I only read the summary of these stories.
Holes by Louis Sachar
Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie S. Tolan
Both main characters in the stories are accused of being trouble makers. Jake of Surviving the Applewhites was sent to live with the Applewhites instead of being sent to a juvenile detention center. Stanley of Holes was arrested for a crime he did not commit. He was Camp Green Lake, a juvenile detention facility in Texas.
Both characters felt that they did not belong but as the stories progress, changes happened that in the end made them feel that they are part of the community they are in.
The story Surviving the Applewhites is chronological story while the story Holes uses flashbacks. The main characters were transformed from being untrustworthy trouble makers to "heroes".
