Rating: 
Summary: WOW!! WHAT AN AWESOME BOOK
Review: I am a mother of an 8 year old boy who has went thru school not being disliked by kids but by the teachers just because he is from a different area, an only child, and a happy child. He is a happy kid who doesn't seem to ever notice that the adults at his school are both rude and bullying him. I Love the fact that my son Loves everyone unconditionally and does not treat the unfamiliar as different or odd. I hope he goes thru life always wanting to play with the kids that no one else wants to. For everyone who has a child who is Vibrant and outgoing and a little immature or nieve needs to read this book. I THINK EVERY TEACHER SHOULD READ THIS BOOK AND LEARN FROM IT. Children are our future and should be treated with respect so they will learn how to respect others also. IF THIS ALL SOUNDS FAMILIAR TO YOU THEN GET THIS BOOK YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PUT IT DOWN. IT IS THE SWEETEST BOOK I HAVE EVER READ. ZINKOFF IS A REMARKABLE CHILD AND HIS PARENTS ARE EXCEPTIONAL PARENTS. I MYSELF HAVE LEARNED ALOT FROM THIS BOOK.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, Liked "Stargirl" More
Review: Jerry Spinelli follows up "Stargirl" with a story of another outsider, this time a boy named Donald Zinkoff. He's a vibrant and curious boy and the narrative takes us from first grade up into middle school. I liked this book, and appreciated it's message, but didn't enjoy it as much as "Stargirl". This book has a removed third person narrative,like someone's reporting key moments of the boy's life, and it left me not as emotional invested as "Stargirl" did. Still, it's a decent book with it's heart in the right place, and a character probably many people can relate to and hopefully learn from.
Rating:
Summary: Another winner...not loser
Review: During the last 5 years of a 29 year career as a classroom
teacher I began reading aloud to my middle school students.
Shame on me! I should have begun on day one. Not only did my
students love it (Southwest Detroit), but I learned that young
adult fiction can be as exciting and heartwarming as anything
written for an adult. My students loved Maniac Magee, Crash, and The Library Card by Spinelli. They begged me to read just one more chapter each day. Of course, they also loved when Ms. Kirsch got too teary-eyed and had to call on a student to read.
I have been the librarian in our school for the past 3 years
and always have a young adult novel alongside my other reads.
Jerry Spinelli is my favorite. Wringer, Stargirl, and now Loser
are among my all-time most special books. I forget the storylines
of many other books I have read, but never Jerry Spinelli's. I
am able to recount each character and the circumstances that
were important in their lives.
Loser is a very special book. Donald Zinkoff is an extra-
ordinary character. His giraffe hat, his love for school, his
uncontrollable giggles, his belief that he runs so fast. He
wants to sit in that first seat in class, and yet his last name
dooms him to the last seat in the last row. Until the 4th grade
when his teacher seats him in the first row. Oh, how he loves
that teacher. Yahoo!
Zinkoff reminds me of no other student I have ever encountered. Maybe by the time they get to sixth grade, they
have had that exhuberance knocked out of them. Maybe that is
why I cried so hard while reading this book.
While Donald becomes a hero in our mind while searching for
the girl on a leash in a snowstorm, Spinelli doesn't rally the
classmates in a stunning salute. He eases us out, and I guess
we know that things are going to be all right for Zinkoff.
Rating:
Summary: Loser is not
Review: I have just read Loser and I am still in awe of Spinelli as an author for children who may not be avid readers. He uses the language of his readers and they are able to relate with his characters so well. In Loser he has created a lovable character named Zinkoff who is an eager and enthusiastic boy who tries to see the positive side of life. Spinelli has made us all see that there is a loser in all of us. It is so important for children to see that failure is a very important part of life if we can learn from it. I will be using Loser this year in all my presentations as a storyreader for children from Fourth through Sixth grade. Thank you Jerry, Loser is another winner!!
Rating: 
Summary: "Losser", a nickname every kid hates, but all experience.
Review: Spinelli once again touches the heart strings of the reader with his description of a born clod, whose up-scale attitude protects him from humiliation. But we are kept apprehensive, knowing that eventually this "losser" is going to get stung by the barbs of the "cool" kids.
What we don't anticipate is his big heart winning out in the end, and elevating him to "hero" status, an unsung hero at that. This book honors all of the "unsung heroes" who act with unselfish love without recognition or reward.
Rating:
Summary: Loser by Jerry Spinelli
Review: "Loser" by Jerry Spinelli is about a boy called Donald Zinkoff. It is an "okay" book to read because it doesn't really have a good problem/plot. Although I really do love the character of Zinkoff. I love his enthusiasm for school and his love for hearing great big words and big numbers! I really admire Zinkoff's friendliness and kindness to other people. It is a well written book, it makes me feel kind of sad when other characters in the book were calling Donald Zinkoff a "loser". You should give it a try...
Rating:
Summary: An Inside Look At Bullying
Review: Donald Zinkoff is one of the coolest kids you could ever want to meet, and the absolute coolest kid to hang out with. He loves school, wants to be friends with everybody, has a great laugh, he's just an all-around great guy. That is, until he hits fourth grade. Suddenly Zinkoff is no longer cool, he's a loser. Yeah, his sloppy handwriting, uncontrollable giggling, bad grades, clumsiness, etc. were pretty much unnoticed when he was younger. But suddenly, in fourth grade, everyone notices every single mistake he makes. And it only gets worse when he begins doing things that affect the other kids in his class. Sure, everyone has the name LOSER to describe Zinkoff, but that's not him. He thinks he's just like everyone else, and he really is, until a fateful winter night when Zinkoff suddenly becomes a hero.Out of every book that I have read so far this year, I will admit that I believe Donald Zinkoff is my favorite character of them all. His love for life, and learning is incredible, and the way that he keeps his head up even when he learns what his classmates think of him is a great lesson for all kids who are going through the same thing that Zinkoff goes through. Readers as young as the age of five-years-old will enjoy this book, as it follows Zinkoff from kindergarten all the way through fourth grade, and gives you an inside look at how his LOSER status evolved. Spinelli has accomplished greatness with this book, and I hope to read more from him in the future. Erika Sorocco
Rating:
Summary: Loser
Review: Loser Scholastic Inc., 2002, 218 pp., $5.99
Jerry Spinelli ISBN 0-439-46079-4 Donald, Donald Zinkoff, is the main character of the book. Donald loves school; he wouldn't miss it for anything. In the beginning of this book Donald starts out as a first grader. The author takes us all the way through his elementary life and up to the sixth grade. The book tells his life story of being a loser.
Donald Zinkoff's annoying habits are, that he laughs too much at stupid things, tells everyone that his dad is the best ever because he's a mailman, and goofing off a lot in class. Even though he acts immature, he was still a good person with feelings and. The book makes you stop to think about the Donald Zinkoff's in your class and how you treat them.
I liked the book very well. It was a sad, happy, and loving story. My rating of it from a scale of 1 to 10 would be a 7. I give it a 7 because the book isn't really for people my age (12). The book is more for younger people like 9, 10, and 11 year olds. The words in the book are really big and little kid style compared to books for teens, but the book had a good point.
If there is a person like what you think Donald Zinkoff is like, then this book is the one to read. - Guinn G.
Rating:
Summary: Ok Book
Review: "Back to work" is something that Donald hears a lot. This boy doesn't really listen that much so he gets into trouble most of the time. This main character named Donald doesn't do anything right. He is what people call a loser. Whenever he tries to beat anybody at anything, he always loses. I sort of feel bad for this kid sometimes.
This book was set in a sunny, snowy, and rainy area. This book was a boring novel. Nothing really exciting happened during this so I would put it under the boring novel category.
The main problem for the book is at the end of the story. The
problem is that Donald can not find his friend Claudia. She was found missing one night. He searched for her for at least 7 hours. Read the book to find out if he finds her.
I think that people in grades 5-6th would like it. I think that because this book isn't hard or confusing to read. They would probably like the storyline itself also.
This book isn't like another book I have read before. I read novels but they were adventure. This book is just about a normal kids daily life. I'm used to reading adventure books so maybe that is why I thought this book was boring.
I have read this kind of novel before but in those other books I have read, there were problems that made the story interesting. In this story, it just describes a kid's life which doesn't have any major problems to make the story more interesting.
This was the first book I have read by Jerry Spinelli and probably my last. I hope that all of her books are not this boring.
The only part I did like about this book is how she uses a lot of detail in her writing. Whenever she said something, you can picture it in your mind easily because of her detail.
As I started reading this book, I thought it was pretty good. And then it started become tedious. To make this book better, I would add more main problems. That is what I would do and then more people would enjoy this book.
This book should be read in small parts. You should read it like that because if you read the book in long pieces, you would get bored really quick.
Rating:
Summary: Is loser really a loser
Review: I really liked the book LOSER. Zinkoff has a lot of adventures and carries them away. Like when he was scared of a furnace monster and he stuck a sock in his mouth so his mom wouldn't here him screaming at the top of his lungs. I also liked that you make it sounds like Zinkoff is having a big fun adventure. With weird obstacles in his life. He is also weird and funny due to the fact that he stunk at everything but didn't even notice. He doesn't care if he has a friend or not he has much fun without a friend. He does many weird like throwing up normally, running down the streets yelling "Yahoo," and laughing at a word like "Japib." He is weird like when a bully takes his hate, he doesn't start crying and yelling to get back. He just acts like the bully is his friend and wants to look at his hat. In fourth grade he has a teacher who thinks the "Z" should be first. So instead of sitting in the back like he usually would. He sits right in the front row and is as happy as can be. In Zinkoff's field day it is all races. So he thinks it is just fun and losing doesn't matter. So when his team lost the last race. His team was so mad at him because he stunk and everyone calls him loser. When everyone calls Zinkoff a loser. He doesn't mind at all. So lets just say everyone thinks he is weird, he does weird things and he is a loser. But his parents point of view is completely different. They think he is fine at school and isn't a loser. But when they asked "How did field day go." He just says "I'm a loser." and starts crying. That is when his parents find out. But everyday he comes home as happy as can be. So they think nothing is wrong . Which there isn't so it doesn't matter. He doesn't care. Zinkoff gets picked last in all sports. But he doesn't mind. I am just trying to say I really liked this book. Because I think Jerry Spinelli is a good writer and just makes the story get better and better as you read. He makes the story have so many adventures and one thing Zinkoff does Jerry can just do anything to make it more interesting. That is why I rated this book a five-star book.
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