{"id":10499,"date":"2026-08-17T08:52:46","date_gmt":"2026-08-17T08:52:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/?post_type=lr_article&#038;p=10499"},"modified":"2026-11-06T09:19:51","modified_gmt":"2026-11-06T09:19:51","slug":"books-like-holes","status":"publish","type":"lr_article","link":"https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/articles\/books-like-holes\/","title":{"rendered":"Books Like Holes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Holes is one of those very special books for me. It was a book that I read as a child and later went on to teach as an adult. And the fondness I now have for it is pretty immense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So I&#8217;ll not hide my bias when I say there are no books like Holes. Not exactly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Louis Sachar interlocked a family curse, a desert detention camp and a hundred years of history so neatly that nothing else clicks shut quite the same way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So the trick to finding something similar starts with knowing which bit your child loved (the mystery clicking together, the deadpan humour, the outsider hero, the survival grit) and matching that. Mystery is a good bet at this age. In our own numbers on <a href=\"https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/articles\/what-children-like-to-read-at-each-age\/\">what children like to read at each age<\/a>, it gets picked more and more as children get older. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Below are the matches that I&#8217;d hand to a fellow fan of this book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For lots of 9 to 11s, <a href=\"https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/our-library\/holes\/\">Holes<\/a> might be the first book they&#8217;ve encountered with some real darkness in it. And they enjoyed it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, that&#8217;s the kind of vibe we&#8217;re chasing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Everything below sits with it on our <a href=\"https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/books-for-9-year-olds\/\">books for 9 year olds<\/a> shelf, and it leads our <a href=\"https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/articles\/best-books-for-a-long-car-journey-ages-9-11\/\">long car journey list<\/a> for a reason (it&#8217;s the great all-rounder).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">More Sachar first<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The easiest answer to &#8220;something like Holes?&#8221; is to go to the man who wrote Holes, and the library now stocks two of his best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">There&#8217;s a Boy in the Girls&#8217; Bathroom by Louis Sachar<\/h3>\n\n\n<a class=\"lr-bookpill\" href=\"https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/our-library\/theres-a-boy-in-the-girls-bathroom\/\" aria-label=\"View There&#8217;s a Boy in the Girls&#8217; Bathroom in the library\"><div class=\"lr-bookpill__cover\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"196\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1786713289_6a7f14c99c172-196x300.jpg\" class=\"lr-bookpill__cover-img\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1786713289_6a7f14c99c172-196x300.jpg 196w, https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1786713289_6a7f14c99c172.jpg 290w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 196px) 100vw, 196px\" \/><\/div><div class=\"lr-bookpill__body\"><p class=\"lr-bookpill__title\">There&#8217;s a Boy in the Girls&#8217; Bathroom<\/p><div class=\"lr-bookpill__meta\"><span>Louis Sachar<\/span><span class=\"lr-bookpill__meta-dot\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><span>Age 9<\/span><span class=\"lr-bookpill__meta-dot\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><span>Friendship<\/span><\/div><\/div><span class=\"lr-bookpill__chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\">&rsaquo;<\/span><\/a>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the kid whose favourite part of Holes was Stanley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bradley Chalkers is the oldest kid in the class, and the loneliest. He tells enormous lies, he picks fights, and nobody (teachers included) wants to sit near him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then a new school counsellor arrives and does the one thing nobody else has tried. She actually likes him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If your child loved Stanley (the boy everyone underestimated), this is that with the desert swapped for a classroom. Funny and painful in the same breath. Age 9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Fuzzy Mud by Louis Sachar<\/h3>\n\n\n<a class=\"lr-bookpill\" href=\"https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/our-library\/fuzzy-mud\/\" aria-label=\"View Fuzzy Mud in the library\"><div class=\"lr-bookpill__cover\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"195\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1786713363_6a7f1513e3767-195x300.jpg\" class=\"lr-bookpill__cover-img\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1786713363_6a7f1513e3767-195x300.jpg 195w, https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1786713363_6a7f1513e3767.jpg 340w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 195px) 100vw, 195px\" \/><\/div><div class=\"lr-bookpill__body\"><p class=\"lr-bookpill__title\">Fuzzy Mud<\/p><div class=\"lr-bookpill__meta\"><span>Louis Sachar<\/span><span class=\"lr-bookpill__meta-dot\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><span>Age 9<\/span><span class=\"lr-bookpill__meta-dot\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><span>Sci Fi<\/span><\/div><\/div><span class=\"lr-bookpill__chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\">&rsaquo;<\/span><\/a>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tamaya and Marshall take a shortcut home through the woods to escape a bully, and find something that shouldn&#8217;t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There&#8217;s a patch of strange, fuzzy mud that seems almost alive. Then a rash starts spreading through the school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It follows that same shape as Holes, where a small decision snowballs into consequences far bigger than anyone saw coming. Age 9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">If it was the mystery clicking together<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the reasons I loved teaching Holes was when I got to share the brilliant and immensely satisfying moment when all the pieces come together. Stanley&#8217;s no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather&#8217;s curse, the holes at Camp Green Lake, and the trainers to name a couple of the brilliant clues encountered along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here&#8217;s a couple of cracking mysteries that will certainly hit that same spot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson<\/h3>\n\n\n<a class=\"lr-bookpill\" href=\"https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/our-library\/the-goldfish-boy\/\" aria-label=\"View The Goldfish Boy in the library\"><div class=\"lr-bookpill__cover\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"208\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ebookupload-1667502197373-208x300.jpeg\" class=\"lr-bookpill__cover-img\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ebookupload-1667502197373-208x300.jpeg 208w, https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ebookupload-1667502197373.jpeg 346w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 208px) 100vw, 208px\" \/><\/div><div class=\"lr-bookpill__body\"><p class=\"lr-bookpill__title\">The Goldfish Boy<\/p><div class=\"lr-bookpill__meta\"><span>Lisa Thompson<\/span><span class=\"lr-bookpill__meta-dot\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><span>Age 9<\/span><span class=\"lr-bookpill__meta-dot\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><span>Mystery<\/span><\/div><\/div><span class=\"lr-bookpill__chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\">&rsaquo;<\/span><\/a>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The best pure mystery match here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Matthew is trapped in his bedroom by crippling OCD, watching the neighbours of Chestnut Close go about their lives from his window. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then he becomes the last person to see the toddler next door before the boy goes missing, and the watcher has to turn detective. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An outsider hero and a mystery where every small detail matters. Age 8 to 10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">If it was the deadpan humour<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Holes is funny in a pretty dark way (especially for a kids&#8217; book). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is no lake at Camp Green Lake, the warden is dressed and appears nothing like a warden, and the narrator reports all of it like a weather forecast. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If that&#8217;s what your child enjoyed, you want a writer who trusts the reader to spot the joke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Framed by Frank Cottrell Boyce<\/h3>\n\n\n<a class=\"lr-bookpill\" href=\"https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/our-library\/framed\/\" aria-label=\"View Framed in the library\"><div class=\"lr-bookpill__cover\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"198\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/ebookupload-1661159818506-198x300.jpeg\" class=\"lr-bookpill__cover-img\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/ebookupload-1661159818506-198x300.jpeg 198w, https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/ebookupload-1661159818506.jpeg 330w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 198px) 100vw, 198px\" \/><\/div><div class=\"lr-bookpill__body\"><p class=\"lr-bookpill__title\">Framed<\/p><div class=\"lr-bookpill__meta\"><span>Frank Cottrell Boyce<\/span><span class=\"lr-bookpill__meta-dot\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><span>Age 9<\/span><span class=\"lr-bookpill__meta-dot\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><span>Mystery<\/span><\/div><\/div><span class=\"lr-bookpill__chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\">&rsaquo;<\/span><\/a>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dylan is the only boy in the tiny Welsh town of Manod. His family run the Snowdonia Oasis Auto Marvel garage and he keeps the petrol log. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">(Which means he knows everyone coming in and out of town, right down to their favourite crisps.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then a mysterious convoy of lorries trundles up the misty mountain to an old, disused mine, and even Dylan can&#8217;t work out who these people are or what they&#8217;re hiding. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nobody does dry, blink-and-you-miss-it comedy over a slowly unfolding scheme like Cottrell Boyce. Age 9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">If it was the survival grit<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The survival and determination of the boys who dig one five-foot hole a day, every day, in the desert heat is very compelling to kids. It raises a lot of &#8220;how long do you think you&#8217;d last?&#8221; and &#8220;would you be able to do it?&#8221; questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As a result, some readers really crave stories where the hardship is taken seriously, with a child who endures it. These are the books for that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Explorer by Katherine Rundell<\/h3>\n\n\n<a class=\"lr-bookpill\" href=\"https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/our-library\/the-explorer\/\" aria-label=\"View The Explorer in the library\"><div class=\"lr-bookpill__cover\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"196\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/ebookupload-1672212820158-196x300.jpeg\" class=\"lr-bookpill__cover-img\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/ebookupload-1672212820158-196x300.jpeg 196w, https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/ebookupload-1672212820158-667x1024.jpeg 667w, https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/ebookupload-1672212820158-768x1178.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/ebookupload-1672212820158-1001x1536.jpeg 1001w, https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/ebookupload-1672212820158-1335x2048.jpeg 1335w, https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/ebookupload-1672212820158.jpeg 1525w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 196px) 100vw, 196px\" \/><\/div><div class=\"lr-bookpill__body\"><p class=\"lr-bookpill__title\">The Explorer<\/p><div class=\"lr-bookpill__meta\"><span>Katherine Rundell<\/span><span class=\"lr-bookpill__meta-dot\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><span>Age 9<\/span><span class=\"lr-bookpill__meta-dot\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><span>Friendship<\/span><\/div><\/div><span class=\"lr-bookpill__chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\">&rsaquo;<\/span><\/a>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fred, Con, Lila and Max are flying home from Manaus when their plane crashes into the Amazon and the pilot doesn&#8217;t survive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For days they keep themselves alive alone, until Fred finds a map that leads to a ruined city, and a secret someone worked hard to keep. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It&#8217;s got the kids-sticking-together bits (and the turning-on-each-other bits) but in a jungle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Age 9 to 11.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two more along the same lines, both already starring in other lists of ours: <a href=\"https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/our-library\/the-wild-robot\/\">The Wild Robot<\/a> does survival with a warmer heart at 8 (robot Roz, alone on a wild island, learning from the animals), and <a href=\"https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/our-library\/kick\/\">Kick<\/a> brings the moral stakes at 10 (Budi, stitching football boots in Jakarta, one unlucky kick from disaster). For an adventure with an injustice to overturn, <a href=\"https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/our-library\/brightstorm\/\">Brightstorm<\/a> sends twins to clear their explorer father&#8217;s name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Books like Holes for readers ready to step up<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Wolf Road by Alice Roberts<\/h3>\n\n\n<a class=\"lr-bookpill\" href=\"https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/our-library\/wolf-road\/\" aria-label=\"View Wolf Road in the library\"><div class=\"lr-bookpill__cover\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"210\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1711120387_51y0pTFYRvL._SY445_SX342_-210x300.jpg\" class=\"lr-bookpill__cover-img\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1711120387_51y0pTFYRvL._SY445_SX342_-210x300.jpg 210w, https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1711120387_51y0pTFYRvL._SY445_SX342_.jpg 312w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 210px) 100vw, 210px\" \/><\/div><div class=\"lr-bookpill__body\"><p class=\"lr-bookpill__title\">Wolf Road<\/p><div class=\"lr-bookpill__meta\"><span>Alice Roberts<\/span><span class=\"lr-bookpill__meta-dot\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><span>Age 11<\/span><span class=\"lr-bookpill__meta-dot\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/span><span>Animals<\/span><\/div><\/div><span class=\"lr-bookpill__chev\" aria-hidden=\"true\">&rsaquo;<\/span><\/a>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the 11 year old who wants the survival with real jeopardy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tuuli is a prehistoric girl travelling with her tribe through the seasons. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She&#8217;s making camp, hunting, surviving whatever the climate throws at them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She knows there&#8217;s a bigger world out there, and when she spots a strange boy lurking outside the camp, he might hold the adventure she&#8217;s been looking for. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This feels like real survival, and it&#8217;s a proper step up. Age 11.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The other classic step-up is <a href=\"https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/our-library\/kensukes-kingdom\/\">Kensuke&#8217;s Kingdom<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Michael is washed up on a Pacific island the night before his twelfth birthday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He wakes to find a plate of fish and fresh water beside him, and realises he is not alone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We&#8217;ve already got it on our car-journey list, so if your child has already read it, Wolf Road is the fresh territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And if it turns out survival stories are their whole thing now, my <a href=\"https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/articles\/books-like-the-hunger-games\/\">books like The Hunger Games<\/a> picks keep that going for 10 to 12 year olds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Just so you know\u2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Holes and every book above is in Little Reads, a library of 3,000+ hand-picked books for children aged 5 to 11.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A free account gives you 100+ free books, and full access is \u00a37.99 a month after a 7-day free trial. Cancel anytime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We&#8217;re a library, not a classroom. No phonics, no reading levels, no ads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And if yours has just closed Holes and gone quiet, one of the books above should fill the hole.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>No book is exactly like Holes. But these matches might have a similar vibe. The mystery, the deadpan humour, the outsider hero, the survival grit.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"lr_cta_badge":"","lr_cta_headline":"Read The Explorer free for 7 days","lr_cta_subline":"A library of 3,000+ books - hand-picked by a former English teacher, delivered through a calm, ad-free app. If your child already loves reading, we keep up.","lr_byline":"","lr_byline_url":""},"book_tag":[],"age_group":[29,28,26,24],"book_author":[74,334,552,628,644],"class_list":["post-10499","lr_article","type-lr_article","status-publish","hentry","age_group-books-for-10-year-olds","age_group-books-for-11-year-olds","age_group-books-for-8-year-olds","age_group-books-for-9-year-olds","book_author-alice-roberts","book_author-frank-cottrell-boyce","book_author-katherine-rundell","book_author-lisa-thompson","book_author-louis-sachar"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Books Like Holes | Little Reads<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"No book is exactly like Holes. These matches go note by note. The mystery, the deadpan humour, the outsider hero, the survival grit.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/readingmate.co.uk\/littlereads\/articles\/books-like-holes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Books Like Holes | Little Reads\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"No book is exactly like Holes. These matches go note by note. 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