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A review by briarrose1021
Loser by Jerry Spinelli
5.0
As a former teacher of middle school and high school - particularly middle school - I can remember seeing the development of the cliques that happen. The children who all played together in elementary school and were, for the most part, accepting of the differences among their classmates, suddenly become much more judgemental. In their quests to figure out who they are, they are quick to alienate anyone that doesn't fit into the mold they have created for what is acceptable. With that history, this book hit home for me, in a way that is probably particular to those who work with children and see their group behavior evolve as they age.
In this book, we follow Donald Zinkoff through elementary school and into 6th grade. Zinkoff is unlike the other children, though he does not realize it; and, for the most part, neither do the other children in the beginning. Zinkoff loves to laugh, much to the consternation of his teachers; he laughs when older kids make fun of him, not realizing what they're doing. Zinkoff loves school, arriving early whenever he can and trying to answer as many questions as he can, even if his answers are wrong.
Zinkoff is such a sweet child. He is unapologetically himself, and many times I felt for him so much: I felt for his innocence and naivete, for not realizing when he is being made fun of; I felt for his joy, his absolute love for his parents and who they are, his admiration for his father such that he also wants to be a mailman when he grows up; I particularly felt for how caring he was and how that caring was exhibited, from trying to help Waiting Man feel better to playing with Claudia on his walks and rides through the neighborhood.
Zinkoff's journey through school, in the eyes of the other children, is painful while also being poignant. In the early grades, Zinkoff is simply different, and the other children have not yet learned that those differences can be used against people. As Zinkoff grows, he moves from being simply different to being a loser after a particularly spectacular performance at the school Field Day to being invisible - a nobody. Despite the hardships, the best part of this book is that Zinkoff remains unapologetically himself, which is a great lesson for any child who is struggling to fit it, as well as for any child who notices someone else who is struggling to fit in.
I can remember reading Maniac McGee when I was in high school and absolutely loving it. This is the second book by Jerry Spinelli that I have read, as I didn't realize he had written other books, and it lived up to Maniac McGee for me. I will definitely be adding other books by Spinelli to my TBR list. I hope you join me in that.
In this book, we follow Donald Zinkoff through elementary school and into 6th grade. Zinkoff is unlike the other children, though he does not realize it; and, for the most part, neither do the other children in the beginning. Zinkoff loves to laugh, much to the consternation of his teachers; he laughs when older kids make fun of him, not realizing what they're doing. Zinkoff loves school, arriving early whenever he can and trying to answer as many questions as he can, even if his answers are wrong.
Zinkoff is such a sweet child. He is unapologetically himself, and many times I felt for him so much: I felt for his innocence and naivete, for not realizing when he is being made fun of; I felt for his joy, his absolute love for his parents and who they are, his admiration for his father such that he also wants to be a mailman when he grows up; I particularly felt for how caring he was and how that caring was exhibited, from trying to help Waiting Man feel better to playing with Claudia on his walks and rides through the neighborhood.
Zinkoff's journey through school, in the eyes of the other children, is painful while also being poignant. In the early grades, Zinkoff is simply different, and the other children have not yet learned that those differences can be used against people. As Zinkoff grows, he moves from being simply different to being a loser after a particularly spectacular performance at the school Field Day to being invisible - a nobody. Despite the hardships, the best part of this book is that Zinkoff remains unapologetically himself, which is a great lesson for any child who is struggling to fit it, as well as for any child who notices someone else who is struggling to fit in.
I can remember reading Maniac McGee when I was in high school and absolutely loving it. This is the second book by Jerry Spinelli that I have read, as I didn't realize he had written other books, and it lived up to Maniac McGee for me. I will definitely be adding other books by Spinelli to my TBR list. I hope you join me in that.