Loser
by Jerry Spinelli
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Book Summary Information
Author: Jerry SpinelliBrand: Harper Collins Publishers
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-07-29
ISBN: 0060540745
Number of pages: 224
Publisher: HarperCollins
Book Reviews of Loser
Book Review: Does Spinelli's story of a loser transcend culture and race?
Summary: 3 Stars
Does Spinelli's story of a loser transcend culture and race? In order to find out, I had my Korean 5th and 6th grade students write a book review of how relevant this book was to them. Please keep in mind that English is their second language.
The main characters in the book, "Loser" by Jerry Spinelli are Zinkoff and Zinkoff's family. Zinkoff is very bright but he is different from others so his nickname becomes "Loser" and "nobody" .His family gives lots of help when he is sad or when he has problems. In the end, with his families help and support, his classmates never call him "Loser" and "nobody".
I think the book, "Loser" by Jerry Spinelli is relevant to Korean students and parents for several reasons. First, if there is a student like Zinkoff, Korean students call them mean names too. They call them mean names such as `Pig'. Last week, my math classmate called his partner a `Pig' and his partner got very mad. In Korea, students like Zinkoff don't have any friends too. Second, Korean parents are kind to their children like Zinkoff's parents. Zinkoff's parents want their child to be happy all the time and Korean parents want this too. This book is very interesting and I could understand it very well because this story is relevant to Korean students and parents.
"Loser" by Jerry Spinelli was very interesting because it is very fun, easy to understand, and it is educational. It tells us that you shouldn't call your friends mean names and we have to be nice to each other. It's a wonderful story. I think you should read this book!
The main character of the story is Donald Zinkoff and he is very different from others. It's about his school life and how he is different there. But at the end, he hears something and learns that he is not a loser.
The book "Loser" by Jerry Spinelli is relevant to Korean students for several reasons. First of all, in Korea, there are some days like field day we can enjoy. Field day is a day when students compete against each other. For example, in Korea we have school races and play sports. In elementary, middle, and high school, there are some losers that people usually don't pick when choosing teams. This happens in sports and many activities where cooperation is needed. For example, one day my class played dodge ball. But some of the people were not chosen, so I told my friends to pick them and told my friends to help them to do better.
In summary, I recommend this book for everyone to read. It is similar to Asian children and you will find it relevant
I think it's relevant for Korean students to read Loser by Jerry Spineli for several reasons. In Korea, we have similar problems. First, there are students who suffer from mental or physical problems and go to the hospital to cure it. Second, Korean students should read "Loser" because the book shows how Donald deals with friends. For example, he tries to be best friends with Binns by giving his ear wax. In Korea, there are also students with these types of personalities. The book tells the reader how to get along with these types of friends. In Korea or America, it is the same so I think it's relevant for Korean students to read this book. In conclusion, in Korea, students also try to get friendly with friends like Donald so you should read this book.
In one town, there was a boy named Zinkoff. He loved school since his first day but his weird behavior didn't attract many friends. When he was in the fourth grade, there was a school race where Zinkoff made the team lose and from that time on, he was called loser. In middle school, he was called a nobody rather than loser. However, one day, he shows his ability by searching for a girl for seven hours in the cold snow, and after this, he made many friends.
"Loser" by Jerry Spinelli is not relevant to Korean students for several reasons. First, there are sports that Koreans don't play. For example, in the last part of the book, Zinkoff and others play football. However, football is an American sport and Koreans don't play it. One day, my friend played football in America. My friend didn't know the rules, so he accidentally scored on his own team. He was mocked after the game. Second, in the book, most of the characters do so many weird things that Korean students don't do. For example, Zinkoff keeps on laughing in class and in Korea nobody really laughs that much. Also, Binns collects his earwax to make a candle and nobody does that either. One year ago in my fourth grade, there was a weird kid that made weird "um~" sounds every day. No one was friendly to him.
I think Korea students reading "Loser" will not understand this book because of the cultural differences. However, I recommend you read this book because this book is a quick read.
I read the book "Loser" by Spinelli. This book is the life story of a boy named Zinkoff. He is a little bit different from others, but he has a lot of patience. At first, nobody understood him, but at the end of the story, they started to understand him a little more. It tells us that those who look stranger than others are not odd, but just different.
"Loser" by Spinelli is not relevant to Korean students for several reasons. First, Korea and the U.S. have different cultures so we can't relate to some things. For example, the book says Zinkoff plays football at the end of the story, but I didn't know what football was. In Korea there are no playgrounds outside of school and recess time is only 5 minutes. In Korea, during recess time, I just stay in my class and talk a little bit with my friends. In contrast, in this book there are playgrounds and a long recess time. Second, the behavior of Zinkoff is odd. In this book, outcasts behave so differently than outcasts in Korea. Usually, in Korea, outcasts just cry and do not try to play with people. Nevertheless, in this book, Zinkoff acts very differently. For example, when a 4th grader takes his hat, he just says "You can have it." In conclusion, for these reasons, Korean students can't understand some parts of this book, and this book is not relevant to Korean students.
Therefore, I do not recommend this book to Asian students who have a similar culture.
I read the book `Loser' by Jerry Spinelli. The summary of this story is about a boy named Donald Zinkoff who loses during a school competition when he was in the 4th grade and becomes a loser. He then goes to middle school and becomes a nobody. In the end of the story, Zinkoff makes a friend.
I think this book is not relevant to Korean students for two reasons. First of all, the cultures are different. Football, for example, is a familiar sport to Americans. However, Korean kids or adults don't know how to play it. For instance, I was trying to watch a football game on TV, but I couldn't understand its rules. Secondly, American and Korean's lives are definitely different. For instance, American children barely go to cram schools but learn most things at school. Koreans go to many cram schools. In conclusion, `Loser' is not relevant to Korean students.
However, I recommend you read `Loser'. I think this book is not relevant to our cultures but you learn to think in a different way. It is a very interesting book with many funny parts that make you laugh.'
Zinkoff is a boy who is different from others. Even though he loves going to school, he always has bad grades. Once he was called a "Loser" because he came in last during a school race, but in the end he gained approval from a friend. The reason is that he went to search for a little girl for seven hours during a snowy, cold night.
"Loser" by "Spinelli" is relevant to Korean students for the following reasons. First, no matter where you go, there is always a student who doesn't do things well like Zinkoff -- a student who always has bad grades, a student who always comes in last during a race. There are students like Zinkoff in Korea as well. So, this story is familiar to Korean students. Next, students tend to make fun of those who are different from them. They bully people mainly because of the differences between them. So, Korean students would understand the situation of Zinkoff being called a "Loser". Due to these reasons, reading "Loser" by "Spinelli" is relevant to Korean students.
I recommend this book, "Loser" by Spinelli to you. It is a story about a weird boy called Zinkoff. It is a easy-read, fun and relevant to Korean students. Also, the character, Zinkoff is really weird but this loser makes the book so exciting.
There is a boy named Donald Zinkoff. He does all kind of weird things such as laughing at everything. He lost a game during field day, which is very important day for fourth graders and he then becomes a loser. But he doesn't know he is loser and tries to adapt in school.
"Loser" by Spinelli is not relevant to Korean students for several reasons. First, America's culture and Korea's culture is different. For example, in Korea we don't play football and don't know how to play it. Next, we don't sit in school by our last name. For example, a teacher picks our seats or sometimes we pick it. In 4th grade, I always sat with my best friend. I always played with him during class. The teacher didn't know it and we had fun during class. This means we don't have situations like Zinkoff always sitting last. These are a few reasons why "Loser" by Spinellis is not relevant to Korean students.
I think "Loser" is not relevant to Korean people. But I recommend you read "Loser" because it will help you be better with your friends by being good at school and being popular. You will be very good person in your school.
Summary of Loser
Just like other kids, Zinkoff rides his bike, hopes for snow days, and wants to be like his dad when he grows up. But Zinkoff also raises his hand with all the wrong answers, trips over his own feet, and falls down with laughter over a word like "Jabip."
Other kids have their own word to describe him, but Zinkoff is too busy to hear it. He doesn't know he's not like everyone else. And one winter night, Zinkoff's differences show that any name can someday become "hero."
Donald Zinkoff is one of the greatest kids you could ever hope to meet. He laughs easily, he likes people, he loves school, he tries to rescue lost girls in blizzards, he talks to old ladies. The only problem is, he's a loser. Until fourth grade, Zinkoff's uncontrollable giggling in class, sloppy handwriting, horrible flute playing, bad grades, clumsiness, and ineptitude at sports go largely unnoticed. When he blows a race for his team, however, his transition to loserdom is complete: "[Loser] is the word. It is Zinkoff's new name. It is not in the roll book." Fortunately, he doesn't really notice. As he did in Stargirl, Newbery Medal-winning author Jerry Spinelli again explores the cruelty of a student body and how it does and doesn't affect one student, pure of spirit. Presumably if Loser makes one child view a "different kid" as a three-dimensional character, Spinelli will consider his book successful.
The author recounts Zinkoff's story--a case study of sorts--in short sentences from a deliberately reportorial point of view, documenting the first years of the boy's life and his evolution into a loser. What makes the book charming and buoyant is that the reader, like Zinkoff's parents and his favorite teacher, appreciates the boy's oblivious joie de vivre and his divine quirks. What is less compelling about the novel is the "let this be a lesson to us" heavy-handedness that accompanies the reportorial approach. Still, Spinelli comes through again with a lively, often moving story with humor and heart to spare. (Ages 8 to 12) --Karin Snelson
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