Booklist
. . . the vividly drawn characters offer plenty to enjoy along the way.
Children's Literature
- Kristy Lyn Sutorius
Here Ellen Potter takes a giant leap away from the magical world of Olivia Kidney and the ritzy restaurant world of Pish Posh. Owen is a fourteen-year-old, overweight, emotional eater, bullied by his classmates, harassed by his gym teacher, and singled out by an Oreo thief. Although Owen's various traps fail at school, the radio telescope he has building at home is finally coming together. His goal is to use old radio waves to view images from a video camera. Owen keeps everyone—except his younger sister Jeremy—in the dark as to why he needs to see footage from one particular night. As the story unfolds, so too does the story of what happened to Owen and Jeremy's mother and father one night in their New York City deli. Carefully crafted, modern characters are the focal point of the story. Potter tackles issues like obesity, bullying, and transgender topics with sensitivity but without sacrificing reality. The references to older TV sitcoms like Happy Days, BJ and the Bear, and The Beverly Hillbillies may be lost on middle-schoolers, but they will enjoy the read regardless. It is recommended for purchase by school and public libraries. Reviewer: Kristy Lyn Sutorius
School Library Journal
Gr 6-8–Owen is the fattest–and smartest–seventh grader in his New York City school. When he’s not ducking the school bully or trying to survive the world’s most sadistic P.E. teacher, he invents things. Currently Owen has two projects–a TV that will show events in the past and a trap to catch the thief who keeps stealing the Oreos from his lunchbox. There’s a lot of middle school banter and adolescent dialogue. However, what begins as a lighthearted adventure gradually takes on a darker tone. Owen calls his invention Nemesis and insists that it needs to reach exactly two years back. As the story evolves, readers learn that there are places in town where he feels distinctly uncomfortable, and that he treasures a note that says only “SLOB.” Step by step, Owen reveals the tragedy behind his concerns. Two years earlier, he was hiding in the basement of the family store, listening as his parents were killed by an intruder. Adopted by the 911 operator who took his call after the murders, he dreams of identifying the perpetrator. Although Nemesis fails to solve the crime, Owen is finally able to find closure, with help from his sister, their friends, and, surprisingly, from the dreaded bully himself. A sensitive, touching, and sometimes heartbreakingly funny picture of middle school life.–Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL
Kirkus Reviews
An intriguingly offbeat mystery concerning the theft of cookies from a boy's lunch, at turns humorous, suspenseful and poignant. Intelligent Owen is the fattest kid in his middle school, having packed on the pounds after a major upheaval in his life caused him to begin turning to food as a source of comfort. His younger sister, who has joined up with a group at school called Girls Who Are Boys (GWAB) and taken to insisting that others call her Jeremy, coped by growing tougher. Owen, on the other hand, has become an object of ridicule due to his weight. While the Oreo heist provides the main premise for Owen to engage with other kids at school, there are a number of secondary mysteries crafted alongside it, each of them raising unexpected questions that are neatly wrapped up by the novel's end. While some readers may balk at some of its more convenient coincidences, fans of Jerry Spinelli and others of his ilk may especially enjoy it and will be held rapt. (Mystery. 9-12)
