Holes has received many accolades:
- John Newbery Medal[17]
- 1998, US National Book Award for Young People's Literature[18]
- 1998, American Library Association, Best Books for Young Adults[19]
- 1999 Newbery Medal for the year's "most distinguished contribution to American literature for children"[20]
- 1999, Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Fiction[21]
- 2000, Zilveren Zoen[21]
- 2000, Flicker Tale Children's Book Award[21]
- 2000, Pennsylvania Young Readers' Choice Award for Grades 6-8[21]
- 2000, Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award[21]
- 2001, William Allen White Children's Book Award[22]
- 2001, West Australian Young Readers' Book Award (WAYRBA) for Older Readers[21]
- 2001, Grand Canyon Reader Award for Teen Book[21]
- 2001, Nene Award[21]
- 2001, Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award for Grade 6-9[21]
- 2001, Massachusetts Children's Book Award[21]
- 2001, Evergreen Teen Book Award[21]
- 2003, Soaring Eagle Book Award[21]
- 2002, Sunshine State Young Readers Award for Grades 3-5 and Grades 6-8[21]
- 2001, Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader's Choice Award for Junior[21]
- 2001, Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis Nominee for Jugendbuch[21]
- 2001, New Mexico Land of Enchantment Award for Young Adult[21]
- 2001, Oklahoma Sequoyah Award for Children and YA[21]
- 2002, Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award[21]
- 2000, Premi Protagonista Jove for Categoria 14-15 anys[21]
Holes, considered the most complex of Louis Sachar’s published books, is often praised for its complex plot, character development, and suspense. Over two decades after its original publication, Holes continues to be well received by critics and was ranked number 6 among all-time children's novels by School Library Journal in 2012.[23] The novel spent over 150 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List, reaching #1 for Young Adult fiction.[24]
Betsy Hearne of The New York Times applauded the novel's integration of mystery and humor that manages to keep Holes light and fresh, and she characterizes it as a "family read-aloud."[25] Roger Sutton of The Horn Book Magazine called Sachar's declarative style effective, and argues that it helped make the novel more poignant. Sutton appreciated the positive ending and the suspense that leads the reader to it.[26]
Holes’ choice as a read-aloud book in elementary school classrooms, particularly in the fourth and fifth grade, has been challenged several times by parents who question the morality of the book.[16] Objecting parents found that the”book was more violent than the movie and that the book was not quality literature."[16]
