Date Chapter: 1

4/23/2005
Page Summary
8 The narrator tells us a little about of Camp Green Lake, that there was over
a hundred years ago the largest lake in Texas.
And it used to be a town of Green Lake. Now it is just a dry and flat wastland.
There are rattlesnakes and scorpions to find in the shade under rocks
and in the holes dug by the campers.
And sometimes yellow-spotted lizards.

I.E.C.Q. ect. strange sentences, very short, sometimes just a word

9 Summary
It is a Camp for bad boys and most campers were not given a choice.
The campers must dig ervery day a hole, then it will turn him into a good boy.
But Stanley Y. was given a choice. Either he go to jail or to Camp Green
Lake. Stanley was from a poor family and had never been to camp before.

I.E.C.Q. ect. very short chapter with very short and simple sentences

9 Summary
10 Stanley Y. is now the only passanger in the bus with the exception of the
11 driver and the guard is facing Stanley with a rifle across his lap. Stanley is
12 handcuffed to his armrest, looking at the guard and thinking of his family.
13 Stanley was not a bad kid. He was innocent of the crime for which he was
convicted. He'd just been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

13 Summary
14 Stanley gets off the bus.He meets the guard and is thirsty, but the guard and
15 bus driver won't share their cold drinks. Mir Sir gives Stanley his
16 jumpsuit, his canteen, and a cap with a cloth sewn on the back. His
assignment is to dig a hole every day, but no one will guard him. If he finds
anything interesting he should report it to Mr Pendanski or Mr Sir and if the
Warden likes it, he will get a day off.
 5

16 Summary
17 Stanley sees the tents numbered A-F. Stanley is in tent D. He meets Mr.
18 Pedanski, a counselor. Then he meets the other boys. He finds out that
19 Lewis is in hospital and learns that Lewis's nickname is BarfBag. And
Afrer all Stanley gets BarfBag's old bed.

19 Summary
20 Stanley has dinner showers and goes to bed. Next day he tells about the
21 Sweet Feets sneakers. The story of how Stanley really got the sneakers
22 is explained.
23

23 Summary
24 Stanley had to wake up very early, before sunrise, to dig. Xray has
25 his own shovel. The lake bed was full of holes. Mr. Pendanski tells them that
26 Mr. Sir will come later with a watertruck, and if they find anything interesting
27 they should give it to Mr. Sir or Pendanski and if the Warden likes it they get
28 the rest of the day off. The story of Elya Yelnats and his great love for a
29 pretty, but stupid, girl named Myra in Latvia. Another man called Igor also
30 loved her and brought his fattest pig to her father for Myra. Elya Yelnats got
31 advice from Madame Zeroni who told him to carry a piglet every day up to a
32 mountain to a certain stream, and sing a certain song to it. On Myras 15th
33 birthday, Elya was to carry Madame Zeroni up the mountain and sing to her,
34 while she drinks from the stream, or his family would be cursed for eternety.
Elya did it, except on the last day he bathed and brought the pig to Myra's
father, who said both pigs were the same.Myra couldn't decide between the
two men, so she had them pick a number. Elya gave the pig and went to
America as a deck hand. He never did carry Madame Zeroni up the
mountain, and remembered it later. Elya met and married a woman in
America, and they translated the song into English. Stanley finished his first
hole with difficulty. He was the last one outside. Zero was the smallest boy
but he finished first. He's the fastest digger in the hole camp.

3/26/2005 8

34 Summary
35 A little description of the yellow-spotted-lizards.
 9

35 Summary
36 Stanley showers in the cold shower, only briefly, and enjoys it. He goes to
37 the WRECK room and notices how shabby and poor the conditions are.
38 He beginns to write a letter to his Mom as if it is a real camp. He trips over
a boy they call Caveman, but then he learns that really the rest of the boys
have nicknamed him Caveman.

3/27/2005 10

38 Summary
39 Stanley woke up very achy, and was sore while digging the next hole. He
40 learned not to dump the dirt too close to the opening. As he was digging
he found something. He thought it was a rock or a fossil. He gave it to
Mr. Pedanski, but he says itsn't interesting for the warden.

3/28/2005 11

41 Summary
42 Xray asks Stanley to let him know first if he finds anything else. Xray admits
that he doesn't see very well, and can't find anything. He says it isn't fair that
a new boy should find things and get a day off. Stanley thought it was
interesting that a small boy like Xray would be a leader of the group. He
decided that he was happy with his nickname, Caveman. As he dug more,
he imagined getting revenge on his old schools bully.

12

43 Summary
44 Again, Stanley was the last to finish. He finds everyone else in a circle
45 discussing their lives. Mr. Pendanski says that you can accomplish anything
if you set your mind to it. Mr. Pendanski tries to get Stanley to take
responsibility for his trouble, but Stanley blames his no-good-dirty-rotten-
pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather. When they talk about what Zero wants
to do, he says "I like digging holes".

13

45 Summary
46 Stanley is getting tougher, it doesn't hurt so much to dig holes. He sees
 47 something glisten in the dirt, it is a gold tube, engraved with an outline of
48 a heart and the letters KB on it. He tries to think of some way out of giving it
to X-Ray, but Zigzag saw him so he has to tell it to X-Ray. They thought it
is a goden bullet, and Stanley suggestes that X-Ray wait until the
next day to tell about it, so he'd get the whole day off. When the watertruck
came, Stanley got to move up a place in line.

3/29/2005 14

48 Summary
49 The next morning, X-Ray snaps at Stanley, and won't talk with him. X-Ray
50 claims to have found the object, report ist to Mr Pendanski and shortly
afterward the warden comes. The warden is a woman, she says to Mr.
Pendanski "Drive X-Ray back to camp", and she orders Mr. Pendanski to
refill all canteens.

15

51 Summary
52 The Warden inspected the dirtpile she thought the object had come from,
then she sent the rest of the boys digging twice to inspect the dirt.She stays
around inspecting everything they do, and the boys have to dig larger
holes and carry away the dirt and stones

16

53 Summary
54 That night, X-Ray is in a good mood, and he treats Stanley well. The next
55 day, they dig more. By lunch time the Warden is impatient because they
haven't found any more interesting objects. They have to work faster.Stanley
thinks he should tell where the object really was. That night, Stanley gets a
letter from his mother, and Zero asks about it, and doesn't seem to
understand what Stanley says.

3/30/2005 17

56 Summary
57 The boys have to keep digging around the area for a week and a half, and
the Warden becomes more and more impatient about finding something.
She jabs at Armpit and it bleeds. Stanley gets hurt when Zigzag's shovel
accidentally hits his head, but he has to keep working. Zigzag makes him
lift the dirt that had been in his shovel when he was hurt.
 18

57 Summary
58 The next day they dig regular holes in another part of the lakebed. Stanley
59 hurts from his injury, but his muscles are stronger now. That night he beginns
to write to his mother, and Zero comes in and watches. Zero admits
that he can't read or write, and he wants Stanley to teach him. Stanley says
that he can't teach, because he isn't a good tacher and he is too tired.

3/31/2005 19

59 Summary
60 Stanley hears Squid crying at night, but Squid denies it the next morning.
61 Stanley realizes they are all dangerous boys, and he keeps quiet. That day,
62 Magnet steals Mr. Sirs sunflower seeds, and they spill it in Stanley's hole.
When Mr. Sir comes back, Stanley takes the blame for stealing the sack of
sunflower seeds. Mr. Sir drives him to the Warden and wants him to tell it
to the Warden

20

62 Summary
63 Stanley enjoys the air-conditioning.
64 When he tells his story, the Warden sends him to get a
flowered case, and she shows him nail polish inside that she says is
poisoned with rattlesnake venom. She made it by herself. But suddenly she
scratches Mr. Sir, and she sends Stanley back digging his hole.

21

65 Summary
66 Stanley walks back to the holes and thinks about his great grandfather who
was robbed by Kissing Kate Barlow and survived by living on Gods thumb.
When he got back, his hole was finished and Zeros hole was smaller
than the others.

22

66 Summary
67 Stanley was done first, and that night he asked Zero why he had done that.
68 Zero said it was because Stanley hadn't stolen the sunflower seeds or the
69 sneakers. Stanley offers to teach Zero to read. He teaches him the alphabet,
70 then the letters one at a time. He is amazed at how Zero can figure
things out quickly. Zero offers to continue diggin a part of Stanley's hole
each day. Stanley realizes that the object he found was a lipstick tube,
with the same initials on it as same as those from Kissing Kate Barlow.

23

70 Summary
71 Description of the history of Green Lake: 110 years ago it was a lake,
72 picnics were held there on the 4th of July, Kate Barlow always won prizes for
her spiced peaches which was food for the angels. She was the towns
school teacher, and she was loved by Trout Walker (his feet smelled like
fish) who was loud and stupid. Trout wanted to take her for a boat ride
(in his new one) but she wasn't interested.

24

72 Summary
73 When Stanley woke up the next morning, he saw Mr. Sir's face, all swollen
and purple.When Mr. Sir came with the watertruck that afternoon, he poured
the water next to Stanleys canteen, not in it.

25

74 Summary
75 More History about Green Lake: Sick people in town would see Dr.
76 Hawthorne or Sam the onion man. Sam the onion man told everyone to eat
77 onions, that onions would cure whatever was wrong with them. Sam
fixes everything for Kate B. in exchange for her spiced peaches. She fell in
love with him, and they kissed in the rain, (which was not acceptable in
those days.)

26

77 Summary
78 Trout Walker led people to the school house and called Kate Barlow a Devil
79 woman for having kissed Sam in public. She ran to the sheriff who was a
drunk, and no help at all. Trout Walker caught Kate and Sam on the lake
where Kate was rescued,but Sam got shot by Trout W. One day Kate killed
the sheriff and kissed him, which is how she became Kissing Kate Barlow,
the Kissing Bandit.
 27

79 Summary
80 Stanley continued digging, Zero helps him with his holes. Mr. Sir's
81 scratches were beginning to heal. When Mr. Sir secretly filled Stanleys
82 canteen, Stanley then poured it out. Stanley had taught Zero all the alphabet
letters, and how to spell his name. Zero says that Zero isn't his real name.
It is Hector Zeroni.

4/1/2005 28

82 Summary
83 After 20 years of being the Kissing Bandit, Kate Barlow returned to Green
84 Lake. Most of the lake had dried up. Trout Walker found her and tried to rob
her of the riches she had stole through the years. They decided that Kate
had buried the riches in the lake bed. They tried to torture her, but she never
told them where it is.

29 (PART TWO: THE LAST HOLE)

86 Summary
87 It is hot and humid, a storm is on the way. Stanley looks at the sky and
the mountains. One rock formation looks like a fist with a thumb sticking
up. The thumb of God? Stanley thinks of the story of his great grandfather
having survived on God's thumb.

30

87 Summary
88 It is Zigzag's birthday, July 8th, and Mr. Sir gave him an extra carton of
89 orange juice. Stanley thought about Kate Barlow and her lipstick tube, and
90 the thumb of God in the mountains. The other boys gave Stanley a hard time
91 about Zero digging his hole, and they begin pushing each other. Zigzag
92 pushes Stanley, but he doesn't fight back, but Zero chokes Zigzag. Mr.
93 Pendanski fires his gun, others come running. It comes out about Zero's
94 digging a part of Stanley's holes and Stanly is teaching Zero how to read
and write. But the adults say that Zero isn't able to learn someting. He's too
stupid. So Zero hits Mr. Pendanski with the shovel and leaves. The adults
guard the camp for Zero to come back, and the Warden talks about
repainting her fingernails, and she still expecting 7 holes from the 6 boys.

Comment Sometimes when a person like Zero gets mad,he doesn't

know how to say what he feels, so he hits and fights.
4/2/2005 31
 94 Summary
95 Stanley is angry at himself, and he dig Zero's holes. He wants to look for
96 Zero but he doesn'tt do it. He tries to think of a plan. Zero didn't come back
and the adult say that nobody cares about Zero. He was a ward of
the state, so they just decided to destroy all the records they had on him.

Comment The only one how cares about Hector Zeroni is Stanley Y.
4/3/2005 32

97 Summary
98 A New Kid is assigned to group D. He always fidgeted, so they
99 nicknamed him Twitch. Stanley was worried about Zero, and thought about
him suffering. On the next day, when the watertruck came around, he stole it
He drove a little bit but then he drove it into a hole, the airbag went off
and Stanley ran away with a canteen without knowing that the canteen is
empty.

4/4/2005 33

99 Summary
100 Stanley walks toward where he thinks the God's Thumb would be.He passes
many holes, and he looks in them.He sees yellow-spotted-lizards and finds
an empty sunflower seed sack with one seed.

4/9/2005 34

101 Summary
102 Stanley sees a pool of water, or so he thinks. His eyes are on God's Thumb
and he walks toward a large object. It is a boat, upside down, on its written
Mary Lou. On the side a tunnel went down. He yells, and someone
yells back, then an arm with an orange sleeve came out. It is Zero.

4/11/2005 35

102 Summary
103 Zero doesn't look good, he is in bad shape.Zero has been living on sploosh
104 under the boat in a tunnel, sploosh tastes of peaches. Zero says he won't go
105 back to camp, and he won't dig any more holes. Stanley shows Zero the
mountain that looks like God's thumb.

4/13/2005 36

106 Summary
 107 They take some unbroken jars in the sack and go toward the God's thumb.
108 Zero used the shovel to help him walk. Stanley thinks of what he may also
109 need the shovel for. While they walk, Zero asks Stanley to give him
110 some words. Stanley wonders about death and his parents. They come
to the edge of the dry lake, and come to cliffs. They helps eachother up the
big cliffs. Stanley boosts Zero up, and Zero held out the shovel to pull
Stanley up. Zero's hands are bleeding from holding the shovel.

4/14/2005 37

110 Summary
111 Stanley becomes worried because they are almost there, and he isn't
112 sure there will be anything to help them when they get there. They get
excited in their climb because they realize there are weeds and bugs.

4/16/2005 38

112 Summary
113 Stanley picks Zero up and carries him on his back. He smells something,
114 then he slipps and fall in a muddy place. He digs in the mud and drinks,
then he scoops out water for Zero. He finds a smooth round object
in the mud, it is an onion. He eats and shares it with Zero.

4/17/2005 39

114 Summary
115 When Stanley wake up, he sees, that he was in a meadow. Zero groanes,
116 and it is hard for Stanley to talk. He plans to go down after the shovel to
make their water hole bigger, but Zero wants to tell him something. Zero
says that he had taken Clyde Livingstons shoes, the truth came out and
Zero relaxes and sleeps.

40

116 Summary
117 Stanley discovers that the meadow is full of wild onions. It goes back to the
118 story from the past of Sam the onion man, and how people felt that his
119 onions cured their sick families. Stanley and Zero slept a lot, ate a lot of
onions and grew stronger. Stanley didnt want to leave Zero to get the shovel.
Finally Stanley went, and he was amazed how far he had carried Zero up
the mountain.
 41

119 Summary
120 Stanley dig the hole deeper, and doesn't let Zero help.They are both starting
121 to improve. Zero tells Stanley how he took the shoes from the homeless
shelter. Zero has no parents and was living on the street. He just took the
shoes because he needed them, he couldn't read the sign.

42

121 Summary
122 After about a week of living on onions, Stanley doesn't smell anything
123 anymore. The boys are better and Stanley feels happy. He thinks about his
life, his and Zeros punishments, possibly living as a fugitive, and possibly
looking for buried treasure.

43

124 Summary
125 Zero remembers having a home and a mother. The boys plan to go back,
126 find the treasure, sneak some food, and get away. Stanley thinks of his
127 parents, he is worried and scared. They go down, and they try not to drink
128 water for as long as they can. Zero remembers his mother leaving him and
129 his stuffed giraffe and one day not coming back. He lived for a month in a
130 tunnel of a playground in a park. Stanley begins to think more about his
parents. Zero corrects Stanley about directions. They hide in a hole as they
got close to camp, then when things got quiet they find the hole where
Stanley had found the lipstick and go in.

4/20/2005 44

130 Summary
131 Zero goes for water, and comes back with breakfast while Stanley digs.
132 Stanley decides to dig wider instead of deeper because Kate Barlow
133 wouldn't dig deeper. Finally, he hits something hard on the side wall of the
hole, it is a metal box. He digs underneath it to free it. When it comes out
they see it is a metal suitcase. As Stanley pulls it out of the hole, the
Warden thanks him.

4/21/2005 45
 133 Summary
134 A flashlight beam comes on and lights up Zero. Mr. Sir, Mr. Pendanski and
135 the Warden are at the hole. They see a lizard on the suitcase and then more
lizards everywhere.The adults talk about having a body to give to the woman
The Warden talks about having to dig holes to look for the treasure when
she was a child.

4/23/2005 46

135 Summary
136 A lizard jumped at Mr. Pendanski, Mr. Sir shot it. Mr. Pendanski suggests
137 shooting the boys, but the Warden says to wait, their story should be simple
to the A.G. about Stanley being bit by a lizard. She sais they would bury
Zero in one of the holes. Stanley remains hopeful, and imagines a good
memory. Mr. Sir says Stanley's lawyer came by and said he was innocent
after all. The boys in the camp are waking up. The Warden tells the
counselors to tell the boys that they don't have to dig today.

4/24/2005 47

138 Summary
139 When the sun comes up, the lizards stays low in the shade, but still on the
140 boys. Zero says Satan, then Sa- tan- lee. He was reading the writting on the
141 suitcase.Stanley tries to get out but a lizard stops him.
Zero asks if Stanley's first name was the same as his last name, but
backwards. Two strangers drive up, a man in a cowboy hat and a Hispanic
woman. The woman threatened to file charges against Mrs. Walker and the
Camp for child abuse and torture. The Warden says that the kids stole the
suitcase from her the night before, and were caught in the lizard nest. The
man tells Stanley not to say anything, but asks why Stanley wasn't released
the day before. The Warden says Stanley has been hospitalized, he had
been delirious and has been having hallucinations, and there had been no
authorization from the Attorney General. Stanley slowly gets out of the hole,
the lizards move back in the shade. He pulls out Zero. Stanley was dizzy.
The Warden tries to get the suitcase, but Zero doesn't let her, it has Stanley
Yelnats written on it.

48
 142 Summary
143 As they walk back to Camp, they find out that the man was the Texas
144 Attorney General, and the woman was Stanley's lawyer, Mrs. Morengo. They
145 give the boys orange juice and bagels. The Warden says that she has
her things inside of the suitcase and the adults argue about whether Stanley
should open it. Then they give Stanley his things, and start to take him away,
but Stanley won't leave Hector (Zero). The Warden can't find Zeros files. The
other boys come in and are glad to see them, and Squid asks Stanley to
tell his mom that he was sorry. They let Zero go because they can't find his
records. Suddenly it beginns to rain.

49

145 Summary
146 There never used to be lizards in the area, but there were red-eyed
147 monsters. The men of the area who hunted rattlesnakes would get lizard
juice from Sam the onion man to keep away the monsters. If the men would
drink onion juice, it would keep the lizards away.
On the ride back, the lady rolled down the windows, even though the
air-conditioning was on. The lady explained how she figured out that Stanley
was innocent, and how Stanleys dad had invented something for foot odor
that smelled like peaches.

5/8/2005 50

150 Summary
151 Stanley's mother says there was no curse, but it is strange that Stanley's dad
152 invented the cure for foot odor on the day after Stanley carried Zero (the
great-great-grandson of Madame Zeroni) up the mountain.
Camp Green Lake was closed, and the Warden (Ms. Walker) sold the land
which become a Girl Scout camp.
Stanley's self confidence was better. The suitcase contained jewels that
weren't worth very much and some old papers that were worth a lot. Stanley
bought his family a new house, and hired a private investigator. A year and
a half later, they watched a commercial by Clyde Sweet Feet Livingston
about Sploosh.
 , that there was over

a dry and flat wastland.

de under rocks

times just a word

given a choice.
rn him into a good boy.
or to Camp Green
een to camp before.

d simple sentences

he exception of the
s his lap. Stanley is
nking of his family.
me for which he was

sty, but the guard and

the back. His

guard him. If he finds
ki or Mr Sir and if the
 t D. He meets Mr.
He finds out that
s BarfBag. And

y he tells about the

got the sneakers

ig. Xray has

ndanski tells them that
d anything interesting
arden likes it they get
s great love for a
man called Igor also
yra. Elya Yelnats got
glet every day up to a
o it. On Myras 15th
untain and sing to her,
e cursed for eternety.
ht the pig to Myra's
t decide between the
he pig and went to
Zeroni up the
ied a woman in
anley finished his first
was the smallest boy
 njoys it. He goes to
he conditions are.
camp. He trips over
the rest of the boys

g the next hole. He

As he was digging
sil. He gave it to

ing else. Xray admits

He says it isn't fair that
y thought it was
r of the group. He
an. As he dug more,

e else in a circle
n accomplish anything
anley to take
-good-dirty-rotten-
bout what Zero wants

g holes. He sees
d with an outline of
me way out of giving it
Ray. They thought it
ait until the
When the watertruck

alk with him. X-Ray

nski and shortly
she says to Mr.
s Mr. Pendanski to

ect had come from,

ect the dirt.She stays
ve to dig larger

nley well. The next

ent because they
to work faster.Stanley
night, Stanley gets a
sn't seem to

week and a half, and

finding something.
en Zigzag's shovel
Zigzag makes him
 he lakebed. Stanley
. That night he beginns
. Zero admits
ch him. Stanley says
d he is too tired.

t the next morning.

eeps quiet. That day,
it in Stanley's hole.
stealing the sack of
wants him to tell it

at she says is
elf. But suddenly she

reat grandfather who

ving on Gods thumb.
le was smaller

hy he had done that.

flower seeds or the
ches him the alphabet,
ro can figure
of Stanley's hole
s a lipstick tube,
ng Kate Barlow.

o it was a lake,
always won prizes for
e was the towns
s feet smelled like
er for a boat ride

Sir's face, all swollen

afternoon, he poured

ould see Dr.

n told everyone to eat
th them. Sam
peaches. She fell in
not acceptable in

d Kate Barlow a Devil

sheriff who was a
d Sam on the lake
. One day Kate killed
Kissing Kate Barlow,
es. Mr. Sir's
ly filled Stanleys
t Zero all the alphabet
isn't his real name.

w returned to Green
d her and tried to rob
y decided that Kate
ure her, but she never

s at the sky and

a thumb sticking
s great grandfather

n extra carton of
her lipstick tube, and
ve Stanley a hard time
ach other. Zigzag
okes Zigzag. Mr.
s out about Zero's
g Zero how to read
n someting. He's too
leaves. The adults
n talks about
es from the 6 boys.

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e hits and fights.
e wants to look for
ero didn't come back
as a ward of
s they had on him.

or Zeroni is Stanley Y.

o, and thought about

ame around, he stole it
airbag went off
that the canteen is

b would be.He passes

ted-lizards and finds

are on God's Thumb

down, on its written
nd someone
ut. It is Zero.

een living on sploosh

Zero says he won't go
ey shows Zero the
ard the God's thumb.
of what he may also
y to give him
ents. They come
lps eachother up the
e shovel to pull

re, and he isn't

there. They get
eeds and bugs.

smells something,
e mud and drinks,
round object

dow. Zero groanes,

after the shovel to
m something. Zero
uth came out and

s. It goes back to the

ople felt that his
t a lot, ate a lot of
Zero to get the shovel.
had carried Zero up
They are both starting
om the homeless
et. He just took the

smell anything
. He thinks about his
gitive, and possibly

ys plan to go back,
nley thinks of his
they try not to drink
ther leaving him and
ed for a month in a
k more about his
hide in a hole as they
the hole where

hile Stanley digs.

e Kate Barlow
the side wall of the
When it comes out
f the hole, the
, Mr. Pendanski and
uitcase and then more
y to give to the woman
the treasure when

endanski suggests
tory should be simple
s they would bury
imagines a good
aid he was innocent
rden tells the

hade, but still on the

ing the writting on the

ast name, but

y hat and a Hispanic
Mrs. Walker and the
at the kids stole the
the lizard nest. The
anley wasn't released
ospitalized, he had
d there had been no
y gets out of the hole,
Stanley was dizzy.
let her, it has Stanley
 was the Texas
r, Mrs. Morengo. They
ays that she has
about whether Stanley
start to take him away,
n't find Zeros files. The
id asks Stanley to
se they can't find his

ere red-eyed
es would get lizard
ers. If the men would

ven though the

gured out that Stanley
mething for foot odor

nge that Stanley's dad

y carried Zero (the

Walker) sold the land

tained jewels that

re worth a lot. Stanley
estigator. A year and
et Feet Livingston