Book Review: "Slob", by Ellen Potter

I'm a sucker for novels with cool, one-word titles. (Think "Rules" and "Peak") I also love Oreo cookies. So the bright blue cover of "Slob" grabbed my attention immediately.

At first I thought this was just a hilarious, yet poignant, look at an overweight kid trying to survive middle school--and I loved it then. Deeper in, I realized that this book is about so much more--loss, grief, loyalty, and the misleading way things look sometimes. I'm only sorry I devoured this wonderful novel in one day. Now there's no more left, and I have an empty feeling in my gut that Oreos won't fill.

I loved Owen, a quasi-genius, from the start. He says things like, "You should never let stupid people know that you know they're stupid. Particularly when they are your gym teacher." He talks directly to the reader, a la C.S.Lewis, "I'm sure you've noticed that a lot of books start out with some kid's first day at a new school. You can see why, of course. It makes for great suspense." From page one I cared what happened to Owen, and I felt for him. His cruel, old-school gym teacher reminded me of some of the coaches from my own middle school. Let's just put it this way: I remember overhearing snippets from the boys' side of the sixth-grade gym and being supremely glad I was a girl.

A few chapters in, I realized that Owen had so much more to deal with than his weight. His weight, in fact, was just a symptom of bigger, more heartbreaking problems. Don't worry, though, "Slob" never turns into a pitty party. Owen's wit and inventiveness get him through some tough times.

I'll be reading this book aloud to my class. (Yes, it is that good.) What are you reading?

Character Bio-Poem from Gordon Korman's Everest: "The Climb"

We just finished our adventure genre unit, complete with lots of nail-biting action and wickedly jagged story maps. Each one of you will be writing a bio-poem on a character from the adventure book you chose. Our class effort was too good not to publish, so here it is. . .

Sammi

Rowdy, reckless, extreme, energetic

daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Moon

Lover of adventure, adrenaline, and high altitudes

Who feels jealous when she misses the avalanche and bored at base camp

Who needs crampons, oxygen, and an ice axe

Who gives encouragement to her teammates and threats to Tilt when he's being mean

Who fears losing her friends

Who would like to see the summit of Mt. Everest

Resident of the U.S.A.

Moon

Have I mentioned how smart and wonderful my class is this year?

"Bystander," by James Preller

My cousin gave me an interesting book titled "Bystander", by James Preller. (Thank you, Kerry!) If you read the Jigsaw Jones mystery series when you were younger, you have already read some of Mr. Preller's work. "Bystander," however, is grown up subject matter and is more appropriate for students about to enter middle school--you!

When 12-year-old Eric moves to a new town, he thinks his only problems are fitting in at his new school and dealing with his parents' separation. Boy, is he wrong. Eric gets mixed up with the local bully, Griffin, and goes from being a witness to a target in no time. Does Eric stay a victim? Can he do anything to keep others from becoming victims, too? You'll have to read "Bystander" to find out.

I liked this book, because the topic is timely; we just had a discussion about bullies the week before I received it. Mr. Preller includes a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King on the book jacket. It says, "In the end we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends." Then he writes, "Let's all make some noise." What do you think Dr. King and Mr. Preller mean?

Missing Volume Found!

Students: You will be thrilled to learn that I now have my hands on "The Great Brain Reforms." Actually, my son does. His grandparents looked high and low for the out-of-print book, and presented it to him as an early birthday gift. As soon as he finishes it, I'll bring it to our class library. We'll do a drawing among those kids who have read all of the others to see who will get the book first. Why did these books go out of print, anyway? I feel a letter to the publisher coming on. . .

Speaking of terrific humor books, I just read "43 Cemetery Road: Dying to Meet You, " by Kate Klise, recently. Written in letter format, with plenty of quirky illustrations, it was silent-cry funny. Have you ever laughed so hard that you did the "silent cry"? If not, too bad for you! Sounds like you need to check out one of the books mentioned above. Also, I hear Klise's other books, including "Regarding the Bees" are hilarious as well. There is a whole "Regarding the. . ." series, and I will buy up as many of these at next week's book fair as I can. As soon as we get finished with "Everest: The Climb," I'll read one of Klise's books to you.

I've heard "The Enclyclopedia of Immaturity" is a knee-slapper. I haven't read it yet, because I'm afraid I'll open it and find my photo in there. . . What great humor titles can YOU recommend?

Sequel Fever

Over the holidays, I read "Catching Fire", the sequel to "The Hunger Games." The first novel dealt with many heavy-duty moral questions while providing lots of action and a bit of romance, too. While "Catching Fire" delivered more of the same, the ending disapppointed me, because it left a huge, gaping hole. (Don't worry, there won't be any spoilers here.) I don't mind a story that leaves a question or two unanswered. Life is messy; so are most good story endings. What I do mind is having to wait until August to find out what in the world is going to happen to Katniss and her friends and family. I mean, the author has literally left our heroine hanging, or, to be more exact, hovering. (Read the book if you want to know what I mean!)

Does anyone from our class have comments on sequels? Do you know of any sequels that are as good as (or better than) the original book? Most often, I find sequels to be disappointing. I don't like any of the Narnia books as well as I like "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe". The same goes for the "Twilight" series. I do like all of "The Great Brain" series. One where I liked all three of the books about the same was "The House of Power" trilogy. They were all good--not my absolute favorites, but readable. Hmmm. . .I'll keep thinking.

If you're in my ELA class, and you're checking this blog, you should know that there are several prizes for reading the most minutes over the break. See you January 5th!

Holiday Reading

To read, or not to read, over the holiday break? That is the question. I hope the answer is "to read".

I sent a reading log home with my kids today. Want to know what makes me smile? Many of the kids in my class would read much more than the minimum, reading log or not. In fact, some of my kids read thousands of minutes each week. That is one of the reasons, but not the only one, that we are having a FABULOUS 2009-2010 school year.

Today I received some Barnes & Noble gift cards, and I can't wait to spend them. Thanks, kids! I'll definitely be buying a copy of "The Hunger Games" and its sequel, "Catching Fire". What will YOU be reading over the holidays?

The Great Brain

Our class discussion about old-school fiction got me thinking about one of my favorite series from when I was 10(ish). "The Great Brain," by John D. Fitzgerald, and the subsequent novels were among my favorites, even if the main character was a boy and I wasn't. Reason? They are hilarious.

Set in Utah in the late 1800's, the stories tell of the shenanigans of the narrator's older brother, Tom, a.k.a., The Great Brain. The many ways Tom invents to pry pennies, nickels, and dimes from the neighborhood kids always made me laugh. Even when Tom does a good deed, he manages to make a profit doing it. In the first book, Tom helps the new kid, Basil, fit in. Then he sets out to set Mr. Standish, the new teacher and "meanest thing on two legs", straight. The Great Brain even helps rescue some kids lost in a cave. Doesn't he sound like a saint? Well, trust me, he isn't.

When I read this with my son, he was literally slapping his leg and laughing out loud. I, too, have been known to do the "silent cry" when a fit of Tom-induced giggles gets the best of me. If you like humor, and I know a lot of you do, check out a copy of "The Great Brain". Then comment and let me know what you think of it.

Sadly, some of these books are hard to purchase. However, check your local library. And if you're in my class, you're in luck. We have most of them.

*=We have it!
*The Great Brain (1967)
*More Adventures of the Great Brain (1969)
*Me and My Little Brain (1971)
*The Great Brain At The Academy (1972)
The Great Brain Reforms (1973)
The Return of the Great Brain (1974)
*The Great Brain Does It Again (1976)
*The Great Brain Is Back (Published in 1995 from loose notes after the author's death)

Happy reading!