(Image from Barnes & Noble)

There's only one thing David Miller is really good at:  eating.  As a growing 14-year-old boy, he's constantly hungry, which means he's always shoveling food down his hatch.  He's never dreamed, however, that his talent for fast eating could actually earn him money.  Not until he accidentally spends $2000 on a non-returnable item using his mom's credit card.  Suddenly, he has to come up with some serious dough—and he has to do it before his parents get the bill.

While he's stressing about the upcoming eating contests he's entering, David also has to worry about his brother.  As the unnoticed/ignored middle child, he's always stuck watching 10-year-old Mal, who's severely autistic.  Plus, his two best friends are acting ... weird.  Like lovey-dovey.  It's almost as if they're trying to be a couple or something.  Creepy.

With all the tension in his life, David's having a hard time concentrating on his main goal—winning enough money to pay his mom back before she realizes what he's done.  Can he do it?  It's time to put his stomach of steel to the test ...

Slider, a middle grade novel by Pete Hautman, is a warm, funny story about friendship, family, and, of course, food.  Despite its lighthearted vibe, the novel deals with some serious issues and teaches valuable lessons about loyalty, acceptance, and appreciating perspectives that differ from your own.  I've never read a book about competitive eating before, so that aspect of the story feels original to me.  Slider is, overall, a fun story that will especially appeal to boys and reluctant readers.  I'm neither, but I thoroughly enjoyed it as well.

(Readalikes:  Um, I can't think of anything.  Can you?)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for brief, mild language (no F-bombs) and vague references to sex

To the FTC, with love:  I received an e-galley of Slider from the generous folks at Candlewick via those at NetGalley.  Thank you!