Holes: Chapters 8–16

by Louis Sachar
In this comic adventure, Stanley Yelnats is sent to a juvenile detention center where the inmates spend their days digging mysterious holes. But what on earth are they looking for?

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–7, Chapters 8–16, Chapters 17–24, Chapters 25–35, Chapters 36–43, Chapters 44–50

Here is a link to our lists for Small Steps by Louis Sachar.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. curse
    an evil spell
    A lot of people don't believe in curses.
  2. predatory
    living by preying on other animals
    The yellow-spotted lizards like to live in holes, which offer shade from the sun and protection from predatory birds.
    The noun version of predatory is predator, which is the opposite of another vocabulary word on this list, prey. Besides birds and yellow-spotted lizards, are there other "predatory" beings in the book? Consider the second meaning of predatory, "living by or given to victimizing others for personal gain."
  3. prey
    animal hunted or caught for food
    They have strong, powerful legs, and can leap out of very deep holes to attack their prey.
  4. intensity
    high level or degree
    Zero stared at him for a moment, with the same intensity with which he had been staring at the letter.
  5. canteen
    a flask for carrying water; used by soldiers or travelers
    She gently shook the canteen, letting the water swish inside the plastic container.
    In the story, canteens are used often. Since it is repeated throughout the story, it serves as a reminder of water, which is an important substance in this setting.
  6. barren
    providing no shelter or sustenance
    He looked at the barren land all around him.
  7. pry
    move or force in an effort to get something open
    He slammed his shovel into the ground and pried up another piece of earth.
  8. sift
    move as if through a sieve
    He climbed up out of his hole and sifted his fingers through the pile.
  9. etch
    carve or cut a design or letters into
    He could see an outline of a heart, with the letters K B etched inside it.
  10. site
    the piece of land on which something is located
    The Warden remained at the site for the remainder of the day, along with Mr. Pendanski and Mr. Sir, who showed up after a while.
  11. paranoid
    suffering from delusions of persecution or grandeur
    He wondered if Zigzag was just being paranoid.
    This word is used figuratively here. Paranoia is a real disease, but in this passage, it's referring to the possibility that Zigzag might be unreasonably concerned that he and the others are being watched and listened to through hidden cameras and microphones.
  12. intently
    with strained or eager attention
    Stanley glanced uncertainly at Zigzag, who was staring very intently at the busted television screen.
  13. practically
    almost; nearly
    Stanley practically ran when he pushed his wheelbarrow.
  14. presumably
    by reasonable assumption
    Besides, the shovels were locked up at night, presumably so they couldn't be used as weapons.
  15. evict
    expel from one's property or force to move out
    The landlord is threatening to evict us because of the odor.
Created on Sat Aug 31 13:58:35 EDT 2013 (updated Thu Jun 12 18:02:07 EDT 2025)

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