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51 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another winner...not loser, June 22, 2002
During the last 5 years of a 29 year career as a classroom
teacher I began reading aloud to my middle school students.
Shame on me! I should have begun on day one. Not only did my
students love it (Southwest Detroit), but I learned that young
adult fiction can be as exciting and heartwarming as anything
written for an adult. My students loved Maniac Magee, Crash, and The Library Card by Spinelli. They begged me to read just one more chapter each day. Of course, they also loved when Ms. Kirsch got too teary-eyed and had to call on a student to read.
I have been the librarian in our school for the past 3 years
and always have a young adult novel alongside my other reads.
Jerry Spinelli is my favorite. Wringer, Stargirl, and now Loser
are among my all-time most special books. I forget the storylines
of many other books I have read, but never Jerry Spinelli's. I
am able to recount each character and the circumstances that
were important in their lives.
Loser is a very special book. Donald Zinkoff is an extra-
ordinary character. His giraffe hat, his love for school, his
uncontrollable giggles, his belief that he runs so fast. He
wants to sit in that first seat in class, and yet his last name
dooms him to the last seat in the last row. Until the 4th grade
when his teacher seats him in the first row. Oh, how he loves
that teacher. Yahoo!
Zinkoff reminds me of no other student I have ever encountered. Maybe by the time they get to sixth grade, they
have had that exhuberance knocked out of them. Maybe that is
why I cried so hard while reading this book.
While Donald becomes a hero in our mind while searching for
the girl on a leash in a snowstorm, Spinelli doesn't rally the
classmates in a stunning salute. He eases us out, and I guess
we know that things are going to be all right for Zinkoff.
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
One teacher's review of Loser, December 31, 2002
As a fifth grade teacher, I picked up Jerry Spinelli's Loser to preview whether it would make an appropriate read aloud selection for my students. Loser tells the story of Donald Zinkoff's childhood. At first, Donald appears to be an average elementary school kid, but as he grows older, his classmates begin to view him differently. Before, Donald was silly and clumsy, but in fourth grade, suddenly he is seen as weird and strange. An important turning point in the story happens when Zinkoff's poor coordination causes his fourth grade classmates to lose an athletic contest. By the end of the day, Donald has a new name-"Loser." Spinelli spends the rest of the book discussing Zinkoff's move to middle school and hinting that somehow, Zinkoff will change from "zero" to "hero." When a neighborhood girl is missing, Zinkoff sees his chance to become popular. When she is finally found, will Donald Zinkoff still be a "Loser?"I enjoyed reading Loser for a number of reasons. First, the plot of Loser is a simple one that I think every human-young and old-can relate to. Everyone's been teased one time or another. I think it would be an interesting experience for all readers to see how one character deals with being teased. Zinkoff is such a complicated character because he doesn't even realize that others see him as a loser. Most people would feel hurt and embarrassed (maybe even angry) if they were in Donald's shoes, but not Zinkoff. Because he is so oblivious to his classmate's taunts, I started to believe that there was more to Zinkoff than Jerry Spinelli was saying. Is Zinkoff just clumsy and weird or does he suffer from real learning and behavioral disabilities? I kept hoping Spinelli would explain more about Donald and his condition. My class and I just finished Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key by Jack Gantos, which is about the life of a young boy with ADHD. I think that book was better for younger readers because it explained WHY some kids behave as they do. In Loser, we never actually learn why Zinkoff acts like such a "loser." My favorite part of the book happens late in the story when Zinkoff tries to rescue a missing girl. I predicted that he would find her, return her to her thankful family, and become the most popular boy in middle school. I was excited to see that Loser doesn't have a happily-ever-after ending. If you are a fan of realistic fiction books for children, Loser would be a great choice. Still, I have mixed feelings whether I would share this book with my class. The writing is mostly simple sentences, but there is more complicated language that I think they would appreciate better when they are a few years older. I would recommend this book for middle school students through adults because they can all relate to the story and they'd be able to answer many of the questions that come up in Loser. Whether or not I decide to use Loser, I still think all elementary school students should be exposed to Jerry Spinelli (Maniac Magee, Wringer, Fourth Grade Rats, The Library Card) because he writes about real childhood situations and problems. Most children's books do not do this, but Loser does. Jerry Spinelli's Loser is definitely not a "loser." Check it out!
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16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Sophisticated Story, June 17, 2003
As a Newbery Award-winning author, Spinelli can expect readers to have high expectations. Especially when he produces a novel in the "young adult" genre. Fortunately, Spinelli rarely disappoints and he doesn't disappoint here.Loser is the story Donald Zinkoff as he moves from the first through the sixth grades. In essence, it is the story of how "winners" and "losers" are created. In the early grades, Zinkoff may be a little odd but his peers have not yet learned how and why to exclude certain children. As time goes on, however, Zinkoff's love of school (despite his rather limited abilities) and, in particular, poor performance at sports makes him an outcast. It should be understood that this novel is basically an interesting character study of a single character--Zinkoff. Despite the rather dramatic wandering in the snowstorm near the end of the book, there is not a lot of action beyond the ordinary day-to-day events in the life of a young man. But this is one of the things that gives this book its charm. That, and Zinkoff's own obliviousness to his social status. It is nice to see a character who basically likes himself. On the other hand, this is a clue to the novel's weakness. This is basically a very sophisticated story about a boy who has social problems as well as real problems that are only hinted at. As an adult, I found it very true and interesting but it works on a level higher than a lot of younger readers might be capable of reaching. Teenage readers might get a lot from this novel but will they read a story about a grade-schooler? I am afraid this novel will have a tough time finding an audience which is too bad because it is well worth reading.
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