![]() ![]() 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. ![]()
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