Holes, by Louis Sachar, 1998

Innocent but faced with the choice of jail, or Camp Green Lake, Stanley Yelnats chooses camp. It's neither green nor a lake -- more of a God-forsaken Texas desert where juvenile delinquent boys dig five-foot holes every day under the Warden's all-searching eye. Destiny, bad luck, broken promises, lipstick, peaches, onions, and foot odor converge and alter forever the fortunes of Stanley, the Warden, and tent-mate "Zero." Modern realism meets wild western mythos; most strongly recommended.