Loser

Loser, by Jerry Spinelli, is about boy named Zinkoff. He is the odd one out on the playground, at school, and around the neighborhood. He laughs at the wrong things, answers the wrong questions, and looks the wrong way. Most everyone has a name for him, Zinkoff is just too busy to hear it. The book follows Zinkoff from first through 6th grade as he is the butt of jokes and scorn. Eventually though, Zinkoff has his moment to shine, and performs admirably, as the old names transform into a new name, "hero".

This is another book that I have not read in awhile. Though I know the basic story line, I am not sure how well the book affected me when I first read it. I think that it is a good story, a little scrambled in some parts, but overall a good book. When I was reading it, I remember feeling lost during some events of the book, but it never got to the point where I could not pick up the story as it continued. The overall implications of the story are deep, so younger readers may have more trouble grasping the deeper meaning of the story.

I am going to recommend this book as a book for reading with a child. This way they can understand the story, as well as the deeper meaning, and with an aid of an adult, they can get much more out of the book.