Module 7: SLOB

Summary: We're all different in our little ways, and we do our best to hide our differences. For some people their differences aren't so easily hidden, which makes some people think that their differences gives them carte blanche to mock them.  In this book by Ellen Potter, 12-year-old Owen is a chubby kid who gets picked on by his classmates and his gym teacher, which often times leaves him feeling dejected and alone. Owen does has a few friends but they aren't the most popular kids in the school either.  To top it all off, his sister, Caitlin has joined a group of girls who are tired of the unequal treatment of girls in the school, and in society, so they decide to give themselves boy's names.  Caitlin insists, then, on being called Jeremy. As if Owen needed more fuel for his tormentors to ignite. However, the most troubling aspect to all of this, is that someone keeps stealing Owen's Oreo cookies from his lunch bag. You can call some people every name in the book, but a line must be drawn when you take a man's Oreos! Answers must be found.

What we also soon learn though is that Owen is quite intelligent and adept with electronics, so much so that he is attempting to build something extraordinary, something that will help put his mind to rest. Remarkably, during his arduous days at school, Owen ends up befriending the meanest kid in school, but only because they have something in common, or more exactly, someone: gym teacher, Mr.Wooly.  All of these elements make for some interesting and funny stories, inclusive of, but not limited to, Oreo thieves, but there is more going with Owen than we realize. Slowly as the story progresses, we realize that a traumatic event has occurred to Owen and his sister in their past and they are still both subconsciously dealing with it, they just don't know it. Can Owen's scientific contraption truly bring them peace, or he just grasping onto straws to find some sort of happiness?  The revealing answer may or may not surprise you, but you will never forget it.

Reference: Potter, E. (2009). Slob. New York, NY. Penguin Group.

Impressions: I have to admit that I initially thought that the book was redundant and predictable.  The fat kid gets picked on but learns that he won't be able to find happiness until he learns to love himself is a cliche story.  Even the befriending of the misjudged middle school freak, Mason, is predictable. Yet, something in the way Potter writes the character of Owen and his insistence that his creation will be the answer to his problems kept me reading. Yes, the story is predictable, but the story is far from boring. Owen's humor is original, as are the situations he finds himself in.  The characters' sordid histories are believable and the relationships between friends and siblings are real and relatable. It's these elements that kept me reading to the end, not to mention the discovery that Owen and his sister begrudgingly accept.

Professional Review: Here Ellen Potter takes a giant leap away from the magical world of Olivia Kidney and the ritzy restaurant world of Pish Posh. Owen is a fourteen-year-old, overweight, emotional eater, bullied by his classmates, harassed by his gym teacher, and singled out by an Oreo thief. Although Owen's various traps fail at school, the radio telescope he has building at home is finally coming together. His goal is to use old radio waves to view images from a video camera. Owen keeps everyone--except his younger sister Jeremy--in the dark as to why he needs to see footage from one particular night. As the story unfolds, so too does the story of what happened to Owen and Jeremy's mother and father one night in their New York City deli. Carefully crafted, modern characters are the focal point of the story. Potter tackles issues like obesity, bullying, and transgender topics with sensitivity but without sacrificing reality. The references to older TV sitcoms like Happy Days, BJ and the Bear, and The Beverly Hillbillies may be lost on middle-schoolers, but they will enjoy the read regardless. It is recommended for purchase by school and public libraries. 2009, Philomel/Penguin, $16.99. Ages 11 to 14.

Sutorius, K. L. (2009). [review of Slob]. Children's Literature.  Children's Literature Comprehensive Database. Retrieved from  http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:3574/index.php/jbookdetail/jqbookdetail?page=1&pos=1&isbn=9780399247057.

Library Use: I imagine designing a book-of-the-month club with SLOB as one of the choices.  I feel like there are so many characters in the book that different people can identify with, which would make for some great conversations.  What would also be appealing is the various layers of the story that are slowly revealed through Owen, Caitlin, and their friends.  The book-of-the-month could also be aligned with bullying issues at schools.  Whatever the reason, I think group discussion of this book is the key to appreciating it.