Product Description

Twelve-year-old Owen Birnbaum is the fattest kid in school. But he’s also a genius who invents cool contraptions— like a TV that shows the past. Something happened two years ago that he needs to see. But genius or not, there is much Owen can’t outthink. Like his gym coach, who’s on a mission to humiliate him. Or the way his Oreos keep disappearing from his lunch. He’s sure that if he can only get the TV to work, things will start to make sense. But it will take a revelation for Owen, not science, to see the answer’s not in the past, but the present. That no matter how large he is on the outside, he doesn’t have to feel small on the inside.

With her trademark humor, Ellen Potter has created a larger-than-life character and story whose weight is immense when measured in heart.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #58354 in Books
• Published on: 2009-05-14
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 199 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780399247057
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From School Library Journal
Starred Review. Grade 6-8–Owen is the fattest–and smartest–seventh grader in his New York City school. When he's not ducking the school bully or trying to survive the world's most sadistic P.E. teacher, he invents things. Currently Owen has two projects–a TV that will show events in the past and a trap to catch the thief who keeps stealing the Oreos from his lunchbox. There's a lot of middle school banter and adolescent dialogue. However, what begins as a lighthearted adventure gradually takes on a darker tone. Owen calls his invention Nemesis and insists that it needs to reach exactly two years back. As the story evolves, readers learn that there are places in town where he feels distinctly uncomfortable, and that he treasures a note that says only SLOB. Step by step, Owen reveals the tragedy behind his concerns. Two years earlier, he was hiding in the basement of the family store, listening as his parents were killed by an intruder. Adopted by the 911 operator who took his call after the murders, he dreams of identifying the perpetrator. Although Nemesis fails to solve the crime, Owen is finally able to find closure, with help from his sister, their friends, and, surprisingly, from the dreaded bully himself. A sensitive, touching, and sometimes heartbreakingly funny picture of middle school life.–Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL
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Review
"A sensitive, touching, and sometimes heartbreakingly funny picture of middle school life." --School Library Journal, starred review

"An intriguingly offbeat mystery concerning the theft of cookies from a boy's lunch, at turns humorous, suspenseful and poignant. Intelligent Owen is the fattest kid in his middle school, having packed on the pounds after a major upheaval in his life caused him to begin turning to food as a source of comfort. His younger sister, who has joined up with a group at school called Girls Who Are Boys (GWAB) and taken to insisting that others call her Jeremy, coped by growing tougher. Owen, on the other hand, has become an object of ridicule due to his weight. While the Oreo heist provides the main premise for Owen to engage with other kids at school, there are a number of secondary mysteries crafted alongside it, each of them raising unexpected questions that are neatly wrapped up by the novel's end. While some readers may balk at some of its more convenient coincidences, fans of Jerry Spinelli and others of his ilk may especially enjoy it and will be held rapt." --Kirkus

Potter has written a pitch-perfect novel of the miseries of middle-school. Filled with sarcasm and lots of humor, the story is filled with intriguing characters, believable and unique. --Kids Lit Blog

Review
...the character of Owen had me at hello...And because I cared about Owen, I kept reading. And it was worth it. Very worth it.

"Potter has written a pitch-perfect novel of the miseries of middle-school. Filled with sarcasm and lots of humor, the story is filled with intriguing characters, believable and unique. Appropriate for ages 11-13, this book has a winning cover and its humor will have readers sharing it with friends. A must-have for middle school libraries everywhere."

Customer Reviews

Funny Yet Poignant MG Novel
Both funny and poignant, I never knew I could enjoy a middle-grade novel as much as I did "SLOB" by Ellen Potter.

Owen Birnbaum is fat. But he wasn't always that way. Something bad happened and now he's the fattest kid at school, spending his days being teased endlessly by his classmates, afraid that the new school psycho who carries a switchblade in his sock is out to get him, tortured by his cruel gym teacher, and dealing with his sister who has decided she wants to dress and look like a boy and be called Jeremy.

Life isn't all bad though. Owen is a genius and he can invent cool stuff, like a TV that shows the past--a past that is scary, but one that can answer the questions burning inside his head...if only he can get it to work.

When the Oreos from Owen's lunch keep disappearing, he's sure the school psycho is the culprit. Owen puts together a plan--along with a neat new thief catching device--to help capture the Oreo snatcher. What he doesn't consider, however, is that science might not hold all the answers.

Every middle-grade reader will find something to enjoy in "SLOB". More than a story about an overweight kid who is teased profusely, "SLOB" is the story of one boy's quest to uncover the truth about the tragic event that altered his life forever.

Speaking directly to the reader, Owen shares his struggles at school--which stink, but he's not overly upset about because he's smarter than all those guys anyway, his sister's involvement in GWAB (Girls Who Are Boys), the torture he endures at the hands of his gym teacher Mr. Wooly, and how things change for him once the psycho comes to school--not only is Mason Ragg a psycho, he's a smart psycho.

Opening with the line, "My name is Owen Birnbaum, and I'm probably fatter than you are.", Owen does not suffer from low self-esteem, as one might imagine. His being fatter than you is "pure statistics". Immediately, the reader is drawn in by Owen, and Owen is so entertaining and engaging that the reader will never want to stop learning more about him until the last page of the book. But then again, if the reader is anything like me, she's hoping for a sequel.

The contraptions Owen invents are amazing, and Owen describes them to you in detail and shares how they work. I can see a lot of middle-grade boys trying to recreate or improve upon Owen's inventions after reading "SLOB".

Potter has done such an excellent job of making Owen real for her audience that you'll soon forget that an adult woman wrote this book. And if parents are cool enough to pick up a copy of "SLOB" or to sneak their child's copy when he/she is off at school, they will be treated to references to The Brady Bunch, Happy Days, Mork and Mindy, Charlie's Angels and other hit shows from their youth. Of course, in Owen's world they are Retro TV, but we adults like to call them classics. I have to admit Owen's mother's name--which is Zelda--reminds me of The Legend of Zelda game my son played on his original Nintendo video game system.

I highly recommend "SLOB" by Ellen Potter. Funny and offbeat, yet equally poignant, "SLOB" is destined to add more awards to this talented author's portfolio.

Absolutely terrific!
Pitch perfect in its humor and psychological depth, SLOB is an instant classic, in my opinion. I was hooked from the first page and couldn't put it down. I'm a huge fan of Ms. Potter's adult novel, "The Average Human," and am now enjoying her tween lit just as much. Can't wait to see what she'll come up with next!! SLOB will definitely be my gift of choice this year for my young friends who like to read.

The Brain Lair on Slob
First, just take a look at that cover. What comes to mind? Looking at the cover, you think you know what this book is about, but you don't.

"A three-story red-brick nightmare of educational progress." (p.2)

That's how Owen Birnbaum introduces us to school, his school at least. At Owen's school students can determine their own "educational progress" by studying whatever floats their boat at the moment.

Being the smartest kid in the school, and now the fattest, brings problems for Owen, even at such a progressive school. Someone has been stealing his Oreos and his PE teacher, Mr. Wooly, is determined to humiliate him. Owen wasn't always fat and he wishes he could go back to the moment that changed everything for him. Owen believes that his latest invention will allow him to do just that, if he can get it to work!

Using the note with the word SLOB written on it as inspiration, Owen works to uncover the cookie thief and find the missing piece to his invention. With the help of his sister, Jeremy, he has almost figured out how to uncover exactly what happened that night almost 2 years ago.

Ellen Potter is genius. I was totally captivated by the language in this book. It was funny without being stupid. "It made me feel squirrelly in my stomach. But maybe I was just hungry." (p. 29) I think this book will appeal to both boys and girls at our school and will use it for book club in the fall. It's a great middle grade read with potential as a good read-aloud. The references to old TV shows will also appeal to teachers/librarians who may have watched those shows growing up. Jeremy's participation in Girls Who Are Boys, GAWB, will resonate with the tomboys. And Mr. Wooly? I had a teacher just like that and, unfortunately, some of them still exist today. Students will see that. They will get it. It will be a great discussion.