The following sites can be used to support and enrich the Book Club unit for Holes by Louis Sachar.

Learn More About the Setting of the Novel

• Texas – This site offers a timeline of important historical events for the state of Texas.
• Deserts of the U.S.A. –The Chihuahan Desert extends into western Texas. Visitors can see pictures of this landscape and acquire information about this arid part of Texas, which resembles the possible setting of the novel.

Find Out More About Recurring Images in the Novel

• Rattlesnakes – Drawings and diagrams complement the comprehensive facts that are given about many aspects of the rattlesnake, including its food habits, habitat, identification, general biology, reproduction, and behavior.
• Spotted Salamander – Although the spotted salamander is not deadly and is found only at the edge of eastern Texas, this site is worth viewing to see the compelling photographs of the yellow-spotted creature. The photographs are immensely vivid, making the lizard of Sachar's novel come to life. Some text accompanies the photographs.
• Onions – Stopping at this web site will provide visitors with all of the details about onions they could ever wish to find. Facts about the health benefits, the history, the types of onions grown in Texas, and fun onion trivia can be accessed here.
• Recipe for Spiced Peaches: Grandma Raab's Favorite Recipes & Spiced Peaches Recipe – Both of these addresses give a recipe for spiced peaches. One uses canned peaches and the other fresh.

Investigate the Past

• Wild West Index – Visitors can track down famous outlaws, both men and women, who operated in Texas and surrounding states as well as the lawmen who pursued them.
• Women of the West – Through individual and collective biographies, this site pays tribute to courageous frontier and Native American women and examines the outrageous deeds of some of the wilder women of the west.

Encounter the Author

• Louis Sachar Resource Page – From this page, visitors can access all sorts of valuable information about Louis Sachar, including an interview with him, several biographies, and his acceptance speech at the Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards.