Losing Is Not An Option

Wallace, R. (2005). Losing Is Not An Option. New York, NY: Laurel Leaf.

Brief Annotation: Wallace writes nine short stories in this collection, all about a boy named Ron growing up in small-town America. They range from his involvement with sports to his relationships with people. His difficulties with girls, his relationships with his friends that grow up faster and leave him behind, and his relationship with his grandfather is also highlighted in one of the most compelling stories.

Genre: Sports Fiction

Grade Level: 8-10

Readers who will like this: Young readers coming of age, readers who play sports.

Response/Rating (1-4): **. My review of this is based solely on my own preferences, but I could not get into this book. I found myself skimming sections and I really didn't care for the genre, even though this book was broken up into shorter stories and some of them didn't involve sports at all, but rather his relationships with his family or girls. It was well written but I had no interest in it or the characters.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: If you could teach one thing to yourself from five years ago, what would it be?