Wringer

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.

“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

Jerry Spinelli is one of the most gifted storytellers in contemporary children’s literature. His books include Maniac Magee, winner of the 1991 Newbery Medal; Space Station Seventh Grade; Who put that Hair in my Toothbrush?; and Crash. His novels are recognised for their humour 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, who is also a writer, in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania.