Saturday, June 20, 2009

The Heart of a Character


Have you ever met one of those characters that capture your heart from the very first page and have you rooting for him through the whole book? That’s exactly what you have with Slob by Ellen Potter.

Owen Birmbaum is twelve years old. He is the fattest kid in his middle school and with an IQ of one point less than genius level, probably the smartest person in his school, too. He is an easy target for bullies (even his gym teacher falls into this category) but he engages you from page one and stays with you through the end.

This book totally takes you back to the miseries and drama of middle school – the cliques, the teachers, the sights and sounds. But it is so much more than a novel with funny stories of one disaster after another that happens in middle school life.

This little twelve year old kid teaches you compassion for others in the midst of all the havoc being shoveled upon you…even from someone you should be able to trust (a teacher).

This is the book reviewed by the Cybrarian this week. Why not pop over and check out the review, and the new template/look? Just a thought...


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9 comments:

Unknown said...

Sounds like a great book, Nancy! Anyone who can approach middle school with a sense of humor has real talent.

Elizabeth

Alexis Grant said...

Like how you lead into this one! Gave me a good reason to check it out.

N A Sharpe said...

Owen is a really cool character. Middle school is something you could not pay me enough to re-live, lol, but this kid actually finds a lot of humor in the miserable life he leads there. [BTW, The teacher at that school should be publically flogged.] Owen demonstrates an amazing amount of compassion when given the opportunity.

Nancy, from Just a Thought…

Danyelle L. said...

Awesome! It sounds like a really great book. :) Love the cover!

Beverly Stowe McClure said...

Great post, Nancy. I'm adding the book to my TBR list. Now I'm off to read the rest of your review.

Bev

http://beverlystowemcclure.wordpress.com

The Old Silly said...

New blog, Nancy - please stop by?

btw, Owen is the name of my main character in my last novel release, Owen Fiddler

The Old Silly

N A Sharpe said...

Hi Danyelle, Bev and Marvin! Thanks so much for stopping by. Glad you liked the review. I enjoyed the book and think middle schoolers will love it. I like the cover too - there is a mystery about what keeps happening to Owen's Oreos. Marvin! Glad you stopped by - I've been looking for your blog for the last 2 days - you moved! I'll stop by now. Thanks!

Nancy, from Just a Thought…

Patricia Stoltey said...

I'm loving kids' books these days as I screen gifts for my niece and nephews. This sounds like a good one. Thanks for putting these reviews out there, Nancy.

N A Sharpe said...

Hi Patricia,

Sorry for the delay - playing catch up today. This is really a good book. The kid really has a mature outlook, especially for his age and what he has gone through. I hope she has plans for a series with this one...

I'm, looking forward to checking out her Olivia Kidney series soon!

Nancy, from Just a Thought…

 
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