Text Leveling System

Holes

RDQ:	2215	Max Word/Sent	34	Total Words	3487		Diff Words	962
Lex	930	Ave Word/.Sent	9	Hi Freq occurs	2479	71.1%	Hi freq	411	42.7%
AR	5.3	Long Sentences	8.7	Low Freq occurs	160	4.6%	Low freq	124	12.9%

There is no lake at Camp Green Lake. There once was a very 
large lake here, the largest lake in Texas. That was over a 
hundred years ago. Now it is just a dry, flat wasteland.
There used to be a town of Green Lake as well. The town 
shriveled and dried up along with the lake, and the people 
who lived there.
During the summer the daytime temperature hovers 
around ninety-five degrees in the shade - if you can find any 
shade. There's not much shade in a big dry lake.
The only trees are two old oaks on the eastern edge of the 
"lake." A hammock is stretched between the two trees, and 
a log cabin stands behind that.
The campers are forbidden to lie in the hammock. It belongs 
to the Warden. The Warden owns the shade.
Out on the lake, rattlesnakes and scorpions find shade 
under rocks and in the holes dug by the campers.]]
Here's a good rule to remember about rattlesnakes and 
scorpions: If you don't bother them, they won't bother you. 
Usually.
Being bitten by a scorpion or even a rattlesnake is not the 
worst thing that can happen to you. You won't die. 
Usually.
Sometimes a camper will try to be bitten by a scorpion, or 
even a small rattlesnake. Then he will get to spend a day or 
two recovering in his tent, instead of having to dig a hole 
out on the lake.
But you don't want to be bitten by a yellow-spotted lizard. 
That's the worst thing that can happen to you. You will die 
a slow and painful death.
Always.
If you get bitten by a yellow-spotted lizard, you might as 
well go into the shade of the oak trees and lie in the 
hammock.
There is nothing anyone can do to you anymore.]]
The reader is probably asking: Why would anyone go to 
Camp Green Lake?
Most campers weren't given a choice. Camp Green Lake is 
a camp for bad boys.
If you take a bad boy and make him dig a hole every day in 
the hot sun, it will turn him into a good boy.
That was what some people thought.
Stanley Yelnats was given a choice. The judge said, "You 
may go to jail, or you may go to Camp Green Lake." 
Stanley was from a poor family. He had never been to camp 
before.]]
Stanley Yelnats was the only passenger on the bus, not 
counting the driver or the guard. The guard sat next to the 
driver with his seat turned around facing Stanley. A rifle lay 
across his lap.
Stanley was sitting about ten rows back, handcuffed to his 
armrest. His backpack lay on the seat next to him. It contained 
his toothbrush, toothpaste, and a box of stationery his 
mother had given him. He'd promised to write to her at least 
once a week.
He looked out the window, although there wasn't much to 
see-mostly fields of hay and cotton. He was on a long bus 
ride to nowhere. The bus wasn't air-conditioned, and the hot, 
heavy air was almost as stifling as the handcuffs.
Stanley and his parents had tried to pretend that he was 
just going away to camp for a while, just like rich kids do. 
When Stanley was younger he used to play with stuffed animals, ]]
and pretend the animals were at camp. Camp Fun and 
Games he called it. Sometimes he'd have them play soccer 
with a marble. Other times they'd run an obstacle course, or 
go bungee jumping off a table, tied to broken rubber bands. 
Now Stanley tried to pretend he was going to Camp Fun and 
Games. Maybe he'd make some friends, he thought. At least 
he'd get to swim in the lake.
He didn't have any friends at home. He was overweight 
and the kids at his middle school often teased him about his 
size. Even his teachers sometimes made cruel comments 
without realizing it. On his last day of school, his math 
teacher, Mrs. Bell, taught ratios. As an example, she chose 
the heaviest kid in the class and the lightest kid in the class, 
and had them weigh themselves. Stanley weighed three 
times as much as the other boy. Mrs. Bell wrote the ratio on 
the board, 3:1, unaware of how much embarrassment she 
had caused both of them.
Stanley was arrested later that day.
He looked at the guard who sat slumped in his seat and 
wondered if he had fallen asleep. The guard was wearing 
sunglasses, so Stanley couldn't see his eyes.
Stanley was not a bad kid. He was innocent of the crime for 
which he was convicted. He'd just been in the wrong place at 
the wrong time.
It was all because of his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing
great-great-grandfather!
He smiled. It was a family joke. Whenever anything went 
wrong, they always blamed Stanley's no-good-dirty-rotten
pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather.]]
Supposedly, he had a great-great-grandfather who had 
stolen a pig from a one-legged Gypsy, and she put a curse on 
him and all his descendants. Stanley and his parents didn't 
believe in curses, of course, but whenever anything went 
wrong, it felt good to be able to blame someone.
Things went wrong a lot. They always seemed to be in the 
wrong place at the wrong time.
He looked out the window at the vast emptiness. He 
watched the rise and fall of a telephone wire. In his mind he 
could hear his father's gruff voice softly singing to him.
"If only, if only," the woodpecker sighs, 
"The bark on the tree was just a little bit softer." 
While the wolf waits below, hungry and lonely, 
He cries to the moon, "If only, if only."
It was a song his father used to sing to him. The melody 
was sweet and sad, but Stanley's favorite part was when his 
father would howl the word "moon."
The bus hit a small bump and the guard sat up, instantly 
alert.
Stanley's father was an inventor. To be a successful inventor 
you need three things: intelligence, perseverance, and just 
a little bit of luck.
Stanley's father was smart and had a lot of perseverance. 
Once he started a project he would work on it for years, often 
going days without sleep. He just never had any luck.
Every time an experiment failed, Stanley could hear him 
cursing his dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-grandfather.]]
Stanley's father was also named Stanley Yelnats. Stanley's 
father's full name was Stanley Yelnats I I I. Our Stanley is 
Stanley Yelnats I V.
Everyone in his family had always liked the fact that 
"Stanley Yelnats" was spelled the same frontward and backward. 
So they kept naming their sons Stanley. Stanley was an 
only child, as was every other Stanley Yelnats before him.
All of them had something else in common. Despite their 
awful luck, they always remained hopeful. As Stanley's father 
liked to say, "I learn from failure."
But perhaps that was part of the curse as well. If Stanley 
and his father weren't always hopeful, then it wouldn't hurt 
so much every time their hopes were crushed.
"Not every Stanley Yelnats has been a failure," Stanley's 
mother often pointed out, whenever Stanley or his father 
became so discouraged that they actually started to 
believe in the curse. The first Stanley Yelnats, Stanley's great
grandfather, had made a fortune in the stock market. "He 
couldn't have been too unlucky."
At such times she neglected to mention the bad luck that 
befell the first Stanley Yelnats. He lost his entire fortune 
when he was moving from New York to California. His 
stagecoach was robbed by the outlaw Kissin' Kate Barlow.
If it weren't for that, Stanley's family would now be living 
in a mansion on a beach in California. Instead, they were 
crammed. in a tiny apartment that smelled of burning rubber 
and foot odor.
If only, if only ...
The apartment smelled the way it did because Stanley's 
father was trying to invent a way to recycle old sneakers. "The]]
first person who finds a use for old sneakers," he said, "will 
be a very rich man."
It was this latest project that led to Stanley's arrest.
The bus ride became increasingly bumpy because the road 
was no longer paved.
Actually, Stanley had been impressed when he first found 
out that his great-grandfather was robbed by Kissin' Kate 
Barlow. True, he would have preferred living on the beach in 
California, but it was still kind of cool to have someone in 
your family robbed by a famous outlaw.
Kate Barlow didn't actually kiss Stanley's great-grandfather. 
That would have been really cool, but she only kissed the 
men she killed. Instead, she robbed him and left him stranded 
in the middle of the desert.
"He was lucky to have survived," Stanley's mother was 
quick to point out.
The bus was slowing down. The guard grunted as he 
stretched his arms.
"Welcome to Camp Green Lake," said the driver.
Stanley looked out the dirty window. He couldn't see a 
lake.
And hardly anything was green.]]
Stanley felt somewhat dazed as the guard unlocked his handcuffs 
and led him off the bus. He'd been on the bus for over 
eight hours.
"Be careful," the bus driver said as Stanley walked down 
the steps.
Stanley wasn't sure if the bus driver meant for him to be 
careful going down the steps, or if he was telling him to be 
careful at Camp Green Lake. "Thanks for the ride," he said. 
His mouth was dry and his throat hurt. He stepped onto the 
hard, dry dirt. There was a band of sweat around his wrist 
where the handcuff had been.
The land was barren and desolate. He could see a few run
down buildings and some tents. Farther away there was a 
cabin beneath two tall trees. Those two trees were the only 
plant life he could see. There weren't even weeds.
The guard led Stanley to a small building. A sign on front]]
Text
"said, YOU ARE ENTERING CAMP GREEN LAKE JUVENILE CORRECTIONAL FACILITY. Next to it was another sign which declared that it was a violation of the Texas Penal Code to bring guns, explosives, weapons, drugs, or alcohol onto the premises.
As Stanley read the sign he couldn't help but think, Well, duh!
The guard led Stanley into the building, where he felt the welcome relief of air-conditioning.
A man was sitting with his feet up on a desk. He turned his head when Stanley and the guard entered, but otherwise didn't move. Even though he was inside, he wore sunglasses and a cowboy hat. He also held a can of soda, and the sight of it made Stanley even more aware of his own thirst.
He waited while the bus guard gave the man some papers to sign.
""That's a lot of sunflower seeds,"" the bus guard said. Stanley noticed a burlap sack filled with sunflower seeds on the floor next to the desk.
""I quit smoking last month,"" said the man in the cowboy hat. He had a tattoo of a rattlesnake on his arm, and as he signed his name, the snake's rattle seemed to wiggle. ""I used to smoke a pack a day. Now I eat a sack of these every week."" The guard laughed.
There must have been a small refrigerator behind his desk, because the man in the cowboy hat produced two more cans of soda. For a second Stanley hoped that one might be for him, but the man gave one to the guard and said the other was for the driver.
""Nine hours here, and now nine hours back,"" the guard grumbled. ""What a day.""]]
Stanley thought about the long, miserable bus ride and felt a little sorry for the guard and the bus driver.
The man in the cowboy hat spit sunflower seed shells into a wastepaper basket. Then he walked around the desk to Stanley. ""My name is Mr. Sir,"" he said. ""Whenever you speak to me you must call me by my name, is that clear?""
Stanley hesitated. ""Uh, yes, Mr. Sir,"" he said, though he couldn't imagine that was really the man's name.
""You're not in the Girl Scouts anymore,"" Mr. Sir said. Stanley had to remove his clothes in front of Mr. Sir, who made sure he wasn't hiding anything. He was then given two sets of clothes and a towel. Each set consisted of a long-sleeve orange jumpsuit, an orange T-shirt, and yellow socks. Stanley wasn't sure if the socks had been yellow originally.
He was also given white sneakers, an orange cap, and a canteen made of heavy plastic, which unfortunately was empty. The cap had a piece of cloth sewn on the back of it, for neck protection.
Stanley got dressed. The clothes smelled like soap.
Mr. Sir told him he should wear one set to work in and one set for relaxation. Laundry was done every three days. On that day his work clothes would be washed. Then the other set would become his work clothes, and he would get clean clothes to wear while resting.
""You are to dig one hole each day, including Saturdays and Sundays. Each hole must be five feet deep, and five feet across in every direction. Your shovel is your measuring stick. Breakfast is served at 4:30.""
Stanley must have looked surprised, because Mr. Sir went]]
on to explain that they started early to avoid the hottest part of the day. ""No one is going to baby-sit you,"" he added. ""The longer it takes you to dig, the longer you will be out in the sun. If you dig up anything interesting, you are to report it to me or any other counselor. When you finish, the rest of the day is yours.""
Stanley nodded to show he understood. ""This isn't a Girl Scout camp,"" said Mr. Sir.
He checked Stanley's backpack and allowed him to keep it. Then he led Stanley outside into the blazing heat.
""Take a good look around you,"" Mr. Sir said. ""What do you see?""
Stanley looked out across the vast wasteland. The air seemed thick with heat and dirt. ""Not much,"" he said, then hastily added, ""Mr. Sir.""
Mr. Sir laughed. ""You see any guard towers?"" 
""No.""
""How about an electric fence?"" 
""No, Mr. Sir.""
""There's no fence at all, is there?"" 
""No, Mr. Sir.""
""You want to run away?"" Mr. Sir asked him. 
Stanley looked back at him, unsure what he meant.
""If you want to run away, go ahead, start running. I'm not going to stop you.""
Stanley didn't know what kind of game Mr. Sir was playing. 
""I see you're looking at my gun. Don't worry. I'm not going to shoot you."" He tapped his holster. ""This is for yellow spotted lizards. I wouldn't waste a bullet on you.""]]
""I'm not going to run away,"" Stanley said.
""Good thinking,"" said Mr. Sir. ""Nobody runs away from here. We don't need a fence. Know why? Because we've got the only water for a hundred miles. You want to run away? You'll be buzzard food in three days.""
Stanley could see some kids dressed in orange and carrying shovels dragging themselves toward the tents.
""You thirsty?"" asked Mr. Sir.
""Yes, Mr. Six,"" Stanley said gratefully.
""Well, you better get used to it. You're going to be thirsty for the next eighteen months.""]]
There were six large gray tents, and each one had a black letter on it: A, B, C, D, E, or F. The first five tents were for the campers. The counselors slept in F.
Stanley was assigned to D tent. Mr. Pendanski was his counselor.
""My name is easy to remember,"" said Mr. Pendanski as he shook hands with Stanley just outside the tent. ""Three easy words: pen, dance, key.""
Mr. Sir returned to the office.
Mr. Pendanski was younger than Mr. Sir, and not nearly as scary looking. The top of his head was shaved so close it was almost bald, but his face was covered in a thick curly black beard. His nose was badly sunburned.
""Mr. Sir isn't really so bad,"" said Mr. Pendanski. ""He's just been in a bad mood ever since he quit smoking. The person you've got to worry about is the Warden. There's really only one rule at Camp Green Lake: Don't upset the Warden.""]]
Stanley nodded, as if he understood.
""I want you to know, Stanley, that I respect you,"" Mr. Pendanski said. ""I understand you've made some bad mistakes in your life. Otherwise you wouldn't be here. But everyone makes mistakes. You may have done some bad things, but that doesn't mean you're a bad kid.""
Stanley nodded. It seemed pointless to try and tell his counselor that he was innocent. He figured that everyone probably said that. He didn't want Mr. Pen-dance-key to think he had a bad attitude.
""I'm going to help you turn your life around,"" said his counselor. ""But you're going to have to help, too. Can I count on your help?""
""Yes, sir,"" Stanley said.
Mr. Pendanski said, ""Good,"" and patted Stanley on the back.
Two boys, each carrying a shovel, were coming across the compound. Mr. Pendanski called to them. ""Rex! Alan! I want you to come say hello to Stanley. He's the newest member of our team.""
The boys glanced wearily at Stanley.
They were dripping with sweat, and their faces were so dirty that it took Stanley a moment to notice that one kid was white and the other black.
""What happened to Barf Bag?"" asked the black kid. ""Lewis is still in the hospital,"" said Mr. Pendanski. ""He won't be returning."" He told the boys to come shake Stanley's hand and introduce themselves, ""like gentlemen."" 
""Hi,"" the white kid grunted.
""That's Alan,"" said Mr. Pendanski.]]
""My name's not Alan,"" the boy said. ""It's Squid. And that's X-Ray.""
""Hey,"" said X-Ray. He smiled and shook Stanley's hand. He wore glasses, but they were so dirty that Stanley wondered how he could see out of them.
Mr. Pendanski told Alan to go to the Rec Hall and bring the other boys to meet Stanley. Then he led him inside the tent. There were seven cots, each one less than two feet from the one next to it.
""Which was Lewis's cot?"" Mr. Pendanski asked.
""Barf Bag slept here,"" said X-Ray, kicking at one of the beds.
""All right, Stanley, that'll be yours,"" said Mr. Pendanski. Stanley looked at the cot and nodded. He wasn't particularly thrilled about sleeping in the same cot that had been used by somebody named Barf Bag.
Seven crates were stacked in two piles at one side of the tent. The open end of the crates faced outward. Stanley put his backpack, change of clothes, and towel in what used to be Barf Bag's crate. It was at the bottom of the stack that had three in it.
Squid returned with four other boys. The first three were introduced by Mr. Pendanski as Jose, Theodore, and Ricky. They called themselves Magnet, Armpit, and Zigzag.
""They all have nicknames,"" explained Mr. Pendanski. ""However, I prefer to use the names their parents gave them - the names that society will recognize them by when they return to become useful and hardworking members of society.""]]
""It ain't just a nickname,"" X-Ray told Mr. Pendanski. He tapped the rim of his glasses. ""I can see inside you, Mom. You've got a big fat heart.""
The last boy either didn't have a real name or else he didn't have a nickname. Both Mr. Pendanski and X-Ray called him Zero.
""You know why his name's Zero?"" asked Mr. Pendanski. ""Because there's nothing inside his head."" He smiled and playfully shook Zero's shoulder.
Zero said nothing.
""And that's Mom!"" a boy said.
Mr. Pendanski smiled at him. ""If it makes you feel better to call me Mom, Theodore, go ahead and call me Morn."" He turned to Stanley. ""If you have questions, Theodore will help you. You got that, Theodore. I'm depending on you.""
Theodore spit a thin line of saliva between his teeth, causing some of the other boys to complain about the need to keep their ""home"" sanitary.
""You were all new here once,"" said Mr. Pendanski, ""and you all know what it feels like. I'm counting on every one of you to help Stanley.""
Stanley looked at the ground.
Mr. Pendanski left the tent, and soon the other boys began to file out as well, taking their towels and change of clothes with them. Stanley was relieved to be left alone, but he was so thirsty he felt as if he would die if he didn't get something to drink soon.

Subjective Criteria

Illustrations: No support

Dialog: Multiple speakers

Dialog: Broken dialogue

Dialog: Unlabeled Speaker

Vocabulary: Some difficult words

Language: Many descriptive words

Sentences: Some Long/Complex

Text structure: Story/Poem

Inferences: Several Implications

Complexity: Many different ideas

Concepts: Abstract/Difficult

Chapters

Features

Character traits

Character development

Integral Setting

Simple Plot

Mood/tone

Retelling of story/fable/legend

Topic

Searching/Hunting

Crime

Punishment

*Citizenship & Laws

Low Frequency Words

alcohol	assigned	barren	befell	bungee
burlap	buzzard	conditioned	conditioning	convicted
correctional	counselor	counselors	cruel	curse
curses	cursing	degrees	descendants	desolate
despite	discouraged	eastern	embarrassment	emptiness
explosives	facility	fortune	frontward	gratefully
grunted	gypsy	hammock	handcuff	handcuffs
hardworking	hastily	heaviest	hesitated	holster
hopeful	hovers	impressed	increasingly	innocent
instantly	intelligence	introduce	introduced	inventor
judge	juvenile	kissin	laundry	legged
lightest	mansion	measuring	mention	miserable
morn	neglected	nickname	nicknames	nowhere
obstacle	originally	otherwise	outward	overweight
particularly	passenger	penal	pendanski	perseverance
playfully	pointless	preferred	premises	project
protection	ratio	ratios	realizing	rec
recognize	recovering	recycle	refrigerator	relaxation
relieved	respect	saliva	sanitary	scorpion
scorpions	sewn	shovel	shovels	shriveled
society	somewhat	stationery	stifling	stock
stranded	sunburned	supposedly	survived	sweat
that'll	unaware	unfortunately	unlucky	violation
warden	wasteland	weapons	wearily	weighed
woodpecker	wrist	yelnats	younger