From the Bookshelf of Mock Newbery 2026

Find A Copy At

Group Discussions About This Book

No group discussions for this book yet.

What Members Thought

Kathy
Apr 11, 2009 rated it it was amazing
First, just take a look at that cover. What comes to mind? Looking at the cover, you think you know what this book is about, but you don't.

"A three-story red-brick nightmare of educational progress." (p.2)

That's how Owen Birnbaum introduces us to school, his school at least. At Owen's school students can determine their own "educational progress" by studying whatever floats their boat at the moment.

Being the smartest kid in the school, and now the fattest, brings problems for Owen, even at such
...more
Amy
Aug 05, 2014 rated it really liked it
I loved the main character, Owen Birnbaum, who is a big overweight teen with a very high IQ. He gets picked on by almost everyone. Owen endures the teasing and outright bullying by classmates and teachers alike. His older sister seems to believe in him more than anyone else, but he's afraid that she will see him for "who he really is". When his Oreo cookies are stolen from his lunch repeatedly, Owen sets off on a hunt to capture the thief. Owen's insight and sense of humor make this a breeze to ...more
Susan  Dunn
Jul 27, 2009 rated it liked it
Shelves: j-fiction
Hmmmm. This one sounded really good, but I didn't like it as much as I thought I would. Owen is the fat kid at school - the one who gets picked on by his peers and by some of the teachers. He wasn't always fat - but 2 years ago his parents were murdered, and the one thing that temporarily made him feel better was food. So now he's the fat kid. Owen is also a genius (which makes him even less popular), and has dedicated himself to inventing a television that can go back in time to the night that ...more
Dest
Mar 15, 2010 rated it it was ok
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Becky Barrier Nelson
Oct 26, 2009 rated it really liked it
A real page-turner, this book is told through the eyes of 12-year-old Owen Birmbaum, the target of bullying at school because he has gained a huge amount of weight in the last 2 years. He is also very bright and is builing Nemesis, a contraption made of salvaged electronic parts. Foreshadowing throughout the first part of the book leads the reader to wonder why he gained so much weight, why is he so urgently building Nemesis, what happened to his parents, and who keeps stealing his oreos?? A sid ...more
Kristen Jorgensen
Aug 28, 2009 rated it really liked it
This book is more then you think it will be.

Owen, the brightest and fattest kid, is not the most social nor is he renown for his bravery. While he is accustomed to the jokes and laughing over his weight, he can't rest until he captures the culprit involved in the daily theft of his lunch bag cookies.

Seldom comes along a story that isn't predictable in some form. This isn't the book I thought it would be, instead it was much better. The ending was perfect and one to reflect on. It was very wel
...more
Lisa Nocita
Jun 16, 2010 rated it liked it
Shelves: young-adult
Owen Birnbaum is a very precocious, overweight twelve-year-old New Yorker. As the reader discovers over the course of the story, Owen and his sister Caitlin (a.k.a. Jeremy)have been through a lot over the past two and 1/2 years. Owen's reaction is to eat when painful feelings arise. When Owen's oreo cookies begin going missing from his school lunch everyday for a week, Owen plans and plots on how to catch the suspected thief, Mason Ragg, the new kid rumored to have a suspicious and dangerous pas ...more
Jennifer
Apr 25, 2011 rated it liked it
Quite good though I'm not sure of the signifigance of the "cockroach people" scavenging the building except to add atmosphere. ...more
Emily
Feb 04, 2014 rated it liked it
Shelves: kid-lit
3.5 stars
Sarah
Aug 21, 2009 rated it really liked it
This is as good as Fat Kid Rules the World - high praise indeed.
alisonwonderland (Alison)
I absolutely adored this book! I'm not sure what words to use to describe it. I'll try these: Touching. Poignant. Heart-breaking. Heart-warming. Insightful. Wonderful. ...more
Rachel
Feb 27, 2009 marked it as to-read
Katharine
Sep 04, 2009 rated it liked it
Shelves: youth
Susan
Sep 11, 2009 rated it really liked it
Laurie
Oct 17, 2009 marked it as to-read
Ellen
Nov 23, 2009 rated it it was amazing
Maggi Rohde
May 16, 2010 marked it as to-read
Shelves: middle-grade
Alison
Mar 14, 2011 rated it liked it
Donalyn
May 12, 2011 marked it as to-read
Leesa
Feb 28, 2012 rated it really liked it
Rita
Mar 29, 2012 rated it liked it
Shelves: juvenile-fiction
Tamsyn
Mar 30, 2012 rated it really liked it
Leslie
Apr 26, 2014 marked it as to-read
Linda
Sep 22, 2014 rated it liked it
Amy
Apr 16, 2016 marked it as to-read
Shelves: youth
Gin
Mar 01, 2017 marked it as to-read
Shelves: gender-identity
Sarita
Mar 18, 2017 rated it really liked it
« previous 1 3