The Losers Club

Kent is a fellow sixth-grade boy and the main antagonist of the novel. Alec sees Kent as “Kent the Handsome, Kent the Charming, Kent the Kickball Champion of the Galaxy” (80). Not only is Kent Alec’s bully, but as the novel progresses, Kent becomes Alec’s romantic rival in their competition for Nina’s attention. Alec feels lesser in the presence of Kent because Kent is athletic, talented, and confident around girls.

At the beginning of the book, Kent is introduced as Alec’s former friend. Alec, Kent, and their friend Dave used to play together all the time. However, when Alec got distracted reading at his own eighth birthday party, Kent called him a bookworm and the name stuck. Ever since, Kent has been Alec’s bully rather than Alec’s friend. Alec doesn’t dislike the bookworm term except for when Kent uses it, as Kent always means it in a derogatory way. Once it becomes clear that both Alec and Kent have affections for Nina, Kent’s bullying toward Alec grows more severe, with Kent directing kickballs toward the Losers Club table, stealing Alec’s “warrior princess” compliment for Nina, and bullying Alec’s little brother, Luke. It isn’t until Alec beats Kent in a kickball bet that Kent begins to change his ways.

Kent shows he has honorable tendencies when Alec offers to let Kent out of the bet. Alec knows Kent will not enjoy sitting with the Losers Club and reading for a week, so he tries to give Kent an out. Kent insists, “A bet is a bet” (156) and accepts his punishment. However, being with the Losers Club doesn’t remain a punishment for Kent for long. With Alec’s strategic choice of Hatchet as Kent’s first book, Kent is quickly sucked into the entire series. Though Kent returns to Active Games once his week is up, he reveals to Alec that he read all five books. Kent also reveals that his parents are getting divorced, and it was nice to read about another kid who is going through that. By the end of Chapter 33, Kent and Alec have a much kinder dynamic, and Kent reacts positively when Alec jokes that Kent is now also a bookworm.

Nina is a sixth-grade girl who is new to Alec’s school this year. She is Alec’s co-founder for the Losers Club and Alec’s romantic interest throughout the book. When Alec first approaches Nina, she is standoffish, telling him to leave her alone. She’s reading, but at the table for the Origami Club because she has nowhere else to read during Extended Day. Sensing their common interest and needing another person to sign the club application, Alec convinces Nina to join the Losers Club so she can read in peace. Through their conversations, it’s revealed that Nina and Alec have read many of the same books and have a similar enthusiasm for reading.

However, Nina also enjoys sports. Wanting to get out her energy before she sits down to read, she regularly visits the Active Games area of the gym at the beginning of Extended Day, where Kent pays her special attention and helps her with her sports skills. Kent also visits Nina’s house in the evenings sometimes to play basketball with her older brother. Kent’s closeness to Nina and her family fuels the rivalry between Kent and Alec as both boys become interested in Nina “as a girl” (55).

Despite the interest Nina shows in Kent initially, she quickly grows tired of his ways. She tells Alec, “[A]ll the girls? They’ve got Kent totally figured out, you know. But that doesn’t mean they don’t like it when he flirts around with them” (129). When Nina tries to set boundaries with Kent, he insults her athletic abilities and acts relieved to not have to spend time with her anymore. Nina acknowledges that this shouldn’t bother her, but it does, showing that Nina is a sensitive person who cares what others think of her. This ends the conflict of the love triangle with Nina, Kent, and Alec. Nina continues to be a supportive friend to Alec for the rest of the novel.