Posted on: Saturday, March 31, 2001

'Holes' author a Nene winner

Advertiser Staff

Louis Sacher, winner of the 1999 Newbery Medal for excellence in children's literature, yesterday became the winner of the 2001 Nene Award for his latest book, "Holes." The Nene is presented each year to the writer of the work voted the favorite by Hawai'i's fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders.

"Holes" is the story of a young boy who is wrongly accused of stealing and sent to a detention camp. It gets its title from the camp's requirement that the residents dig and fill in 5-by-5-foot holes each day.

Usually, the previous year's Nene Award winner attends the announcement event to receive the award, but last year's winner sent her regrets. "Harry and I are currently locked in another battle against the forces of evil, so we cannot accept the award in person, but we would like to express our enormous gratitude for such a splendid addition to the Hogwarts trophy room," wrote J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter book series.