SLOB by Ellen Potter

Potter, Ellen, SLOB. Philomel Book, 2009. pgs. 199. Language: G, Violence: G, Sexual Content: G.

Twelve-year-old, picked on, overweight, genius Owen Birnbaum has a lot on his plate. His parents were killed by a shooter in their own deli, his sister has joined the GWAB (Girls who are really boys) club, the lady he calls Mom has put him on a diet, and somebody keeps stealing his three daily allotted Oreos. To make matters worse his gym teacher seems to have it out for him since Owen’s not athletic. To try and relieve some stress and the urge to solve his parents’ murder, he tries to get up and working Nemesis (an electronic device that will allow him to hack into the security footage history of the deli as well as some other key places). With all of his problems he has to solve will Owen survive junior high school? One thing’s for sure, his life will never get dull. A quick, but funny read about finding a place where you fit in in life, this book would be good for children who feel left out at school or like humorous, realistic fiction. EL(4 to 7) ADVISABLE. Reviewer: Kira-HUN Public Library-Youth Services Librarian.