Module 4: Slob

Slob by Ellen Potter

Book Summary

Owen Birnbaum is an overweight, genius teenage boy. He hasn’t always been overweight, but something in his past has triggered his extreme weight gain. School would be a breeze for a genius like him; except for all the bullying he receives from classmates and his gym teacher. Owen’s hurt from the bullying is fueling his desire to find out answers about his painful past. Answers that will hopefully help him get back to his normal self.

APA Reference of Book

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

Impressions

I thought this was a very intriguing book. It shines a light on being a teenager, obesity, and bullying. At points it is hard to read about some of the things that happen to Owen. It helps us reflect on how we treat others and is another reminder to not judge people by how they look on the outside. Owen is easy to relate to and you root for him to have success with his Nemesis project. I think this gives a realistic outlook of what it is like to be an overweight teenage boy who is struggling to fit in.

Professional Review

“For me, SLOB is one of those tear jerker books because I know of a young person (very close to me) who suffers with weight issues. And this kid is constantly defending herself from kids who say, "I didn’t know you could run like that, since you’re so big." Needless to say, it hurts me when I read a book like this. However, Potter’s SLOB, fights the bully back with the brain not the fists. I added it to my son’s. Bravo, Ellen!”

Bowllan, A. (2009). Slob: A book for boys to read [Review of the book Slob by Ellen Potter]. School Library Journal. Retrieved from http://blogs.slj.com/bowllansblog/2009/06/16/slob-a-book-for-boys-to-read/

Library Uses

A major theme in this book is bullying. I think a great activity to go along with this book would be to have a program about bullying. You could feature a selection of books, including Slob, that feature a character that deals with bullying. You could also have a public speaker come in. Then at the end you could have the option for people to sign a pledge to not be a bully or to always choose to stand up for others. You could also create kindness or compliment cards. You could give each person that attends some of these compliment cards and encourage them to write a compliment on them and give them to different people.