Holes by Louis Sachar

Holes by Louis Sachar is a story about a boy named Stanley Yelnats who doesn't seem to have the best luck. His dad doesn't, his grandpa didn't, his great grandpa didn't, and his great great grandpa didn't either. The reason? His great great grandpa, Elya Yelnats forgot to keep a promise to an old lady friend, and he and his family were cursed with bad luck for eternity unless... Well, Stanley, because of his bad luck, is blamed for something he didn't do, and is sent to Camp Green Lake, a correctional facility for boys.

There, he meets X-ray, Armpit, ZigZag, Magnet, Squid, and Zero (all nicknames of course) and is required to dig a hole every day for the duration of his time there. The Warden, Mr. Sir, and Mr. Pendanzki all say it's to build character, but Stanley starts to suspect it's actually because the Warden is looking for something.