WRINGER
By Jerry Spinelli
Joanna Cotler Books, 1997
Category: Middle-grade fiction
A couple years ago I forced myself to attend a Costume Ball at the New England SCBWI Conference. (I typically attend this conference alone, and schmoozing has never been my thing, so an event like this is pure torture for me!) Among the celebrities I met were Olivia (the feisty pig), Lilly (of purple plastic purse fame) and Minerva McGonagall (perhaps my favorite of Harry’s teacher). And there was this kid I didn’t recognize … he was dressed in what looked like a baseball uniform with the name Magee (or was it Maniac?) printed on the back.
I know, I know, you are all shocked. I can hear you through my computer screen: “You didn’t recognize MANIAC MAGEE? And you call yourself a fan of children’s literature?”
Trust me, I have been trying to make amends ever since. But it is hard to get a copy of MANIAC MAGEE at the library! It was out the first time I tried, so I read STARGIRL instead. (If you are an elementary or middle school student and a fan of STARGIRL, check this out.) And then I got distracted for a while (um, two years). I remembered MANIAC MAGEE this week and tried again to get it at the library. Still out! So I picked up WRINGER.
WRINGER is the story of Palmer, on the cusp of turning ten and dreading it. You see, where Palmer lives kids who turn ten become wringers. And wringers chase injured pigeons at the annual Family Fest pigeon shoot—a fundraiser that pits sharpshooting townspeople against thousands of captive pigeons—to put them out of their misery. By wringing their necks. Palmer knows he could never be a wringer. But how can he tell his Dad (a former pigeon shoot champion) or his so-called friends (wringer wannabes) or Nipper (his secret pet pigeon)? Spinelli weaves a complicated story of fitting in, standing out, giving up, and standing up. And he does it oh-so-very-well.
So, the good news is that I have now read a couple Jerry Spinelli titles (and liked them). The other good news is that if I ever see a kid with a pigeon on his head and a bruised left arm at a costume party, I will know who he is. The bad news? I still haven’t read MANIAC MAGEE!