The main character in this book is Donald Zinkoff, a very happy kid that doesn’t care about winning or losing, but he almost always loses. Some other characters are Donald’s parents, his peers, Claudia, and the old lady. It takes place in a modern day community in the U.S. The problem is that Zinkoff is unaccepted by his peers. There isn’t really a solution, but Zinkoff does attempt to fit in. Sometimes he does get accepted.
In the beginning of the plot Zinkoff starts 1st grade. He is bullied by a 4th grader at recess, but he doesn’t realize the person’s intentions. He has problems with laughing uncontrollably to a lot of funny things. He finds a lot of things funny. He also gets a new baby sister. He plays soccer and doesn’t understand why his teammates are mourning over their lost game. His team wins the championship, and he is awarded a trophy. His neighbor, Andrew steals it when he leaves it outside.
Then 2nd grade starts. His teacher hates him because he is always laughing. Then he goes with his dad on Take Your Kid to Work Day. Then he has stomach surgery and can’t go to school for a while. Soon after that, 4th grade starts. He is called a loser when he loses epically for his team on Field Day. Then 5th grade starts. He is named “loser” but doesn’t notice. Then he is asked who his best friend is on a test and doesn’t know who to put down. So he writes the name of a random peer. Then he tries to become friends with that peer. He is friends with him for a while, but their friendship ends soon.
He gets his first A on a test. Then Field Day comes and he isn’t wanted on any team, even the one he was placed randomly in. So he goes to the elderly woman’s house and skips school. That makes him feel better. Then he graduates from elementary school. In 6th grade he goes from a loser to a nobody. There is a search for a little girl. Zinkoff searches for hours and hours without luck. He falls asleep and is rescued by somebody. He is taken home. It turns out, the search party was for him and the little girl had been found shortly after the search began. Then one day he is let onto a basketball game.
I would rate this book 4 star. It is realistic fiction, and has some social/human issues in it. It is not one of Jerry Spinelli’s best books in my opinion. If you liked his other books then you might like this book. I hope that this report has been useful for you!
