Module 7: Slob: Written by Ellen Potter

Book Summary: 


After his parents die, Owen and his sister move in with another family. He blames himself for their death. In their school, he is haunted by his weight and also, the theft of his cookies. He meets a new friend, unexpectedly and finds out that his sister is not the kind of person he thinks she is. It is a mystery in more than one way.

APA Reference: 


Potter, E. (2009). Slob. New York : Philomel.


My Impressions: 


I liked this book. It shows that you cannot judge by appearances. Owen thinks that a classmate is stealing his cookies, but it is really someone else must closer to him all along. The book is entirely unpredictable. Further, the classmate who Owen thinks is a criminal turns out to be a good friend.

Professional 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. 2009, Philomel, 208p, $16.99. Category: Mystery. Ages 9 to 12. © 2009 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved."

Kirkus (2009). [Book review of the book Slob by Ellen Potter]. Kirkus Reviews, 77(8). Retrieved from Children's Literature Database via Ebscohost:  http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2378/cgi-bin/member/search/f?./temp/~75jdBZ:11

Library Uses:

Upon reading this book, I think it would be fun to go around the circle and compare times when we have judged others wrongly and then, found out otherwise. The librarian would start off and then, the students would continue.