Louis Sachar won't write a ‘Holes' sequel, but he just released a new book for grown-ups

USA Today

a day ago

Don't expect a "Holes" sequel from Louis Sachar. The bestselling author behind the popular children's novel and its 2003 movie adaptation starring Shia LaBeouf is adamant the world of Stanley Yelnats is closed. But, he has a new story for longtime fans – his first novel for adults.
'The Magician of Tiger Castle' (out now from Penguin Random House) is a cozy fantasy set long ago somewhere south of France that follows a tea-obsessed magician who must save the royal wedding after a princess falls in love with a lowly scribe rather than her betrothed.
He didn't originally set out to write an adult novel. Talking with USA TODAY ahead of the release, Sachar shares how "The Magician of Tiger Castle" unfolded naturally and what he thinks of the enduring 'Holes' fandom.
'The Princess Bride' inspired Louis Sachar's first adult novel
Sachar took inspiration from 'The Princess Bride' by William Goldman – the book that made him want to be a writer. He wanted to try his hand at a similar story.
This was during the early days of the pandemic, and Sachar's COVID hobby of choice was online courses about life during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. He was fascinated by humanity's limited scientific knowledge and the blurred lines between magic and medicine.
That's how he created his protagonist, Anatole – kingdom magician, physician and unlikely hero. Once Sachar started writing him, he couldn't stop.
'He'd taken over the story,' Sachar says. 'I liked that. I liked him, but you can't have a 40-year-old man usually be the protagonist of a kid's book. So I said, 'OK, I'll make it an adult book.'
Anatole is a sort of 'Miracle Max' type, but more rounded out than Billy Crystal's short movie scenes. He's up to his elbows in quirky, dungeon experiments. He's a tea snob. He's a father figure to both Princess Tullia and Pito, her forbidden love. He's got a plan to save the kingdom, impress his employers, deal with a rather annoying prince and avoid death by tiger.
Though Sachar says writing an adult novel wasn't too different from a kid's book ('I wasn't trying to spice it up or anything,' he says), he was able to inhabit a more adult mindset with this protagonist. When he's writing a novel, it becomes his 'reason for getting up every morning,' he says. He found himself becoming Anatole, drinking his daily tea out of a cast-iron pot adorned with dragonflies. On vacation, he spotted a hand-carved mortar and pestle that seemed to jump from the pages. He bought it 'for' Anatole, he says.
'It just seemed like something he would like,' Sachar says.
Anatole and the world of Esquaveta, a fictional 16th-century European kingdom, is Sachar to a tee – he likes books that teach him something (in this case, Medieval living), and he's not a fan of high fantasy with intense world-building and battle-hardened heroes.
'I get bored with stories about wars and superheroes,' Sachar says. 'I think it's more suspenseful to actually have someone who's kind of a klutz and kind of a coward have to suddenly be brave, because then you don't know how it's going to come out.'
Louis Sachar thanks 'Holes' fans, but still won't write a sequel
The magic of a novel like 'Tiger Castle' lies in the cozy afterglow – this feel-good fairytale is packed with whimsy and humor that reads like the grown-up version of 'Holes' or the 'Wayside School' series.
Sachar is hoping that nostalgia brings in fans of those books, both of which remain beloved. 'Holes,' especially, has enjoyed long-lasting acclaim. On BookTok, readers rave about it as their favorite book as a kid or encourage a reread as an adult. Sachar says he feels 'more famous' now than he did when he first wrote 'Holes' because of that enduring fandom.
But though readers keep asking whether he'll write a 'Holes' sequel, he's confident that world is finished: 'I'm not sure I can get into Stanley's head anymore,' he says.
'I wrote my first children's book when … I was 22 or 23 years old. I worked with kids while I was going to college, I wasn't that far removed from being a kid myself,' Sachar says. 'And now I'm 71 and I'm not sure how well I can relate to kids anymore, so I'd much rather relate to those same kids who grew up reading my books.'
Clare Mulroy is USA TODAY's Books Reporter, where she covers buzzy releases, chats with authors and dives into the culture of reading. Find her on Instagram, subscribe to our weekly Books newsletter or tell her what you're reading at [e-mail].