Book excerpt: A Literature Kit. Loser chronicles the childhood of Donald Zinkoff who is one of the most unusual, endearing characters ever to grace the pages of a novel for young readers. No matter what the game, Donald never wins. He trips over his own feet, constantly raises his hand without ever knowing the correct answer, and falls down laughing at the mention of any unusual word. The novel traces Donalds journey from first to sixth grade. It details his important friendships, marks his relationships with different teachers, and describes how he copes with various shortcomings that everyone but Donald and his parents deem terribly important. Loser is an excellent novel which deals sensitively with the human spirit and the importance of failure.