After reading Maniac Magee and Stargirl, my daughter and I decided to read another Jerry Spinelli book, Loser. We enjoyed it, but it was very Spinelli. I guess that's what we wanted.
Donald Zinkoff is different, something that becomes more evident as he gets into middle school. Other students consider him invisible, a nothing, but he seems to be in his own world, insulated from their harsh comments by the unwavering love of his parents. Zinkoff, however, has something that other kids do not seem to have, compassion. It is this quality that others come to recognize in him and that begins to awaken his peers.
We found that the message in Loser is not as straight-forward and easily understood as in Maniac Magee. The ending was also a bit abrupt and probably has left many an 8 - 12 year old scratching their head or missing its true significance in the context of the story. The book overall is an easy read with a message for preteens, and we recommend it.
