Wringer

Description

Palmer LaRue is running out of birthdays. For as long as he can remember, he's dreaded the day he turns ten, the day he's supposed to become a wringer. In Palmer's hometown of Waymer, a boy's tenth birthday is the biggest event of his life. It marks the day that he is ready to take his place as a wringer at the annual family fest, Pigeon Day. It's an honour and a tradition. But even though he would rather stay nine for the rest of his life than become a wringer, Palmer can't stop himself from getting older. Then an unwanted visitor arrives on his windowsill, and Palmer knows that it is a sign. Somehow, he must find a way to break tradition. He must learn how to stop being afraid, and stand up for what he believes in.

Jerry Spinelli's novels are recognized for their humour and poignancy and his characters and situations are often drawn from his real life experiences as the father of six children. He lives with his wife, Eileen, also a writer in Phoenixville, PA, USA.

"Deeply felt. Presents a moral question with great care and sensitivity." New York Times "[A] spellbinding story about rites of passage." Starred Review/ Publishers' Weekly "As in Maniac Magree, Spinelli invests a realistic story with the intensity of a fable." Starred Review The Horn Book