And one winter night, Zinkoff's differences show that any name can someday become hero.

He doesn't know he's not like everyone else. Other kids have their own word to describe him, but Zinkoff is too busy to hear it. 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. Just like other kids, Zinkoff rides his bike, hopes for snow days, and wants to be like his dad when he grows up. This classic book is perfect for fans of Gordon Korman and Carl Hiaasen. Reading Level: 4.3 Interest Level: Middle Grades Point Value: 5.0įrom renowned Newbery-winning author Jerry Spinelli comes a powerful story about how not fitting in just might lead to an incredible life. Review Citations: PW Notes and Reprints pg.

Physical Information: 0.56' H x 5.13' W x 7.63' (0.35 lbs) 218 pagesĪwards: Nutmeg Book Award, Nominee, Grades 4-6, 2005 Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes - Self-esteem & Self-reliance Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes - Adolescence & Coming Of Age He laughs easily, he likes people, he loves school, he tries to rescue lost girls in blizzards, he talks to old ladies. And Spinelli has the courage to stick to his point right to the end - no losers or winners, no heroes or villains, no happy endings or sad ones, just children, and their confusing ability occasionally to connect.Binding Type: Paperback - See All Available Formats & EditionsĪnnotation: Donald Zinkoff is one of the greatest kids you could ever hope to meet. And therein lies Spinelli's unusual point - not that losers are really winners, or I'm ok, you're ok, but that the measuring sticks we chose may not be the only ones there are. There's a moment when it might, but it's not something a Zinkoff, or a real child, can pull off. And we all know the formula - eventually there will be some great dramatic event, the hero will have his moment to shine, and everyone will realize that he's not a loser at all. This type of story, of course, has been done often before, though rarely with Spinelli's wit and craft. And his one real talent, a sunny disposition, keeps his life from seeming cruel when he's not picked for teams, when he's ridiculed and taunted, when he, in short, loses, again and again. Zinkoff's (no one calls him Donald except his teachers) mistakes and quirks are endearing, since we're seeing them from the inside. Jerry Spinelli gives his readers a careful, at times humorous, portrait of a kid who is only special to his family, and scatters penetrating insights into growing up along the way. Yet it's moving, funny, lyrical, and has powerful appeal for both children and adults. Few writers could pull this off - a book with no villains, no heroes, and little real conflict, which is basically a child development text turned into a novel.

Donald zinkoff