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    Wringer
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    Wringer
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    Wringer
    Ebook185 pages2 hours

    Wringer

    By Jerry Spinelli

    3.5/5

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    Currently unavailable

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    About this ebook

    Newbery Honor Book * ALA Notable Children's Book

    "Deeply felt. Presents a moral question with great care and sensitivity." —The New York Times

    "A spellbinding story about rites of passage." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

    "A realistic story with the intensity of a fable." —The Horn Book (starred review)

    "Thought-provoking." —School Library Journal (starred review)

    In Palmer LaRue's hometown of Waymer, turning ten is the biggest event of a boy's life. But for Palmer, his tenth birthday is not something to look forward to, but something to dread. Then one day, a visitor appears on his windowsill, and Palmer knows that this, more than anything else, is a sign that his time is up. Somehow, he must learn how to stop being afraid and stand up for what he believes in.

    Wringer is a powerful tour de force from Newbery Medal winner Jerry Spinelli.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateOct 13, 2009
    ISBN9780061757525
    Author

    Jerry Spinelli

    Jerry Spinelli received the Newbery Medal for Maniac Magee and a Newbery Honor for Wringer. His other books include Stargirl; Love, Stargirl; Smiles to Go; Loser; Jake and Lily; Hokey Pokey; and The Warden’s Daughter. His novels are recognized for their humor and poignancy, and his characters and situations are often drawn from his real-life experience as a father of six children. Jerry lives with his wife, Eileen, also a writer, in Wayne, Pennsylvania.

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    Reviews for Wringer

    3.5/5

    324 ratings22 reviews

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    • 4/5
      My favorite Spinelli book.
    • 5/5
      Brilliant! One of the best children's novels ever.
    • 5/5
      This is a very powerful book for both adults and children. It is a tremendous piece of children's literature.
    • 4/5
      Palmer LaRue is supposed to become a pigeon wringer when he turns ten like every other boy in his town, but when a pigeon shows up at his bedroom window, he changes how things work in his town. Palmer is very easy for young people to associate with, as he gets picked on a lot and is unsure of his future. The setting is not determined, which makes it more applicable to the average youth. The theme is to not be afraid of being different, and you can control your future. Spinelli's style is accurate to the situation and the readers. I would include this in my collection.
    • 4/5
      The book left me hanging and left a precious moral- to always follow your dream and have faith. Spenelli is not only a writer, he's a writer with a heart, like his characters.
    • 3/5
      This troubling story about meanness, peer pressure and living up to others' expectations might be well-received by many boys. I, myself, did not like it that much. Poor pigeons!
    • 5/5
      This book tells the story of Palmer, a boy who must decide to succumb to peer pressure or stand up for what he believes in. I'm pretty sure I read this book in elementary school, but I think the ideas could also translate to high school. What high schooler hasn't felt peer pressure? There could be many discussions about peer pressure in general and what to do when it happens. I think it would be a good conversation starter, even if we weren't necessarily talking about the details of the book.
    • 3/5
      The portrayal of bullying in this story rang true for me - it reminded me of the gangs of girls that plagued my schoolyard. But there was a vague air of unreality about the story - possibly because my rose-coloured eyeballs had trouble imagining a town that would so actively support the violence of the pigeon shooting day.
    • 3/5
      Although this book is obviously created by a great author (great descriptions of situations), the plot is strange. But the way the author puts you in the same kind of situation 9 and 10 year old boys are in and explains the emotions so in depth that you feel the same, you can't help but enjoy the content even if the story is pretty unique.
    • 4/5
      I love Spinelli's keen empathy for his complex characters. Not many authors can effectively explore the inner lives of boys. Gary Paulsen and Louis Sachar do very well but in some ways Spinelli is the most sophisticated, with the most wide-ranging and consistently stellar output.
    • 3/5
      On the whole this is a good story. The characters are defined well and the story moves along quickly. There's a feeling of wanting to find out what happens next. This book is sure to be well received by students as it generates many questions and has a real sense of peril to it. As an adult, I found there to be too many instances where I was pressed to suspend my disbelief in order to keep the story moving along. One example: the utter lack of parent involvement when several of the neighborhood boys are essentially bullying a girl rings (wrings) completely false. At the end of the day, books and good stories are about entertainment and expanding our thinking; and this book did both.
    • 4/5
      This is an endearing story of a boy who learns to stand up for himself. There were moments of compassion and moments of torment, both depicted with clarity and a true understanding of childhood. I loved the characterization of both male and female characters, as well as parent and child.
    • 3/5
      This novel is about a boy who is dreading his 10th Birthday. In the town where he grew up, boys become wringers on their 10th Birthday. Wringers are boys who break the neck of wounded pigeons. These pigeons are wounded on Pigeon Day when people pay money to shoot at these birds. Palmer wanted to be different and fought with his inner feelings about acceptance or individuality. He really doesn't want to become a wringer when he saves a pigeon and it becomes his pet.I think this book is a good book to explain that it is okay to be different and to always follow what you believe in. Its nice to have friends but true friends will not make you conform. Bullies are always a problem for school-aged children so this would be perfect to read.I would start a discussion with my classroom and tell them that it is okay to do what you believe in. As long as they are not breaking the rules or get in trouble. On the brighter side, I would start another discussion to see if any of my students have ever had a pet they loved dearly.
    • 5/5
      This 1998 Newbery honor book is powerful, poignant and hauntingly beautiful. This is a remarkable story of peer and social pressure, the courage to sort through the quagmire of self doubt until the mud clears and what remains is a crystal clear reflection of self acceptance.Sensitive, animal loving nine year old Palmer LaRue passionately dreads the arrival of his tenth birthday. The rite of passage in his small town is to become a wringer -- a wringer of the necks of pigeons still alive after being shot at by the local townsmen. The annual pigeon day is a huge event and Palmer has a decision to make -- should he become a "man," or should he stand alone and say no.Wanting desperately to belong, Palmer abandons his long-term friendship of a neighborhood girl and initially finds a sense of belonging by becoming a member of the in crowd of male bullies where the rite of acceptance is a birthday brutal punch in the arm for every year. Like a medal of honor, Palmer proudly displays his horrific bruises obtained at the hands of a much larger, older boy.Soon, Palmer realizes that he is uncomfortable with both the peers who emotionally and physically harm and the townspeople who once a year maim and kill 5,000 helpless birds.Spinelli does a masterful job of weaving various emotions swirling inside Palmer, especially as Palmer discovers a pigeon on his windowsill and develops a loving relationship with the animal.Returning to his neighborhood friend, he accepts the softer side of himself and once again embraces his friend Dorothy as together they feed and love the animal at the risk of discovery by the bullies and the townspeople.Parker's mother and father are portrayed in a loving way, and his mother in particular shines like a beacon.This book was particularly powerful because of the way the author used the softness of animals and females to guide Parker in his realization that while it is hard to risk non acceptance, it is harder still to say no to what is good, pure and right.Highly recommended. Five Stars!!!
    • 3/5
      Palmer is not looking forward to his 10th birthday. In his town, when boys are 10 years old they become "wringers," the boys who wring the necks of wounded pigeons at the annual Pigeon Day shoot. He is squemish at the thought of killing a wounded pigeon in the first place, but after he rescues a stray one and keeps it as a pet, he doesn't know what to do. Should he bow to peer pressure or stand up for what he believes is right?The whole concept of this book just seemed kind of icky to me. I'm not a fan of Lord of the Flies, either. I much preferred Stargirl and its sequel, Love Stargirl.
    • 5/5
      I would classify this as realistic fiction. It is about a society that could exist, in which their sport is shooting pigeons on a festival day. I don’t know of any society like this in real life, but the concept is not completely unbelievable and the characters are relatable. Students will be able to relate to feeling lonely and being bullied and wanting to be accepted in their culture.Age Appropriateness: MiddleMedia: N/A
    • 4/5
      Rings true to life, unfortunately. Spinelli illuminates the dark realities of American culture & standard childhood issues such as bullying, peer-pressure, and being afraid to be yourself when everyone else is so WRONG and normal. I could so identify with the protagonist that it was painful. The premise seems brutal & shocking, a whole town who enjoys the annual pigeon-killing festivities that includes having 10-year-olds gleefully putting the injured birds "out of their misery" in the coveted role of "wringer". Seems as horrendous as, say, Thanksgiving, fireworks, pig roasts, rodeos, bull fights, and other seemingly innocuous cultural celebrations that to some of us who are more sensitive seem like orgies of brutality and/or immorality.

      While this was a little less uplifting and inspiring as every other Spinelli novel, there still is a glimmer of hope in the end. This is not a "feel-good" novel like Star Girl, Crash, or Maniac Magee, but an important one to be placed in the hands of the right child. Anyone who feels a bit out of place or is ultra-sensitive would be that right child and would find a hero in Palmer, but perhaps our "Beans & Muddow's" should take a read, too.
    • 4/5
      pretty good i would tell people about the book nice
    • 3/5
      Will he kill it will he not this book leaves you wishing you could help him choose
    • 3/5
      We had to read this book for a school project and as a school book, it was great. However I liked it for what it was, at some points it was slow and not much went on and the plot was a little bit boring. I still think you should read it was full of wonder too but you’ll have to read it to find out yourself.
    • 3/5
      This book is about a boy named Palmer. In his town when boys turn ten they have to become "Wringers" where they wring pigeons necks for the whole town. Palmer does not want to participate and he even is keeping a pigeon in his room. I think this book is okay. I personally had to read it in middle school. It was a decent book but I was not much of a fan. I do not think I would read this book in my middle school classroom.
    • 5/5
      Awesome book...it has many interesting details. It's scary at some points, but sometimes it's funny. I like how the boy stands up for what he believes in. I don't really think that the picture on the cover explains what the story would be about. At first, I thought it was a horror story, but it wasn't.