Slob

Starred review from July 1, 2009
Gr 6-8-Owen is the fattestand smartestseventh grader in his New York City school. When hes not ducking the school bully or trying to survive the worlds most sadistic P.E. teacher, he invents things. Currently Owen has two projectsa TV that will show events in the past and a trap to catch the thief who keeps stealing the Oreos from his lunchbox. Theres 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"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2009
Grades 4-7 Twelve-year-old Owen and his sister attend a progressive New York City school where there are no desks, Just workstations. Which are basically desks. Despite the school motto, Compassion, Not Competition, overweight Owen is victimized by his sadistic gym teacher as well as by many fellow students. In his spare time, he attempts to construct a video playback time machine in order to discover who murdered his parents two years earlier. Slowly, Owen realizes whom he can trust and what matters to him now. Self-aware and ironic, Owen makes a sympathetic narrator. Readers will also enjoy the portrayals of his younger sister Caitlin, who insists that her name is Jeremy now that shes joined GWAB (Girls Who Are Boys), and transfer student/outcast Mason Rigg, who, rumor has it, carries a switchblade tucked into his sock. Loose ends that appear in the narrative early on are tied up a little too neatly by the end, but the vividly drawn characters offer plenty to enjoy along the way.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2009
Owen, nearly a genius and "fifty-seven percent fatter" than average, feels like an outcast at school--especially after someone starts stealing his cookies. Meanwhile, he's working on an invention to view two-year-old signals from a neighborhood deli's surveillance camera, the significance of which is explained late in the story. Owen, a likable kid with a fresh voice, ably navigates the tale's many subplots.

(Copyright 2009 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)