Wringer

Synopsis
"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. . . . 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." (Horn Book) "Grades four to eight." (Bull Cent Child Books)

Annotation
As Palmer comes of age, he must either accept the violence of being a wringer at his town's annual Pigeon Day or find the courage to oppose it.

From the Publisher
As Palmer comes of age, he must either accept the violence of being a wringer at his town's annual Pigeon Day or find the courage to oppose it.

From the Critics
From Marilyn Courtot - Children's Literature  
Palmer is in heaven. He has reached the age of nine and the local gang members have deigned to come to his birthday party. After the "Treatment," Palmer changes and even joins the taunting of his younger neighbor Dorothy. Through it all, Palmer worries about become a Wringer. At the age of ten, boys in the town help out at the pigeon shoot by wringing the necks of the wounded birds. To make matters worse, Palmer befriends a pigeon that becomes his pet. He must keep its presence hidden from the gang and his family. Only Dorothy shares his secret. The story moves at a fast pace and the tension never lets up. Palmer's final epiphany is a welcome relief.
 
From School Library Journal  
Gr 4-8When Palmer LaRue turns nine, he becomes one of the guys. Now a member of a popular gang, with the cool nickname of Snots, life is looking very good, except for one thing. He is now only a year away from becoming a wringer, one of the 10-year-old boys who break the necks of wounded birds in the town's annual pigeon shoot. Unlike his pals who can't wait for that privilege, Palmer dreads it. To make matters worse, a stray pigeon shows up at his window, and soon he is feeding and sheltering it in his room. His life becomes a balancing act of hanging out with the guys, who hate pigeons, and attending to his new pet, Nipper, and Palmer is required to go to great lengths to keep the two worlds apart. When he turns 10, and the pigeon shoot rolls around, the boy is forced to take a stand, and eventually has to rescue Nipper from being killed. Spinelli's characters are memorable, convincing, and both endearing and villainous; and they are involved in a plot that, from the first page, is riveting. The story is told in language simple enough for young readers, yet elegant enough for adults. There is humor, suspense, a bird with personality, and a moral dilemma familiar to everyone: how does one stand up for one's beliefs when they will be very unpopular? A wide audience will enjoy this thought-provoking book. Tim Rausch, Crescent View Middle School, Sandy, UT
 
From School Library Journal  
Palmer dreads his 10th birthday, when he will become a "wringer," trained to wring the necks of pigeons gunned down in an annual shooting contest. The thought of killing the birds sickens him, as does the bullying behavior of his three buddies. When Palmer makes a pet of a stray pigeon, he struggles to find the courage needed to confront his peers and act according to his conscience. A moral drama sure to engage young readers and promote classroom discussion. A Newbery Honor selection. Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
 
From Toni Buzzeo - AudioFile  
Johnny Heller, master of the understated narration, delivers a smooth, low-key reading of this 1998 Newbery Honor book. However, an underlying edge brings home the horror of 9-year-old Palmer Snots LaRue's dilemma. Palmer doesn't want to be a wringer. But in Waymer, 10-year-old boys yearn to arrive at that magical age that bestows the honor of wringing the necks of the pigeons wounded during the annual shoot of five thousand birds. Pacing is the key to the subtle emotional tension Heller delivers as Palmer, worrying about his approaching birthday, adopts a wild pigeon and risks detection by the gang of rough boys who have newly accepted him. Heller maintains this tension through to the final scene of salvation. T.B. cAudioFile, Portland, Maine
 
From Janice M. Del Negro - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books  
Spinelli has a knack for characterization that serves him well in this oddly frightening, creepily believable novel. . . . Though fast-moving, the plot does not skirt Palmer's inner life as it moves inexorably to its conclusion.