phrase tell us?Tone

5. Stanley sees that the boys wrecked the one room where they could enjoy themselves. Why might they have done that?Theme

Make a Connection Tell about a time you wrote or said something cheerful to someone so they would not worry. How did it go?

Vocabulary

Crossword

1
				2
3		4
						5
					6

			7

	8

Across

Across 1. Spread out loosely, in a careless way.
Across 3. Stretched out to its full length.
Across 6. Told someone about a danger.
Across 7. Great strength of feeling or attention.
Across 8. Said in a low voice, not meant to be heard well.

Down

Down 1. Frowned in an angry way.
Down 2. Help that saves someone from trouble.
Down 4. Gave off in all directions.
Down 5. Of several different kinds.

The words in the chapter

sprawled with their worn-out bodies sprawled over the various chairs and sofas
various with their worn-out bodies sprawled over the various chairs and sofas
outstretched he tripped over an outstretched leg
muttered “You watch it,” muttered Stanley, too tired to care.
warned “You don’t want to mess with the Caveman,” he warned.

rescue He was glad X-Ray and Armpit had come to his rescue.
radiated his body still radiated heat
scowled Squid scowled.
intensity with the same intensity with which he had been staring at the letter

Critical thinking

1. When Zero reads over his shoulder, Stanley puts the letter away. Using two pieces of evidence, explain what that shows about Stanley.

2. Zero asks if the shoes had red X's on the back, and Stanley guesses why. Using two pieces of evidence, explain how well Stanley's guess fits.

3. Stanley says the first hole is the hardest, and X-Ray disagrees. Using two pieces of evidence, explain whether X-Ray's warning helps Stanley or only discourages him.