For the first several years they have been home babies-Zinkoff and the others-fenced in by walls and backyard chain-link and, mostly, by the sound of Mother’s voice. He is one of the new litter of boys tossed up by this brick-and-hoagie town ten miles by trolley from a city of one million. You hear someone say a name, and somehow you just know that’s who the name belongs to, it’s that kid. And maybe it annoys you that he seems to be having even more fun than you, but it’s a one-second thought and it’s over.Īnd then one day you do. Or it’s winter and you sled to the bottom of Halftank Hill, and you’re trudging back up and there he goes zipping down, his arms out like a swan diver, screaming his head off. Maybe at the park playground one day you look up and there he is on the other end of the seesaw. You pass through school-first grade, second grade-there he is, going along with you. He’s part of the scenery, like the parked cars and the green plastic cans on trash day. He’s just there-on the street, the playground, the neighborhood.

You grow up with a kid but you never really notice him. As readers follow Zinkoff from first through sixth grade, it becomes impossible not to identify with and root for him through failures and triumphs. With some of his finest writing to date and great wit and humor, Jerry Spinelli creates a story about a boy's individuality surpassing the need to fit in and the genuine importance of failure. 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. From renowned Newbery-winning author Jerry Spinelli comes a powerful story about how not fitting in just might lead to an incredible life.

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