Sachar writes the humorous plot of Holes in a straightforward manner; however, he weaves into the plot three subplots. The subplots are tall-tale motifs that provide explanations about incidents involving previous Yelnats generations that significantly impact Stanley's life as well as the lives of others.
Stanley Yelnats (whose name is palindromic — which means that his last name is his first name spelled backward) is the protagonist (or main character) of the novel. An only child, Stanley lives with his mother and his father, who is an inventor. Stanley is a good-natured, kind, middle-school student who is ridiculed by classmates because he is overweight. Stanley's life changes dramatically after Derrick Dunne, a classmate who is much smaller than Stanley and is fond of picking on Stanley, takes Stanley's notebook and throws it in the toilet in the boys' restroom at school. Stanley misses his bus and has to walk home. While walking home, a pair of old sneakers "fell out of the sky" and hit him on the head. Excited because he thinks the sneakers will assist his father, who is trying to invent a use for old sneakers, Stanley runs toward home. The police stop Stanley and he is mistakenly arrested for stealing the sneakers.
Unfortunately, only Stanley's parents believe he is innocent. During the trial, Stanley discovers that the sneakers belonged to Clyde "Sweet Feet" Livingston, a famous professional baseball player who had donated his sneakers for an auction to help raise money for a homeless shelter for children. Stanley is unfairly sentenced by the judge and has a choice of going to jail or to Camp Green Lake. Because he is from a poor family and has never been to camp, he chooses Camp Green Lake.
