S.O.R. Losers

by Avi

Each member of the South Orange River seventh-grade soccer team has qualities of excellence, but not on the soccer field.

Genres: Childrens, Humor, Realistic Fiction, Sports, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Fiction

90 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Avi is a pen name for Edward Irving Wortis, but he says, "The fact is, Avi is the only name I use." Born in 1937, Avi has created many fictional favorites such as The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, Nothing but the Truth, and the Crispin series. His work is popular among readers young and old.

Reviews

[James Vachowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

The South Orange River (S.O.R.) School has a great reputation in sports, to the point where they’ve never lost a game this season. That winning record is about to change, however, when some non-sporting kids decide to form SOR’s first soccer team. When their overeager parents force the team to continue on after their first blowout loss, the kids rack up an impressive losing record that only serves to bring these misfits closer together!

Growing up, I read a ton of sports books by awesome authors like Matt Christopher. While these books were great, most of them were usually about talented kids who excelled on the playing field. Avi’s book is much different, because it shows that sports can still be beneficial for those of us who weren’t blessed with a ton of athletic ability. Be sure to pick up a copy of this classic, and I guarantee you’ll be laughing out loud until the final whistle!

[Emi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book used in a 6th grade language arts class. This is not one of those typical stories where "losers" work hard to enjoy limelight in the end. Parents and teachers want the boys to "try harder," win, and not give up, but these adults are ultimately portrayed as being overly possessed with sports, desiring the team's success for their own reputation, and failing to recognize the team members' strengths not easily measured. Although there is a mismatch between the quality/style of writing (geared toward 4/5th graders) and target audience (contents for 6/7th graders), I do like the unusual storyline that celebrates children who resist being conformed by authority figures.

[Ianstien McDowell · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am reading this in my 6th grade Language Arts class and all I can say is, it isn't great.

First, you know those shows marketed towards 6-year-olds like Daniel Tigers Neighbourhood that have morals at the end? Yeah, well that is this book in a nutshell. I wrote a summary of three chapters and every sentence had either the words, "Believing in themselves." or "Trying their hardest.". Without those phrases, I wouldn't have been able to write a real summary. I saw another reviewer saying their class didn't get the moral. I find that hard to believe. I'm fine with morals in books, but this isn't anywhere near subtle about it, the story shoves the moral down your throat. It seems like Avi thought of the moral first, then wrote a story around it. The name is also a pun.

Second, the actual reason for the book is a problem. South Orange River requires all students to take a team sport, but Ed and the rest of his team didn't in 6th grade. School administration doesn't just forget to put students on teams if they're required and the parents would have noticed that everybody's kids except theirs are taking a sport. Conveniently only the kids that don't want to take a sport, don't take a sport. That makes it seem like they did something, but what? The administration wouldn't just say "You need to take a sport." and back down immediately if the students say no.

Third, the soccer scenes are supposed to be exciting and fun, but what ends up happening is either just one boring scene from it is described, or the whole thing is summarized, and the action is greatly reduced. The dialogue is boring, the conversation between Saltz and Ed in chapter 14 in a perfect example of that, they repeat things, and phrase things strangely, it lasts a page and a half and is just to introduce the incredibly forced chemistry between Lucy and Ed that immediately ends with the words, 'It was the end of a beautiful romance.' The only "romance" was Lucy blinking once, and Ed liking her. The newspaper interview is also a good example of a bad conversation, it was thrown in there because the author wanted an excuse to have a pep talk so he could add more corny messages and because he wanted some forced-out jokes.

Fourth, there were some strange events. One was that Ed's shoe got untied, and he normally would have waited for a lull but it doesn't seem like that is going to happen for a while. Since this is all from Ed's point of view, it would be natural to assume that he is facing the other goal. Ed tries to tie his shoe but the lace breaks, and he gets hit in the back with a soccer ball and gets thrown into the net. He was facing the other goal before he tied his shoe, therefore, he must have turned around to tie his shoe. He gets flung into the net, but there is no mention of it hurting. Another thing is that it jumps from one very short scene to another with almost no transition. it's like the author had a deadline and waited until the last second to do it. If it had been longer it could have been better because the action scenes would have more description, there could have been transitions between scenes. the scene at the beginning with Kelly had no reason to exist other than to say everyone hates being on this team before the story even starts.

Fifth, the plot is just there's a bad team, they lose some games, people try to get them to try harder and believe in themselves, and they end up embracing losing. The characters have no motive to do anything. There's no subtly about anything, everybody has one characteristic that defines them, a math person, a poetry person, a science person. There were also details in the beginning that were never brought up again, Root being a math genius? No math was involved. Saltz being a slob? Just to say that they were twelve. Names of anyone on the team besides Saltz and Ed? barely brought up after chapter 3.

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

An adorably cute book about the difference between losing and being a loser. Wonderfully addresses the pressures we feel when doing something due to others expectations instead of your own. Loved the strong main character and his relationship with his peers.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting twist on the “You can do it!” theme.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every student at South Orange Middle School has to compete in some form of extracurricular activity - it's the school rule. So, the school has created a soccer team for a group of boys who would rather be doing homework, reading or working on the computer. Obviously, the boys don't have a lot invested in their team and the coach doesn't really know much about soccer either. In fact, he chooses Ed as captain and goalie because he's the tallest. When the team goes on a losing streak, the school is up in arms because the boys don't seem to mind losing. Scandal!

Should sports really be the only activity that we promote in schools? It's a little dated now, but still good read.

[Lojine Tarek]

learn to that the win is not imprtant u have sometimes to lose to learn your mistake but this sory is diffrent they dont want to play soccer and they want to lose because they not good in soccer game but they good in deffrent activeties like art math music franch german so thet want to lose cause all of the school know they are good in diffrent activeties . and i learn that and u dont have to win all the time.

[Kaci · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to read it for reading comp and it was really boring...it was only 90 pages....I mean yeah, its meant for 8 yr olds by the plot (if it even had one) is really boring and pointless. I could seriously sum it up in a sentence. 'S.O.R.'s (South Orange River) soccer team of dorks always scores no points.' Like in the end, they don't even care that theyre major losers...waste of ink.

[Elle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Had to do read it for school, but I didn't enjoy it much.

[Cameron · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book to teach lessons on fare gameplay and sticking with something. Made me choke up a few times with the amount of support the boys get.

[Deborah Horton Core · Rating 4 out of 5]

When a rag-tag team can't seem to catch a break, they become the S.O.R. losers facing their final soccer game of the season. Can they win it? Will they manage to survive it.

[Lisa the Librarian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought the premiss of this book was the worst idea I have ever heard. The students at South Orange River middle school are forced to participate on a competitive school sports team. This is so stupid!!! There are a lot of people who just are not athletic! A whole soccer team worth of these non-athletic students are forced to compete week after week by a community that is obsessed with winning athletic competitions. Even after losing game 35-0 and worse. It almost seems to violate their Constitutional protection against cruel and unusual punishment!! This is the worst idea/rule in the history of public school!!

The main character is selected to be the team captain so he gets the brunt of the pressure to win. He is called to the principal's office, hounded by teachers and fellow students and even lectured by his father.

The only people not frantic for the team to win is the team itself.

I did like how this team of non athletes responded to the pressure.

One big complaint: the writing level is about 4th grade, but the subject content is older. The narrator is afraid his father is going to give him the "sex talk". This type of older subject matter is mentioned more than once.

[Books Kids Like · Rating 4 out of 5]

The South Orange River (S.O.R.) School holds the record for its winning teams until this year. School policy states that all students must play on one sports team each year. Ed Sitrow and his cohorts managed to avoid this rule as sixth-graders. Now during seventh grade, they are forced to play on a special soccer team. Coached by Mr. Lester, a history teacher, this team sets new records in non-scoring. They lose their first game 32-0. The boys want to quit but their parents and schoolmates insist that they persevere. Everyone, but the boys, is convinced that victory lies right around the corner. The students put up posters and hold a pep rally. The soccer team continues to lose. Before the last game the boys write S.O.R. Losers on the backs of their jerseys. Can anything good from their losing streak?
©2024 Kathy Maxwell at https://bookskidslike.com

[Erin Bomboy · Rating 4 out of 5]

While visiting my family, I found a stash of old books from my younger years. I opted to revisit S.O.R. Losers with trepidation; I've always loved Avi, but many, many things that I used to love no longer hold up.

I'm delighted to report that this is as funny and irreverent as I remember. A group of boys are conscripted into playing soccer for their middle school team. With nary an athletic bone among them, they resign themselves to spectacularly humiliating routs. The adults—teachers, parents, a hippie dippy principal—take it personally that the kids don't care about winning and employ a number of cliches from the sports genre to motivate the team. The boys, though, embrace their lackluster status, thus turning the winning-is-everything trope on its head.

A quick, witty read for adults and kids alike.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Follows a soccer team from South Orange River School. None of the members of the team like sports, but the school insists that everyone be involved in a sport. As the soccer season progresses and the team continues to lose, the school and the boys parents all become concerned and try to encourage them to try and win. The boys, naming themselves S.O.R. Losers, decide that no one should be expected to excel at everything. By losing and taking pride in the fact that they are losing, they feel that they are being true to themselves

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

South Orange River Middle School has a big sports tradition and a requirement that every student play at least one season of sports each year. Ed and about 11 of his classmates somehow slipped through 6th grade without playing any, but in 7th grade the school creates a special soccer team for them with Mr. Lester – a history – teacher as coach. So, this is a soccer story – sort of. It’s about what happens when a group of kids whose talents and interests are in art, and math, and science, and music and writing are forced to play through a whole season of soccer games.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm left wondering why my students didn't quite get the message. They got the piece about how losing isn't actually bad so long as you're having fun, but it took major prodding to help them understand that the other part, doing what your good at is okay and should be encouraged by teachers and parents that they missed. Now I get it, we all need to stretch a little sometimes, but Avi didn't really get that point across since he was working the other one so hard.

[Ragan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book a lot. It is about a group of boys who are forced to play on a soccer team and lose, and keep on losing, because really they aren't very good. This isn't a book where the underdog comes into save the game, but it is a book that says you don't always have to be a winner. And when you don't win you don't have to feel bad about it. Though this is a short book and a quick read it had a lot of personality.

[Mrs. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book because it had an interesting twist for a sports book. Here we have a group of kids who aren't interested in sports and are avoiding. They are in a school that requires each student to participate in a sport and find themselves on the same team making it the worst team of the whole school. Through every practice and competition they find themselves having fun being the worst.

[Magda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sad that nobody but the kids got this. Maybe my husband should read this, as I'd be interested to hear how this works with his ideas of organized (for kids as opposed to by kids) sports.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

The idea that these kids were forced to play soccer is kind of crazy, but I do love the kids' resistance to sports and winning.

[Britt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am in the middle of reading this book and it is okay so far!!!!!

[Catherine Mustread · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of Avi's only sports books, not as good as his historical and animal novels.

[Connie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is ehh... i guess pretty good. well, its really good on the first time, but after a while it gets really boring.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eh...not the best book in the world.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

OK book...... (but my mom loooovvveeesss it)

[Bugladynora · Rating 2 out of 5]

An okay book. I read it because a teacher was concerned about a line that a student read. I did not find the book inappropriate but I thought most of our students would not relate to it.

[Hope Grover]

Lexile: 520

[Carrie Dalby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kids loved it. Fun read aloud.

[Jjfoster · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK MS read.