Loser

Loser summary:

In the beginning of the book, Loser, Jerry Spinelli introduces us to Donald Zinkoff, a six year old boy who is an outcast. Donald is a young boy who laughs at everything, doesn't care what people think of him, and LOVES school. The story is about Zinkoff growing up and going to first grade through sixth grade (and making some friends on the way). Zinkoff's parents are also important to the story, they encourage him to be himself and the best of himself, and most importantly they introduced him to his best friend also known as his baby sister Polly. Polly was introduced to us when Zinkoff was just beginning second grade and was about 6 years old.

“You grow up with a kid but you never really notice him. He’s just there—on the street, the playground, the neighborhood. He’s part of the scenery, like the parked cars and the green plastic cans on trash day.”

- Jerry Spinelli, Loser

When you start reading the book, you will notice the setting which is in a small town and mostly takes place in Zinkoff's home and at his school. The plot of the story is about a nutty kid that goes through elementary school with barely any friends, until in middle school he accidentally replaces the name "loser" with the name "hero". The theme of Loser is To approach life with a positive spirit and enjoy all it has to offer.

"Donald, too happy to care that he’s not very competitive, doesn’t worry about it. But children need to show some wins or the other kids will begin to look down on them. They form a natural pecking order, and the boy at the bottom will be shunned. This will haunt Donald in the future."

- Jerry Spinelli, Loser

The setting of Loser reminds me of the setting of one of Jerry Spinelli's other books: Maniac Magee because of the way it describes the towns. I think that Loser connects to Jerry Spinelli's life because when he was little he would dress as a cowboy to school and he stood out just like Zinkoff in the book Loser.