This book is about a camp (more like a prison) called Camp Green Lake where kids need to dig holes from morning to evening, everyday in the heat. What the kids are told is that they dig “to build character” but the are actually looking for a treasure.

The main themes that this book is about are friendship and freedom. When Stanley’s friend escaped from camp, Stanley risked his life to save him. The camp is like a prison which makes freedom one of the main themes of the book.  

 In my opinion, these interconnected stories complicate the story and make it hard to understand at the beginning but they actually seem to have a relationship which I think that makes the story more interesting.

Stanley and Zero like each other more and more over the story to the point where Stanley risks his life to save his friend.. Zero that comes from a poor family could have been jealous of Stanley but he wasn’t. This shows how important friendship is.

This harsh barren landscape shows how miserable the camp actually is. Sachar shows that society is fair because those who don’t respect the law go to “camp”, which is basically prison but it is actually not because as we can see in the book, Stanley went to camp for nothing. 

I actually like this idea because it makes the story less depressive and more enjoyable to read. I think it neither enhances nor detracts from the book's important messages because the messages are well delivered and that humor is not a distraction.   

I personally liked this book because it is full of adventure and mystery. I think it is important to read this book because it shows what hard work really is. I’ll give it a 8/10.