Wringer
By Emily Tan
Imagine being one of the very few kids in your neighborhood who wants to rebel against a town tradition. Yeah, that would be pretty hard. Even though I've never experienced this before, Jerry Spinelli can make it seem so harsh, painful, and hard to deal with. “Wringer” by Jerry Spinelli is about a boy named Palmer who was trying to fit in. He joined a group of mean guys so he could fit in and be cooler. In this gang, there are nicknames for all the people. The leader is Beans, and the others are Mutto and Henry. Palmer was renamed to Snots. His neighborhood has this thing called a Family Fest where the town’s adults shoots pigeons and all shot pigeons that were not dead yet have to be wrung by the neck by kids. The kids were wringers. Palmer didn’t like this tradition very much and as he tried to be bad like the boys in his new gang, he secretly kept a pigeon at his house. No one but Dorothy, a girl that Beans, Henry, and Mutto hated and always bullied. Finally, at the day of the Family Fest, Palmer rebelled against the tradition and showed the world that he had a pigeon named Nipper and one kid even went up to pet it and asked his father if he could own a pigeon too.
This book expresses several themes. One is more personal and one is more universal. The personal one is that it’s okay to rebel and that fitting in doesn’t mean to try to change yourself. Palmer just wanted to have a better or a more known reputation in the neighborhood so he tried to be like the most known people in the neighborhood. He changed himself completely even though what the thinks is the exact opposite of what the gang thinks. The gang says that they really are looking forward to being wringers but Palmer doesn’t want to have anything to do with it. Parmer also didn’t really like Dorothy because she was a girl but he learned that Dorothy was very similar to him and she made a much better friend than the people in the gang. At the end, he rebelled against the gang and his town and left the gang and told them the truth while showing the town who he really was and that he cared for animals.
Speaking of caring for animals, that is another theme in this book. Throughout the book, Palmer loves and doesn’t want to harm pigeons but it’s a tradition in his family AND his town. He is a different person with a different mind. He also thinks that killing harmless creates is cruel. What did the pigeons ever do to them? Even if they’re stupid, they should be the ones to take advantage over.
This book is like the book “Scat” by Carl Hiaasen. They both take about how saving animals can be hard to do. In Scat, two fearless kids (Nick and Marta) go through to trouble of being injured and hurt to save a baby panther cub. Sometimes, making other beings feel better or make their lives better can make you feel better too even if you’re injured. Nick broke his right arm trying to return the panther cub back to its mother and Palmer almost lost his reputation in the town rebelling against a very long tradition. Losing something is sometimes really worth it.
Therefore, “Wringer” by Jerry Spinelli is a great book because of the emotion he puts into it and the themes that are included. It teaches kids to care for the Earth and everything on it while also being yourself even if it means you’ll have a bad reputation. Sometimes, things are worth getting injured or getting a bad reputation.
This book expresses several themes. One is more personal and one is more universal. The personal one is that it’s okay to rebel and that fitting in doesn’t mean to try to change yourself. Palmer just wanted to have a better or a more known reputation in the neighborhood so he tried to be like the most known people in the neighborhood. He changed himself completely even though what the thinks is the exact opposite of what the gang thinks. The gang says that they really are looking forward to being wringers but Palmer doesn’t want to have anything to do with it. Parmer also didn’t really like Dorothy because she was a girl but he learned that Dorothy was very similar to him and she made a much better friend than the people in the gang. At the end, he rebelled against the gang and his town and left the gang and told them the truth while showing the town who he really was and that he cared for animals.
Speaking of caring for animals, that is another theme in this book. Throughout the book, Palmer loves and doesn’t want to harm pigeons but it’s a tradition in his family AND his town. He is a different person with a different mind. He also thinks that killing harmless creates is cruel. What did the pigeons ever do to them? Even if they’re stupid, they should be the ones to take advantage over.
This book is like the book “Scat” by Carl Hiaasen. They both take about how saving animals can be hard to do. In Scat, two fearless kids (Nick and Marta) go through to trouble of being injured and hurt to save a baby panther cub. Sometimes, making other beings feel better or make their lives better can make you feel better too even if you’re injured. Nick broke his right arm trying to return the panther cub back to its mother and Palmer almost lost his reputation in the town rebelling against a very long tradition. Losing something is sometimes really worth it.
Therefore, “Wringer” by Jerry Spinelli is a great book because of the emotion he puts into it and the themes that are included. It teaches kids to care for the Earth and everything on it while also being yourself even if it means you’ll have a bad reputation. Sometimes, things are worth getting injured or getting a bad reputation.
Wringer
By Shawnee King
The Book Wringer by Jerry Spinelli is a realistic fiction book that revolves around the life of a boy named Palmer. Palmer lives in a town where you didn’t find pigeons flying around and walking down the road. You would see clear skies and no birds to be seen. The reason for this was because of the famous/infamous pigeon shooting that occurred after every event called family fest. Since Palmer lived in a place like this, he was expected to be like all the other men and shoot pigeons or wring their necks. However, he never like to kill the pigeons because he always thought about what the pigeons ever did to them. They never did anything and yet, the people still killed them.
This book is an adventure in itself while you read as Palmer’s life continued on as a 9 year old and then later on turns 10. He learns about the pigeons that they always shoot and eventually gets a pet pigeon for himself. The book was on a realistic fiction genre but the author had a way of making the reader feel like Palmer even though the story was told through a third person perspective. The book was quite enjoyable as you could see what it was like to be a 9 year old and live in a town where shooting pigeons was a tradition and yet, that particular 9 year old hated the pigeon shooting.
Also, the story helps the reader understand the lesson of standing alone for what you believe in is better than standing with a group for something that you don’t like. Palmer didn’t like the Pigeon shooting so he stood by himself and a friend to not go to fight against the pigeon shooting and stand alone in order to fight and stand for what he believed. Palmer makes a difference when he does this when on the last page, a little boy asks his dad if he could have a pigeon too, which shows the reader what the power of standing alone can do for you.
Overall, the book revolved around a topic that you don’t hear about every day so this made the book unique. I had a main character that dealt with fighting against society as well as fighting against his peers when they do things that he doesn’t like to do. Though this book is strange and unique in the same way, it still teaches the same lesson. Standing alone for something that you believe in will always be better than standing for something that you hate. Palmer stood against the pigeon shooting and he never stood for what he hated. Though the book had a strange twist in it, it will always leave that lesson in your heart.
This book is an adventure in itself while you read as Palmer’s life continued on as a 9 year old and then later on turns 10. He learns about the pigeons that they always shoot and eventually gets a pet pigeon for himself. The book was on a realistic fiction genre but the author had a way of making the reader feel like Palmer even though the story was told through a third person perspective. The book was quite enjoyable as you could see what it was like to be a 9 year old and live in a town where shooting pigeons was a tradition and yet, that particular 9 year old hated the pigeon shooting.
Also, the story helps the reader understand the lesson of standing alone for what you believe in is better than standing with a group for something that you don’t like. Palmer didn’t like the Pigeon shooting so he stood by himself and a friend to not go to fight against the pigeon shooting and stand alone in order to fight and stand for what he believed. Palmer makes a difference when he does this when on the last page, a little boy asks his dad if he could have a pigeon too, which shows the reader what the power of standing alone can do for you.
Overall, the book revolved around a topic that you don’t hear about every day so this made the book unique. I had a main character that dealt with fighting against society as well as fighting against his peers when they do things that he doesn’t like to do. Though this book is strange and unique in the same way, it still teaches the same lesson. Standing alone for something that you believe in will always be better than standing for something that you hate. Palmer stood against the pigeon shooting and he never stood for what he hated. Though the book had a strange twist in it, it will always leave that lesson in your heart.
Wringer
By Hansen Torres
In the book, Wringer by Jerry Spinelli, its about a boy named Palmer LaRue who wants to save pigeons because there is a yearly pigeon shoot where they kill tons of pigeons and kids wring them if the pigeons survive a shot. When they are wrung, the wringer takes the pigeon and twists the pigeon’s neck until they hear a crack. Palmer, wants to help the pigeons and he himself has his own pigeon. His pigeon is named Nipper (which he accidently got). He is taking care of it with his friend, Dorothy. He doesn’t tell his other friends because if they find out that he has a pigeon, it will surely die because his other friends, Mutto, Beans, and Henry love wringing pigeons. Even if he tells parents, same outcome. Pigeons are the birds that are the least annoying and yet they still kill them for the fun of it.
The author Jerry Spinelli, is a winner of the Newbery Medal award for the book,
Maniac Magee. He also made another Newbery Medal for this book, Wringer. This book is a book that states an animal issue. The issue is the death of birds as said in the last paragraph. I think that the book is a good book and can be used to teach others and educate people about a problem and can influence them to care if they don’t know or care. You can make them feel sympathy for animals and make them try and help animals by going to sanctuaries and such. I think that you should get this book because it is a great book, it teaches a lesson and inspires people to help our world.
If you have read the 1st paragraph you know what the book is about but you might ask, what kind of ending? Well, I won’t tell you what happens but it’s surprising. If you really want to get this book then go and get it. You will definitely get deep in the book and will love it. That’s what happened to me. In the book, Dorothy is bullied and that counts as suspense because you want to know what she does. Overall, the book is about pigeons in danger and a kid sticking for the problem. If you’re interested in birds and their populations and dangers then this might be the perfect book for you.
So, if you want to learn all about a pigeon problem or maybe do some “research” on it then you should get this book. If you’re interested in going on an adventure and going facing problems and even having a secret pet pigeon and working with a person you never thought you’d work with then run to the library or Barnes and Nobles and get the book!
The author Jerry Spinelli, is a winner of the Newbery Medal award for the book,
Maniac Magee. He also made another Newbery Medal for this book, Wringer. This book is a book that states an animal issue. The issue is the death of birds as said in the last paragraph. I think that the book is a good book and can be used to teach others and educate people about a problem and can influence them to care if they don’t know or care. You can make them feel sympathy for animals and make them try and help animals by going to sanctuaries and such. I think that you should get this book because it is a great book, it teaches a lesson and inspires people to help our world.
If you have read the 1st paragraph you know what the book is about but you might ask, what kind of ending? Well, I won’t tell you what happens but it’s surprising. If you really want to get this book then go and get it. You will definitely get deep in the book and will love it. That’s what happened to me. In the book, Dorothy is bullied and that counts as suspense because you want to know what she does. Overall, the book is about pigeons in danger and a kid sticking for the problem. If you’re interested in birds and their populations and dangers then this might be the perfect book for you.
So, if you want to learn all about a pigeon problem or maybe do some “research” on it then you should get this book. If you’re interested in going on an adventure and going facing problems and even having a secret pet pigeon and working with a person you never thought you’d work with then run to the library or Barnes and Nobles and get the book!