Slider

Excellent book about family and being the sibling of a disabled brother or sister. David is the middle child. His sister is brilliant and at college and his younger brother is severely autistic. It seems to David that his only role in life is to give his mother a break from caring for his little brother. He had two best mates - a girl and a boy - who suddenly seem to like each other and he feels like the third wheel. On top of that, he has had a massive fail on an e-bay like site and now secretly owes his mother $2000 on her credit card instead of $20. The only thing David seems to be good at is competitive eating and in an effort to win the money back for his mother he enters the shady world of the all-you-can-eat speed eating show more contests. A great coming-of-age story about family and the challenges faced by siblings of children that seem to demand ALL their parents' attention. Funny and poignant in places, this was a very engaging read from the first page until the last. show less

I enjoyed the book for the wonderful family relationships described, friend relationships, too. The family drama surrounding a child with autism was well done. I did not enjoy reading about the food eating competitions, but that's because it seems like gluttony (which some adults in the book agreed with). It was a very good read, worth the time, excellent for students struggling within their own families.

After David accidentally purchases a $2000 half hot-dog, he works to hide the credit card bill from his parents while entering a competitive pizza eating contest as a way to earn back the money. David also cares for his brother, Max, who is autistic during the summer. He feels ignored and unappreciated, but has several breakthroughs over the course of his middle school summer break.

Because I really liked Rat Queen....
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The eating contest is for the young reader. Everything else is for everyone, kids and families and teachers. David is such a good kid: funny, snarky, imperfect, honorable, patient, and smarter than he realizes. Mal is a joy to read about, but gosh I am grateful that my kids are not challenged in that way. The rest of the characters are sufficiently well-developed, not flat. And the themes are wonderful. I would like to read even more by Hautman.

Slider is a feel good middle grade novel about family, friendship, integrity, and responsibility. David is a 9th grade boy who enjoys hanging out with his two best friends, HeyMan and Cyn, and entering eating contests. He has an older sister in college who gets perfect grades and a younger brother who has autism. As the middle child, David feel slighted. "Because Bridgette is perfect and Mal is Mal, and I will always be a disappointment." David makes a mistake involving his mom's credit card and needs to get big cash fast. He enters a pizza eating contest and is on the hook to pay back not only his mom, but his friends too. Along the way, he spends a lot of time hanging out with his brother and learning about "Mal's Rules". Perhaps it's show more not them teaching his brother, his brother is teaching them. This book has tons of laughs and a few lessons. It show family imperfectness with lots of love, "There is no college degree in parenting." Great Read! show less

Fun story about how a young boy discovers his talent is food eating contests

This book is about a boy who accidently used his mom's credit card and is forced to enter a pizza eating contest to win back the money. The main character has always had a interest in competitive eating and has a big appetite. This story is targeted towards intermediate grade students.