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Overview
"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.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780060592820 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | HarperCollins |
| Publication date: | 09/07/2004 |
| Edition description: | With Reader's Guide |
| Pages: | 256 |
| Product dimensions: | 4.19(w) x 6.75(h) x 0.64(d) |
| Lexile: | 690L (what's this?) |
| Age Range: | 8 - 12 Years |
About the Author
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.
Read an Excerpt
Chapter One
He did not want to be a wringer.
This was one of the first things he had learned about himself. He could not have said exactly when he learned it, but it was very early. And more than early, it was deep inside. In the stomach, like hunger.
But different from hunger, different and worse. Because it was always there. Hunger came only sometimes, such as just before dinner or on long rides in the car. Then, quickly, it was gone the moment it was fed. But this thing, there was no way to feed it. Well, one way perhaps, but that was unthinkable. So it was never gone.
In fact, gone was something it could not be, for he could not escape it any more than he could escape himself. The best he could do was forget it. Sometimes he did so, for minutes, hours, maybe even for a day or two.
But this thing did not like to be forgotten. Like air escaping a punctured tire, it would spread out from his stomach and be everywhere. Inside and outside, up and down, day and night, just beyond the foot of his bed, in his sock drawer, on the porch steps, at the edges of the lips of other boys, in the sudden flutter from a bush that he had come too close to. Everywhere.
Just to remind him.
This thing, this not wanting to be a wringer, did it ever knock him from his bike? Untie his sneaker lace? Call him a name? Stand up and fight?
No. It did nothing. It was simply, merely there, a whisper of featherwings, reminding him of the moment he dreaded above all others, the moment when the not wanting to be a wringer would turn to becoming one.
In his dreams the moment had already come. In his dreams he looks down to find hishands around the neck of the pigeon. It feels silky. The pigeon's eye is like a polished shirt button. The pigeon's eye is orange with a smaller black button in the center. It looks up at him. It does not blink. It seems as if the bird is about to speak, but it does not. Only the voices speak: "Wring it! Wring it! Wring it!"
He cannot. He cannot wring it, nor can he let go. He wants to let go, desperately, but his fingers are stone. And the voices chant: "Wring it! Wring it!" and the orange eye stares.
Sometimes he wished it would come after him, chase him, this thing he did not want to be. Then at least he could run from it, he could hide. But the thing never moved. It merely waited. Waited for him to come to it.
And he would. He would come to it as surely as nine follows eight and ten follows nine. He would come to it without having to pedal or run or walk or even move a muscle. He would fall smack into the lap of it without doing anything but breathe. In the end he would get there simply by growing one day older.
Reading Group Guide
Wringer
By Jerry Spinelli
About the Author
Jerry Spinelli is the author of the 1991 Newbery Medal-winning book Maniac Magee. His novels are regularly praised for their humor, poignancy, and realistic characters -- many of whom are drawn from his real-life experience as a father of six children. Jerry lives with his wife, Eileen, who is also a writer, in West Chester, Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of Gettysburg College.
About the BookNot all birthdays are welcome. In Palmer's home town of Waymer, a boy's tenth birthday is more than just another birthday -- it is considered to be the biggest and most honorable day of his life. When a boy turns ten he has finally earned his place as a wringer at the town's annual Pigeon Day. On this day 5,000 pigeons are released into the sky only to be shot down by the town's men. It is the job of wringers to retrieve dead birds from the field and to wring the wounded birds' necks.
Although all proceeds from Pigeon Day go to pay for the town's park maintenance and he is assured that wringers "humanely" put the dying pigeons to death, Palmer cannot shake the dreadful feeling that he does not want to be a wringer. Unfortunately, '"this not wanting to be a wringer" conflicts directly with eh expectations of his clique of friends -- for them, being a wringer is the highest honor, an honor only a wimp would refuse. Not to be a wringer would mean going against his friends, his family, and the town and risking ostracism.
Palmer's life becomes further complicated when he befriends Nipper, a pigeon who likes to roost in his closet and sit atop his head. Now Palmer hasa very important reason to strike out against his friends and the town's traditional Pigeon Day. In this gripping and thought-provoking novel, Spinelli tells of one boy's courage to overcome peer pressure and unquestioned tradition -- to stand up for what he believes.
Questions for Discussion
- "This thing, this not wanting to be a wringer, did it ever knock him from his bike? Untie his sneaker lace? Call him a name? Stand up and fight?" (page 4). Although there is no physical reason why Palmer should refuse to become a wringer, and even though most ten-year-olds in his town consider it an honor, he abhors this tradition. Identify and discuss the reasons why Palmer does not want to be a wringer.
- Jerry Spinelli uses powerful descriptive images to evoke the scenes of Pigeon Day, everything from the bright red barbecue sauce on a spectator's lips to the smell of gunsmoke. What does this recurring image of gunsmoke tell us about Palmer's anxiety? What are some other memorable images in the novel and what do they signify?
- Do you believe Palmer's father when he tells Palmer "you can thank a pigeon for the swings at the playground" (page 57). Is Pigeon Day and the shooting of 5,000 birds a justified event simply because the proceeds go to pay for the park's maintenance? Can you name any other events where animals are injured or killed for sport and entertainment? Do you feel these events are justified?
- Consider Palmer's relationship with Beans, Mutto, and Henry. How does his relationship with them change over the course of the novel? In what ways is Henry different from the rest of the gang? Why does Palmer fear becoming more like Henry?
- Dorothy claims that Palmer is a hero in his attempt to save Nipper from the guys and Panther the cat. Discuss the term heroism. What qualities make a hero? Do you feel Palmer is a hero? Palmer's father? Dorothy?
- Why does Palmer feel compelled to ignore Dorothy or tease her in public when privately he holds much respect for her? Can you find any similarities between Palmer's friendship with Dorothy and his friendship with Nipper?
- Describe how Palmer must feel when he discovers that his father was a champion pigeon sharpshooter. Does this discovery present a new pressure on him to become a wringer?
- Palmer eventually defies the gang by shouting: "No nothing! No Treatment! No wringer! No Snots! My name is Palmer!" (p. 179). By refusing to take the abusive Treatment, refusing to be a wringer, and finally, by reclaiming his own name -- the name the guys used to pick on -- what has Palmer proved? How has he broken away from the group?
- Compare the different ways in which Palmer and Beans treat animals. Do you think that Beans respects animals? How about Palmer?
- Why does Palmer risk his reputation to befriend and care for Nipper? Discuss this question in the context of the following passage: "He thought of the pigeon flying over the snow-covered land, and he felt bad … He thought about somebody else feeding the pigeon, and he felt jealous. Then he felt nervous, realizing he was thinking of it as his pigeon, and what a dangerous thought that could be around here" (page 79).
- How does violence play a role in this story? Can you explain why anyone who receives Farquar's abusive and infamous 'Treatment" garners so much respect from the community and why the shooting of pigeons marks a time for celebration? What do you feel Spinelli is trying to show his readers about the nature of violence in society?