Slob

Slob is a middle grade novel written by bestselling children’s book author Ellen Potter and released in 2009. Potter’s novel uses tropes from mystery fiction to highlight psychological issues of trauma and recovery as well as social issues such as childhood obesity and bullying culture within the context of an adolescent Bildungsroman, a novel of growth and identity development.

This guide refers to the 2009 Penguin edition of the book.

Content Warning: The source material features depictions of bullying behavior and the physical and verbal abuse of a child.

Plot Summary

Owen Birnbaum is a 12-year-old genius who attends The Martha Doxie School in New York with his younger sister, Caitlin, who goes by the name Jeremy. His obesity and intelligence make him a target for bullies at school. In addition to anticipating abuse from school bullies, Owen struggles to cope with the trauma of losing his parents to murder two years prior.

Mr. Wooly, the gym teacher, devises elaborate physical challenges that humiliate the students, especially Owen. When Owen discovers that someone has stolen his Oreo cookies, he decides the culprit must be Mason Ragg, another student isolated and bullied for facial scarring. Many rumors suggest that Mason is a violent criminal, making him an obvious suspect for Owen, especially when he sees Mason eating exactly three Oreos at lunch. Upset, Owen creates a series of increasingly elaborate inventions and plans to reveal Mason’s crimes.

When he is not in school, Owen visits demolition sites with Jeremy to acquire parts for his invention, Nemesis, a device to catch the criminal who killed their parents. He also visits his friend Nima, a Tibetan man from India who owns a food cart.

Owen makes progress on his device with the help of his sister and considers different ways to reveal Mason’s crimes when initial attempts fail. Frustrated by his lack of success, his failures disrupt Owen’s self-image as a genius. Eventually, Owen allies with Mason against Mr. Wooly during gym class, after they both become frequent targets of the teacher’s harassment. Owen struggles to share the events of the night his parents were murdered with Nima, who listens carefully and allows him the time he needs to tell his story. Owen watches as Nima prays for his parents and their killer.

Owen makes more progress on Nemesis, finding a solution to make the device run effectively.

Mr. Wooly plans the ultimate humiliation of Owen during gym class, but Mason runs from class when he feels a seizure coming on. Owen stands up to Mr. Wooly in front of the class, protecting Mason’s privacy.

Owen learns that Jeremy is behind the cookie theft, a plot to bully Owen by the members of GWAB. She reveals the theft when she quits the club, unwilling to continue upsetting Owen. She also reveals that she tricked Owen into believing Nemesis worked, an attempt to make him feel better about himself.

Having achieved a measure of power and a positive self-image, Owen begins the slow process of recovery. He decides to move on from the murder mystery, letting go of the obsession and achieving closure when he prays for his parents and their murderer together in the example set by Nima.