Camp Green lake is first introduced as a camp with a dried up lake. The lake dried up since about a hundred years ago and the people who lived near it moved away. Most importantly, the yellow-spotted lizard lives in camp green lake.

 Boys who have committed crimes are sent to camp green lake. Their job is to dig holes everyday. The aim of digging holes is to build character and will follow the law. Stanley chooses to go to camp green lake than go to jail because he thought that It would be fun. At Camp Green Lake he met X-ray, Squid, Magnet, Armpit and Zero. 

Stanley was sent to camp green lake because he 'stole' shoes that "magically fell from the sky". He didn't really steal them but he was accused of stealing them. His family blamed his no-good-dirty-rotten- pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather. 

His great-great grandfather was the reason his family had bad luck since he was cursed by Madame Zeroni for not fulfilling her wishes (to carry her up a mountain and drink from the river/stream) after she had helped him  by giving him a pig so he can get married to this Girl but It didn't happen since his pig wasn't heavy enough. He then thought it wasn't important to carry her up the mountain and he moved to america and thats how his family got cursed. 

His family was also poor because while his grandfather was in america he got robbed by Kissin' Kate Barlow (The most feared outlaw). Kissin' Kate Barlow was once a teacher but Sam (A man who sold onions) broke the law and kissed her. It was Illegal for a Negro man to kiss a white woman so none else went to her school and both Sam and his Donkey got shot.