I remember reading this book when i was in elementary school. I remember enjoying it alot. While I didn’t really resonate with the character, I really felt sympathy for him. ( )

I just can't figure out how to rate this book. On one hand, I found the main character so interesting and the various short stories about his life so touching. On the other hand, I can't say that as a whole I loved this book. I also can't really imaging my 10 year old enjoying this book. ( )

Loser

I really enjoyed the book Loser for two reasons. Throughout the book, the main character, Zinkoff, wasn’t very good at things, but he never stopped trying his best and doing what he enjoyed doing. Even when people at school began making fun of him and calling him “Loser” he continued to be himself and do kind things for others. I really liked the style of this book, and I think it would be great for upper elementary school students to read.

I loved this book for many reasons. “Loser” is about this young boy named Donald Zinkoff (everyone calls him Zinkoff) who is considered a bit peculiar to others. Zinkoff struggles to make friends as he is isn’t smart in school, non-athletic, and constantly laughing. Time and time again, Zinkoff never fails to make a fool of himself until one day he nearly dies trying to find a young child, Claudia. Through the struggles he faces, he always stays true to himself. To start off, the first reason I love this book is because of the repetitive language in the book. For example, as Zinkoff gets older, “he no longer wears paper stars on his shirts… he replaces his little kid giggle with a big kid laugh…he no longer yells “yahoo…” he admits to sleeping.” The author repeats the word “he” and throughout the book, there are also may other uses of repetition. The second reason I like book is because of the characters. Spinelli is very descriptive when introducing the characters. For example, when describing the old woman, he says “she is the color of white mice: pink scalp showing through her white hair, pink eyelids. Her eyes are watery, but she is not crying.” Through this description, we can assume the old woman is very old. The third reason I enjoyed this book is because it pushes readers to think about tough issues such as bullying and not fitting in which perfectly describes Zinkoff’s early childhood. I believe the overall big message of this book is that it is important to stay true to yourself despite what others think or say about you. ( )

This novel by Jerry Spinelli tells a story about a young boy named Donald, but everyone calls him by his last name, Zinkoff. Zinkoff is a very likable character and one that is very amusing to read about. He is very charismatic and always positive. The book follows Zinkoff through his elementary and middle school years. There's a lot that changes, including the addition of his little sister, Polly. Although ZInkoff is very bright and positive, he goes through some hardships and times of rejection. This book helps to shine a light on some issues of bullying and isolation that some children may go through. The book is written in a third-person point of view which, in my opinion, makes the reader distant from the main characters. If it was written in Zinkoff's point of view, I think that readers could relate more and understand Zinkoff's actions and emotions more. I will admit that at times it was good to know certain things about some characters because it helped develop the storyline and the third person allows for the author to do that. There is a point in the book where Zinkoff's true intentions shine and readers learn just how caring of a person he is. It is when he goes out looking for the missing girl, Claudia. This book's main message is that no matter how harsh life can get, to always have a positive outlook. ( )