Part One: Arriving at Camp Green Lake第一部：來到綠湖營
Chapters 1–3: A Lake With No Water第 1–3 章：沒有水的湖
這課一眼看
Summary情節摘要
- Palindrome: A word or name that reads the same forward and backward, like Stanley Yelnats.
- Juvenile correctional facility: A place where young people who have broken the law are held.
1Summary情節摘要
注意
Before you read:
- What do you expect a place called Green Lake to look like?
- Have you ever been blamed for something you did not do?
閱讀前：
- 你覺得一個叫「綠湖」的地方應該長什麼樣子？
- 你曾經因為沒做過的事被怪罪嗎？
At a glance:
- Camp Green Lake is a dry, burning wasteland in Texas where boys are sent to dig holes.
- Stanley Yelnats, an overweight boy from a poor family, chose the camp instead of jail.
- His family blames their bad luck on a curse that started with a great-great-grandfather who supposedly stole a pig.
本章重點：
- 綠湖營位在德州，是一片乾燥炎熱的荒地，男孩們被送到這裡挖洞。
- 史丹利·耶那茲是個體重過重、家境貧窮的男孩，他選擇來這個營地而不是坐牢。
- 他的家人把厄運怪到一個詛咒上，據說是從一位偷了豬的高祖父開始的。
The book opens by describing Camp Green Lake. Over a hundred years ago it was the largest lake in Texas, but now it is a flat, empty wasteland where the only shade belongs to the Warden. The narrator warns about rattlesnakes, scorpions, and above all the deadly yellow-spotted lizard. Stanley Yelnats IV rides a bus to the camp, handcuffed to his seat. He is innocent: he was convicted of stealing a pair of sneakers, but he says he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. His family has a running joke that all their bad luck comes from a curse placed on Stanley's great-great-grandfather, who supposedly stole a pig from a one-legged fortune teller. We learn that every son in the family is named Stanley Yelnats, a name that reads the same forward and backward. Stanley's father is an inventor who works hard but never has any luck; right now he is trying to recycle old sneakers. Stanley's great-grandfather once made a fortune, but lost it when the outlaw Kissin' Kate Barlow robbed him and left him stranded in the desert. When the bus arrives, Stanley sees no lake and almost nothing green.這本書一開頭就描寫綠湖營。一百多年前，這裡是德州最大的湖，現在卻是一片平坦空曠的荒地，唯一的樹蔭屬於典獄長。敘述者提醒讀者要小心響尾蛇、蠍子，最重要的是致命的黃斑蜥蜴。史丹利·耶那茲四世被手銬銬在座位上，搭巴士前往營地。他其實是清白的：他被判偷了一雙球鞋，但他說自己只是剛好在錯的時間出現在錯的地方。他家有個流傳已久的玩笑：家裡所有的厄運都來自高祖父受到的詛咒，據說這位高祖父偷了一個獨腳算命師的豬。我們得知家裡每個兒子都叫史丹利·耶那茲，這個名字正著讀、倒著讀都一樣。史丹利的爸爸是發明家，很努力卻從來沒有好運，現在正在研究怎麼回收舊球鞋。史丹利的曾祖父曾經發了大財，卻被女盜匪「親吻凱特」巴洛搶劫，還被丟在沙漠裡。巴士抵達時，史丹利沒看到湖，也幾乎看不到綠色。
2Characters本章人物
- Stanley Yelnats IV: an overweight, friendless boy who was wrongly convicted; hopeful despite bad luck.
- Stanley's father (Stanley II): a hardworking inventor who never seems to get lucky.
- Stanley's mother: practical and supportive; doubts that the curse is real.
- Kissin' Kate Barlow: a famous outlaw who robbed Stanley's great-grandfather.
- 史丹利·耶那茲四世：體重過重、沒有朋友，被冤枉定罪；雖然運氣差卻仍抱持希望。
- 史丹利的爸爸（史丹利二世）：努力的發明家，運氣似乎從來沒好過。
- 史丹利的媽媽：務實、支持家人；懷疑詛咒是不是真的。
- 「親吻凱特」巴洛：有名的女盜匪，曾搶劫史丹利的曾祖父。
3Themes & symbols主題與象徵
- Fate and luck: the family jokes about a curse, but the story asks whether luck can change.
- Justice and injustice: Stanley is punished for a crime he did not commit.
- Symbol – the dry lake: a place that once held life and water now holds only holes and danger.
- 命運與運氣：這家人拿詛咒開玩笑，但故事要問的是：運氣能不能改變？
- 正義與不公：史丹利因為沒犯的罪而受罰。
- 象徵：乾涸的湖。曾經充滿生命和水的地方，現在只剩坑洞和危險。
4Author's craft文學手法
Sachar uses a third-person narrator with a playful, knowing voice. The narrator talks directly to the reader, uses very short chapters, and sometimes repeats a single word on its own line for effect. The opening chapters drop many small details, such as the name that reads the same both ways, the outlaw, and the lizards, which seem random now but become important later.薩奇爾用第三人稱敘述者，語氣輕鬆又像什麼都知道。敘述者會直接對讀者說話、章節很短，有時還會讓一個單字獨立成一行來加強效果。開頭幾章丟出許多小細節，例如正反讀都一樣的名字、女盜匪和蜥蜴，現在看起來沒什麼關聯，之後都會變得很重要。
5Think about it想一想
自我檢查
Why do you think the book begins by describing the camp instead of introducing Stanley?你覺得這本書為什麼先描寫營地，而不是先介紹史丹利？
看答案
Starting with the harsh setting makes the place feel like a character. It creates a sense of danger and mystery before we meet the boy who must survive there.先寫嚴酷的環境，讓這個地方本身就像一個角色。在認識必須在這裡求生的男孩之前，就先營造出危險和神秘感。
自我檢查
How does Stanley's family use the curse? Is it helpful or harmful?史丹利的家人怎麼看待這個詛咒？它有幫助還是有害？
看答案
They use it as a joke so they can blame something when things go wrong. It helps them cope, but it may also stop them from believing they can change their luck.他們把它當玩笑，出事時就有東西可以怪。這幫助他們面對挫折，但也可能讓他們不相信自己能改變運氣。