★ 美國紐伯瑞兒童文學金牌獎
★ 本書為美國University of California-Irvine語言學校指定讀本

Stanley Yelnats is under a curse. A curse that began with his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather and has since followed generations of Yelnats.

Now Stanley has been unjustly sent to a boys' detention center, Camp Green Lake, where the warden makes the boys "build character" by spending all day, every day, digging holes: five feet wide and five feet deep.

It doesn't take long for Stanley to realize there's more than character improvement going on at Camp Green Lake. The boys are digging holes because the warden is looking for something. Stanley tries to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment--and redemption.


葉納慈家好幾代以來都很倒楣，所以連天上掉下來的球鞋，都可以害史丹利?葉納慈獲罪！他被送入少年管訓的綠湖營。綠湖根本就不是湖，它已經乾涸了一百多年了，綠湖營也不是營隊，這些少年犯每天都得在硬梆梆的乾涸湖床上挖一個各五英尺的洞作為懲罰。

挖洞的目的根本不是為了磨練少年的個性，葉納慈家倒楣的原因也其來有自，這些謎團一個緊扣著一個，在少年揮汗挖洞的過程中，真相就要被挖掘出來……

本書是一本非常特別的小說。書中內容涉及輪迴、詛咒、命運等觀念，作者運用緊密的結構，優美的文字，將書中每一個角色的個性都描寫得深刻且生動，使人感受到絕佳的文學閱讀經驗。本書絕對讓人愛不釋手，一旦拿起，就捨不得放下。

本書內容由於有好幾代的故事穿插出現，為了讓讀者便於閱讀，在編輯手法上，採取改變字體的方式，使讀者一目了然，可以清楚明白故事內容。