Reviewed by Breanna F. for TeensReadToo.com
Jupiter Glazer has had a tough life ever since he got dragged from Russia to the United States when he was young. He's always been the kid who gets picked on and shoved into lockers. He only really has one good friend, Vadim, who is also Russian. The night before he starts his first day at a new high school, he decides he's not going to be that kid anymore. He's going to transform himself and actually fit in with the other kids and make friends.
Soon, he's listening to old records to try to pick up the correct accent, and going to parties that he'd usually never even think of attending because he'd usually just be beat up. In the process, he's aggravating his parents because he's never home at the factory to help out when they're having a hard time. But little by little, Jupiter starts to fit in a bit more, and he realizes it's not so hard to blend in with everybody else and not get picked on constantly.
This was a good read. From the very beginning, I sided with Jupiter, of course. It wasn't fair to him that he always got picked on because he wasn't from around there and had a different accent. I loved how he decided to change when he got tired of always being bullied. It made sense to transform himself when he was starting a new high school. Not everyone knew who he was, so he could really be anybody that he wanted to be. I thought that was a really brave thing of him to do.
I definitely think bullies should read LOSERS so that they can understand what the people being bullied are going through - and maybe, just maybe, they'll understand that it's not right. I also liked the way that Mr. Roth wrote from both Jupiter's experience and also from Vadim's point of view. Definitely check this one out, especially if you like books about foreigners trying to fit in.
Jupiter Glazer has had a tough life ever since he got dragged from Russia to the United States when he was young. He's always been the kid who gets picked on and shoved into lockers. He only really has one good friend, Vadim, who is also Russian. The night before he starts his first day at a new high school, he decides he's not going to be that kid anymore. He's going to transform himself and actually fit in with the other kids and make friends.
Soon, he's listening to old records to try to pick up the correct accent, and going to parties that he'd usually never even think of attending because he'd usually just be beat up. In the process, he's aggravating his parents because he's never home at the factory to help out when they're having a hard time. But little by little, Jupiter starts to fit in a bit more, and he realizes it's not so hard to blend in with everybody else and not get picked on constantly.
This was a good read. From the very beginning, I sided with Jupiter, of course. It wasn't fair to him that he always got picked on because he wasn't from around there and had a different accent. I loved how he decided to change when he got tired of always being bullied. It made sense to transform himself when he was starting a new high school. Not everyone knew who he was, so he could really be anybody that he wanted to be. I thought that was a really brave thing of him to do.
I definitely think bullies should read LOSERS so that they can understand what the people being bullied are going through - and maybe, just maybe, they'll understand that it's not right. I also liked the way that Mr. Roth wrote from both Jupiter's experience and also from Vadim's point of view. Definitely check this one out, especially if you like books about foreigners trying to fit in.
I enjoyed this book overall. The descriptions and the words chosen were often amusing and right-on. However, I struggled with the concept that the hero, Jupiter, was an awkward fourteen year old: supposedly naive, lost, an outcast, etc., not to mention relatively new to the English language--since in nearly every situation he was extremely articulate, very observant, resourceful, self-reliant and quick. I mean, in my highschool days, a loser wouldn't quite so effortlessly become socially acceptable to both the hottest girl in school and the toughest bully. So parts of it rang false to me. Yet, setting that aside, I enjoyed the writing style.
