Loser

=//**Loser**//, by Jerry Spinelli=

Reviewed by Derek Cheng
An author like Jerry Spinelli is always churning up good stories to write. This book, Loser, must be one of his best. Because this book is a novel and it contains hard words, it is a great book for literature circle.

This book has a strange plot. It merely goes through the life of a kid named Donald Zinkoff. Zinkoff learns about himself as he grows up, and he encounters many different people. He also discovers that he is judged as a loser. He discovers that he is very brave and determined when the right times come up, as shown when he uses a whole night to try and find a lost girl. At last, this helps in earn some friends, and finally lets him play a basketball game, as shown in the end of the book.

I really, really liked this book. Why? It's just plain interesting! Although it's sort of like a biography, it's still a story, and it's written in a story-like way. There are feelings in this book, and there aren't many feelings in biographies. Also, I really like the way Jerry Spinelli tells the story of Zinkoff. He pulls out the most important parts of Zinkoff's life, and tells them in rich detail, but then skips on to a later period. Zinkoff seems like a very unusual boy, and that makes the book more interesting. I also think that the front and back covers of the book are pretty nice. The front cover describes how Zinkoff is like: he's a loser, he's sloppy, clumsy, and not organized. Just from looking at the cover, you get a light sneak peek at what the book is about. When you really think about, you also realize what the author thinks about losers, and in how many ways Zinkoff is a loser.

I recommend this book to kids aged 9 and over. It's pretty long, and younger kids could get bored. There are also quite a few difficult words in this book, and that is best for older kids.