Loser: Summary and book reviews of Loser by Jerry Spinelli, plus links to an excerpt from Loser and a biography of Jerry Spinelli.

There are winners everywhere .... The sidewalks. The backyards. The alleyways. The playgrounds ... Except for Zinkoff. Zinkoff never wins. But Zinkoff doesn't notice. Neither do the other pups. Not yet. Zinkoff is like all kids -- running, playing, riding his bike. Hoping for snow days, wanting to be his dad when he grows up. Zinkoff is not like the other kids -- raising his hand with all the wrong answers, tripping over his own feet, falling down with laughter over a word like "Jabip." The kids have their own word to describe him, but Zinkoff is too busy to hear it. Once again, Newbery Medal-winning author Jerry Spinelli uses great wit and humor to create the unique story of Zinkoff as he travels from first through sixth grades. Loser is a touching book about the human spirit, the importance of failure, and how any name can someday be replaced with "hero."

BookBrowse

A wonderful, thoughtful book. "Popular" teens who believe being part of the group means excluding others may not appreciate Loser, but if they can bring themselves to read it they might find an appreciation for those lesser mortals who aren't part of the 1st division cliques but are sometimes better people because of this. Particularly recommended for those who've enjoyed other works by Spinelli such as Stargirl.  

Media Reviews

Publishers Weekly Spinelli (Maniac Magee; Stargirl) here enters the consciousness of the social pariah ... he creates no idealistic ending here; instead, with a near tragedy, the author demonstrates the differences between those who can continue to see with the more compassionate little-kid eyes and those who lose sight of what is truly important.   Kirkus Reviews [Spinelli] once again provides such a steady look at a marginalized child that readers will see past limiting social categories or awkward outsides to the complex mix of past, present, and promise at the core of every individual. A masterful character portrait; here's one loser who will win plenty of hearts.

Recent Reader Reviews

Rated of 5 by sarah
Its a ok book
This book is about a person who has difficulties in learning. Its a book about a person who is always made fun of and laughed at not laugh with. Even though its kind of boring it has a point . : )

Rated of 5 by jc
boring
I like most of Spinelli's books, but this one had no plot. It was just telling the tale of some loser kid, and had no beginning or end. Only read it if you are a loser and can relate to this weird guy, which no one can.

Rated of 5 by Melissa
Didn't like
The book Loser was really boring. It kept changing subjects. Like all of a sudden his mom has a baby out of nowhere. I couldn't relate to Donald at all or how it was written. I would not recommend this book to people who like action books. It is...   Read More

Rated of 5 by sid
loser
This book is an awesome book. Jerry Spinelli gets my applauds for this.

Rated of 5 by Kyle's mom
Love the book
I just finished reading this book to my fifth grade son. This opened a whole discussion about what makes someone a "loser". Was Zinkoff a loser? Maybe. Maybe not. My son had some great insights into the perceptions of what makes...   Read More

Rated of 5 by Kels
Loser
I think this book was Great! it was interesting and funny and very intriguing! Nice job Jerry! :)

...90 More Reader Reviews

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• Children's Books Ages 9 up
  
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