What the HEEAZY??!?!?!
I thought this was supposed to be a CHILDRENS book. Not a wannabe hyper-intellectual attempt to shove morals into my face...with a PIDGEON?! I mean....Mr. Spinelli, what in the world were you THINKING?!?!

A pigeon shoot through the eyes of a child...
In Wringer, by Jerry Spinelli, 9-year old Palmer dreads the town's tradition. When he turns 10, he'll be eligible, nay, expected, to become a "wringer." A wringer literally wrings the necks of pigeons wounded in the town's annual pigeon shoot, a long-standing tradition.

Palmer likes pigeons, however, and even adopts a wild one. How will he maintain his status with his peers if he doesn't contribute to the wringing?

There is more to this book than this, including peer-pressure, parental involvement, traditions, and harassment. But the key to this tale is the pigeon shoot.

Although this work is a piece of fiction, the town is a barely disguised Hegins, Pennsylvania, which had a large, organized pigeon shoot using "trapper boys" to wring the necks of pigeons until the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled in 1999 that participants could be cited for animal cruelty (the court used the phrase "cruel and moronic" to describe the activity). These "shoots" continue today, but in private shooting clubs. Indeed, even in 2008, these shoots are legal in Pennsylvania, and there are ongoing investigations whether pigeons in New York are being trapped and sent to Pennsylvania for these shoots.

I think this book would stimulate vigorous discussion in grades 7-12. Heck, I'm ready to chat about it!

A Wringer for Passionate Kids
As this is the second Spinelli book that I've read and reviewed, I see a theme emerging: passionate, gifted children who are not afraid to stand up for what is right. In this case, Jerry Spinelli chronicles the tale of Palmer LaRue, a young boy who is trapped in a town of people who believe and expect its residents to kill pigeons at the annual Family Fest. What further complicates Palmer's life is that he is quickly approaching age 10, the age where boys are expected to 'wring' the necks of pigeons who are not shot outright. However, Palmer doesn't want to kill pigeons. In fact, he hoards a pet pigeon, Nipper, in his room. This becomes a dangerous game, as his 'friends' discover his secret and want Nipper for their own devious pleasures.

As peer pressure is a common thread in young adult literature, Spinelli does what he does best: deliver the tough stories without the sappy, happy endings. Life lessons are ensconced between these pages, and life isn't always pretty.

Wringer
I think that Wringer, by Jerry Spinelli, is a captivating, moving and powerful book. I stayed up until midnight to finish this book. I found Spinelli's characters, situations, and dialog believable, though this book may be for more mature audiences than suggested. I think the Newbery Medal on Wringer is well earned.

A child's first complex experience with animal rights
Wringer by Jerry Spinelli
Spinelli, in his usual unique prose that captures the essence and fears of childhood, tackles the troubling subject of animal rights (in the form of a city-wide pigeon shoot and the ten-year-old boys' job to wring the necks of the downed birds), as well as the subject of growing up. Palmer, horrified at a young age by the city's tradition, lives in fear of the day when he will become a wringer. Meanwhile, he faces the pressure from his parents (his father is a prize-winning shooter), and more importantly from his peers: a gang of cruel boys that somehow include him, but with whom he constantly lives in fear of being rejected. Palmer befriends a pigeon. The plot seems very familiar and unoriginal, but it is treated with such humanity that it has a distinct life of its own. Palmer, as an animal rights aware child, is someone whom I can identify with. He faces the fears and issues of a moral dilemma that the rest of his community seems blind to. It's not so much a question of knowing right from wrong, but what to do what you can't really stand up for right, when you are vastly outnumbered by a morally-blind society. It's complex book, dealing with my complex issues, all done in a very deliciously Spinelli way. Grade: A-