Module 7: "Wringer" by Jerry Spinelli

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Book Summary:

Wringer tells the story of a young boy named Palmer who hates the thought of his 10^th birthday approaching, for that is the age in his town where boys are expected to become “wringers” at the annual Pigeon Shoot.  The duty of a wringer is to wring the necks of the wounded pigeons as they fall, but Palmer is so horrified by the whole event, he wants nothing to do with it.  His three classmates enjoy teasing him about his sensitive personality and when they find out that he has been hiding away a pet pigeon in his room, they really put the pressure on him.  Palmer must make a decision as to whether he will go along with tradition and become a wringer, or stand by his convictions and face up to the peer pressure exerted on him by his bullying friends and the townspeople.

APA Reference:  

Spinelli, J. (1998). Wringer.  New York N.Y.  Harper Collins.

My Impressions:

This book was difficult for me to read because of the subject matter.  The ‘sport’ of shooting pigeons and then having young, impressionable boys wringing their necks to kill them goes beyond cruel.  But the reader can also relate to Palmer’s dilemma in this story, as peer pressure to go along with the crowd can sometimes be overwhelming.  It takes courage to stand up for what is right, and this moral drama will give young readers something to think about when it is their turn to face pressures.

Professional Review:

"As in Maniac Magee, Spinelli invests a realistic story with the intensity of a fable. Here, though, the real world is somewhat akin to Cormier's Chocolate War, as nine-year-old Palmer faces his future as a wringer-that is, one of the ten-year-old boys who strangle the pigeons wounded during the town's annual pigeon shoot. The setting here is closed and externally featureless, allowing the moral drama the full stage. Palmer does not want to kill pigeons; in fact, by fate or happenstance, he has befriended one, a bonding that must be concealed from his bullying "friends." He has an ally in Dorothy, the girl across the street; that friendship he must hide as well. A world of children subject to its own rules and unanswerable to adult authority is starkly captured here, and while this is a theme we've become accustomed to in books for young adults, its presence is still a rarity in books for the elementary-aged. Spinelli's story is honest but not without hope, not only in its conclusion — optimistic but fully earned — but in Palmer's friendship with Dorothy, in the surprising discoveries he makes about his parents, and in his love for Nipper, the pigeon he shelters and eventually saves. Actually — who saves who?

Most of the books are recommended; all of them are subject to the qualifications in the notes. [g] indicates that the book was read in galley or page proof. The publisher's price is the general retail price and does not indicate a possible discount to libraries. Age levels are only suggestions; the individual child is the real criterion. [*] indicates a book that the majority of reviewers believe to be an outstanding example of its genre, of books of this particular publishing season, or of the author's body of work."

[Review of the book Wringer, by J. Spinelli].  (1997, Sept/Oct). Horn Book Magazine,
73(5).  581.  Retrieved from http://www.hbook.com.

Library Uses:

Although this subject might be disturbing to some children, I think it would be a good book to read aloud or one to have a book discussion on when they are finished reading it individually.  The situations would definitely generate some lively discussion on the topics of animal cruelty, and peer pressure, something that every school child faces at one time or another.