This book was written by Louis Sachar. This novel was a novel written for kids to understand cause and effect. It was also written to show someone being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Throughout the story there is a feeling of remorse for Stanley. The reader feels bad for what he must go through.
The novel takes place at a boys" juvi center in the middle of a dried up lakebed. Most of the story is set in present day. Which is in the late 1990s. The main characters of this story are Stanley Yelnats. They are both temporary inhabitants of Camp Green Lake (the juvi center). The main types of conflict present in this novel are man versus manand man versus nature. These are both centered around Stanley and his ordeals at Camp Green Lake.
The basic plot of the story is very slow at the beginning, only describing Stanley and his family and when Stanley gets into trouble. Then the story picks up when Stanley is sent to Camp Green Lake. When he is there the counselors are very rough, excpt for Mom. He is forced to dig holes every day, to a certain diameter and depth. Eventually Stanley finds the lipstick casing that belonged to Kissin" Kate Bartlow who, many years ago, robbed Stanley's grandfather of his entire fortune. Eventually, Stanley has had enough and decides to run away with Zero. They both go through many hard times and eventually go back to the camp. Only to find out that they are both free because Stanley's dad hit it rich in the odor reducing shoe business.
The ending did not surprise me because when I realized the Zero was the relative of the gypsy that put the spell on the family, and since he and Stanley were such good friends. I figured that when Stanley carried Zero up the mountain it signified the last day that the first Stanley Yelnats had to carry the pig up the hill. This act lifted the bad luck from the family. The end of the story was when Stanley's family became rich.