IV-3 St. Bernard September 1, 2010 Mrs. Rosadelima P. Dacumos
I. Introduction * Title of the Book: Wringer * Author: Jerry Spenelli * Year of publication: 1997 * Content :
Palmer La Rue has to decide if he wants to become a "wringer". When someone turns ten years old in their community, they have to strangle ("wring") pigeons shot in the annual Family Fest Pigeon Shooting Day. One day, a certain pigeon comes into Palmer's life, which causes even more confusion. Palmer then has to decide to value both life and humanity, or be pressured into doing things he does not want to do.
II. Brief Description About The Author
Jerry Spinelli is one of the most gifted storytellers in contemporary children’s literature. His books include the Newbery Medal winner Maniac Magee;Loser; Wringer, a Newbery Honor Book; Stargirl; and Knots in My Yo-Yo String, his autobiography. 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. He is a graduate of Gettysburg College.
III. Summary
It is the story of how a ten year old boy overcomes peerpresure and becomes a hero in the eyes of many people. This boy named Palmer grew up in a neighborhood where they have a tradition every year of letting pigeons out of a crate and shooting them with shotguns in order to raise money for the city's playground. Boys at the age of ten would learn how to pick up the wounded birds that have not yet died and wring their necks to "put them out of their misery". Palmer is not one of those kids and refuses to take part in such a horrific ceremony. Pressured by his peers, Palmer convinces his friends that he is one of them so that he will be considered cool by his friends at school. Palmer then takes in a pigeon as sort of a pet