Slob, by Ellen Potter (2009)

My name is Owen Birnbaum, and I am probably fatter than you are.  This isn't my low self-esteem talking.  This is pure statistics.  I'm five foot two and I weigh 156 pounds.  That's 57 percent fatter than the national average for a twelve-year-old boy.

In addition, Owen is very intelligent.

They had my IQ tested in the second grade.  I won't tell you my score.  Actually, I can't tell you my score because I promised my mother I wouldn't do that anymore.  I used to tell everyone.

Owen faces humiliation and bullying at school every day, but things get out of hand when someone steals his beloved three Oreo cookies from his lunch box.  And he thinks it was Mason Riggs, one of the scariest kids at his school.

In his attempt to find the culprit, Owen has to come to terms with other losses in his life. 

Most of us would probably like Owen.  Most of us probably knew someone who was similar to Owen.  Slob is a great read to help teens learn how important it is to take time to not judge someone by the way he or she looks.  They're probably a really great person.

Rating:  8 out of 10 stars

To check this book out at NOLS, click HERE!

Diary of a Witness, by Catherine Ryan Hyde (2009)

Will Manson stood up for me today.  Against the jocks.  Stupid.  Nice, but stupid.  I wish he wouldn't do stuff like that.  It's so wrong. 

Will and Ernie understand the rules to survive high school.

The trick is to get small.  Never look in their eyes.  Never look at them at all.  Just look down at the ground and try to get so small you're hardly even there.  That's the only thing that helps.

Will Manson is Ernie's only friend.  Ernie tips the scales at 242 pounds; Will is skinny and has acne.  They each have only one parent.  And they love to fish.  Will loves ocean fishing and Ernie likes lake fishing near his uncle's cabin.  They promise each other that they'll teach each other how to fish their favorite way.

One Saturday, Will's father takes Ernie, Will, and Sam (Will's younger brother) to the coast to ocean fish.  Will's father does not accompany the boys in the fishing boat and just before he leaves them, he tells them to meet him in six hours. 

In a bizarre accident, the boat capsizes and Sam drowns.  Afterwards Will asks Ernie to make a promise.

promise me you won't tell anyone

WHAT

i said promise you won't tell

NO I MEAN TELL WHAT

that it was my fault

As Will's life unravels, the bullying increases at school, as well as outside of school. 

"Will?  Are you going to be okay?"

Diary of a Witness is the story of the ugliness that Will and Ernie had to survive every single day.  Will feels like he is forced to find a solution to their problems with the jocks.  But can Ernie save Will?  Can Ernie protect himself?

Ernie is one of my all-time favorite fictional heroes, and most readers can probably connect to him.  His insights are enlightening, thoughtful, full of strength and determination.  Many readers can probably connect to Will as well, which makes this book a must-read for middle school students.  It's emotionally difficult, but Diary of a Witness forces the reader to think about relationships and how one small thing (good or bad) can lead to a bigger thing.

Rating:  10 out of 10 stars
*Language, religion

To check this book out at NOLS, click HERE!