Title: Wringer (Jerry Spinelli)
Quick summary: This book is about a young boy, Palmer, who tries being like the other boys in his town, a
wringer. He has always feared turning 10 because unlike everyone his age, he does not want to be a wringer.
Palmer does what he can to fit in and becomes a person he does not know. He gains the courage he needs to
stand up for what he knows is right and what makes him the happiest.
Possible Reading Assignments: (8 days) 1:
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Summary
Opening
News
Article
Ch. 1
Pgs. 3-5
Ch. 2
Pgs. 6-10
Ch. 3
Pgs. 11-14
Ch.4
Pgs. 15-18
Pigeon Day is coming. Shooters from all around
come to compete and gain a coveted trophy.
Pigeons in boxes are let loose and shot. The
pigeons are picked up by Wringer boys, who
break the necks of the wounded ones, and sell
the pigeons for fertilizer. Last year 4,000 people
came to the event.
He does not want to be a wringer, but this is not
something that he can get away from. It‟s not a
bully or something he can run from, he has no
choice. Eventually the dreadful day will come
when he is a wringer.
Bean, Mutto, and Henry come over to Palmer‟s to
celebrate his birthday. He was very nervous that
they would not come. Palmer‟s mother doesn‟t like
Beans, she says-and is right-that he has a mean
streak. Bean is the leader/boss of the kids on
the street. The presents contained: a rotting
apple core, old sock, and a cigar butt. His mom
gave him a soccer ball, book, sneakers and a
monopoly game. Palmer got his nickname: Snots
and wonders if later that day he will get The
Treatment. Beans blows out Palmer‟s birthday
candles but he doesn‟t care because he is now
part of their group.
During the mini party, Bean went to the bathroom
three times. On his fourth trip Palmer‟s mother
grabbed his arm and announced that the party
was over. The boys went outside and kicked the
soccer ball around for a while. They started
calling for fishface; when she didn‟t come out
they decided to leave her a little present.
Fishface is the name that Beans gave to Dorothy
Gruzik. They placed mud and sticks on her
doorstep and ran off. Palmer was filled with
excitement because it was his first run with the
boys.
The boys want to go to the park. Palmer hates
the park—especially the soccer field, in 4 weeks
it would become a place of horror. They boys are
acting out the shooting contest. Henry is the
7:
8:
Difficult Vocabulary
3: wringer
9: wick
Purpose for
reading/Comp. Strategy
Connection: Have you
ever had something in
your life that you
absolutely dreaded, but
no matter what, knew it
was coming?
Why does Palmer like the
boys so much if they are
rude and bullies?
What is The Treatment?
How does Palmer feel now
that he has a nickname?
13: harassed
How do you think Palmer‟s
mother feels about his
new friends?
Is he going to stay
friends with these boys
and become like them?
16: rollicking
17: meekest
Why doesn‟t Palmer like
the soccer field?
Ch. 5
Pgs. 19-25
Ch. 6
Pgs. 26-32
Ch. 7
Pgs. 33-37
Ch. 8
Pgs.
Ch. 9
Pgs.
Ch.10
Pgs.
pigeon, the other boys shooters and wringers.
Palmer does not participate.
At the sliding board, Palmer brakes all the
playground rules from his mother. Farquar is on
the monkey bars, starring at the kids. He is a
legendary wringer and the most feared kid in
town. Palmer realized he was about to receive
The Treatment. Some kids didn‟t get The
Treatment on their birthdays; others would hide
for a month to avoid Farquar. There was also
honor and respect given to the boys who get The
Treatment. Farquar made a mark on Palmer‟s
arm; he bunched up his fist and sticks out his
middle knuckle. Palmer gets hit nine times,
immense pain shoots through his body.
Palmer‟s mother wonders what the bruise on his
arm is from. His father explains The Treatment,
and says that he even received it a few times
when he was young. Palmer received 27 toy
soldiers from his dad. They have been handed
down from his great-grandfather through the
generations. While brushing his teeth, he
started sobbing and fell asleep crying.
Palmer became famous; kids would come from all
around town to see his arm. When the bruise
started to disappear he was sad. Dorothy is the
only one who ignores Palmer, and it bugged him.
She was hurt that she wasn‟t invited to his party.
He tried to talk to her but she continued to play
hopscotch as if he wasn‟t there. Next time the
boys came by to taunt her, he did not feel as bad.
Family Fest runs from Monday through Saturday.
There are games and a lot of fun until the
shooting pigeons on the last day. When Palmer
was four was the first time he had seen a
wringer kill a pigeon at the festival. He has never
forgotten that day. Palmer came to the
conclusion that all pigeons were in misery, even
before they are shot. His father was a wringer
and he will be one when he is ten.
When Palmer was five he attended his second
pigeon day with Dorothy. He explained to
Dorothy how the contest goes and what the
wringers do. She ran away.
The next year Dorothy and Palmer played on the
playground. Arthur, who will later go by Beans,
made fun of them for not wanting to watch.
Arthur would run on the field and try to wring
the pigeons, but was chased off by real wringers.
One pigeon fell away from the field and Arthur
wrung its neck. Mutto‟s real name is Billy and
Henry was a new kid in town. At weird times
Palmer would smell the gun smoke from Pigeon
How do you think Farquar
chooses who gets The
Treatment on their
birthday?
27: hoodlums
30: wonderment
Connection: Is there
anything of your parents
that you will someday
receive and then someday
give to a child of yours?
36: befuddled
What is lurking and
“chasing” Palmer?
39: bewildered
Why does Palmer feel
differently about the
shooting contest than
other people? How do you
think his father felt
when he was a wringer?
How did Palmer feel
about pigeons the first
time he saw them, other
than in the competitions?
Ch. 11
Pgs.
Ch. 12
Pgs.59-64
Ch. 13
Pgs. 67-70
Ch. 14
Pgs. 71-75
Ch. 15
Pgs. 76-81
Ch. 16
Pgs. 82-87
Day. When Palmer was eight his family went on
vacation and Palmer saw pigeons up close for the
first time. His father has a golden pigeon in
their living room. The inscription says
„Sharpshooter Award 1989‟.
Palmer usually loves Family Fest, but this year he
could not enjoy it. Palmer‟s father explains to him
about Pigeon Day. Only people who pay are
allowed to shoot the pigeons and the money goes
to make the park better. It‟s Friday. The boys
decided to meet the next day at the park by the
WWI canyon at six. That night Palmer decided
that he would pretend sick so he didn‟t have to
go.
In a dream millions of pigeons picked up Palmer‟s
town and flew away with it. When Palmer woke
up Beans and Mutto were in his bed. They all
climbed out the window and ran down the
alleyways. Palmer had never been out so late or
with out a parent before. He was a very obedient
child, but he felt honor being with the boys
breaking rules. They brought him to where all
the pigeons are kept. They were ripping open a
crate. Palmer turned and ran all the way home.
The next day he faked sick and stayed in bed.
For Christmas Palmer got a new sled but it didn‟t
snow for the rest of the year. His father said
they should trick the weather so they packed the
sled away. By 7:00 it was snowing. The next day,
the last day of winter vacation, was a huge
blizzard. School was canceled for the next day.
All the kids went to Valentine Hill to sled.
Before school he awoke to a tapping at his
window. It was a pigeon.
Palmer got ready for school extra quickly to get
out of his house; he was ten minutes early to
meet his friends. Dorothy was walking behind
them to school. They attacked her with
snowballs. Palmer decided he couldn‟t be friends
with her and the boys at the same time. After
school they went sledding again at Valentine‟s
Hill. At night he looked out the window for the
pigeon. There were only tracks but no bird.
The next morning the pigeon was back. Palmer
brought a handful of cereal upstairs to feed the
pigeon. After school he ran home, but there was
no pigeon. He was jealous of the thought of
someone else feeding his pigeon. At sun down,
the pigeon was back. Palmer couldn‟t find any
food in his room and was afraid he would fly away
so he opened the window.
The bird walked in Palmer‟s room. It moved
around checking things out. His mother came in
What do people do at
Family Fest besides
shoot pigeons?
Prediction: Will Palmer‟s
plan work?
61: skirting
In what ways has Palmer
changed since his
birthday?
What will the boys think
since he didn‟t attend
pigeon day?
69: quadruple,
weary, ladled
What will Palmer do to
the pigeon? Why is it
there?
71: lobbed
73: ambush, barrage
Will the bird be back in
the morning?
76: groggies, hem
80: spewing
What do you know about
birds and animals? If
they are fed, are they
more likely to return?
What would Beans,
Mutto, and Henry do if
they find his bird?
82: pudgy
Connection to Character:
Have you ever felt the
Ch. 17
Pgs. 88-93
Ch. 18
Pgs. 94-97
Ch. 19
Pgs. 96-98
Ch. 20
Pgs.99-104
Ch. 21
Pgs.105-108
Ch. 22
Pgs. 109-116
but Palmer quickly asked about dinner and
together they walked out of the room. When he
came back after dinner the bird was asleep in the
closet. Palmer went about his normal activities
only much quieter. When his mother came in to
say goodnight, he asked her to start knocking
before she entered. For the first time he wasn‟t
the only sleeper in his room. He didn‟t turn on the
night light.
Palmer woke up to the pigeon nibbling his earlobe.
He stole a pigeon book from the library to learn
more about his new pet. He tried to find out why
people shoot pigeons, but couldn‟t understand.
He named the bird Nipper because it nips at
everything. He and Nipper now have a routine
they do everyday. The hardest part is to act
normal.
It was hard to act normal, especially because of
the golden pigeon that sat on their mantel.
Palmer told his mother that he would change his
own sheets, clean his room, and empty his waste
basket. In reality: he was acting anything but
normal.
Palmer is worried about his friends accidentally
coming upon his secret. Palmer uses any excuse
he can come up with to keep the boys out of his
house. If he couldn‟t think of an excuse he would
use Dorothy to move the attention. One day when
there was no snow and nothing to do to Dorothy
Palmer suggested they go to Bean‟s.
Despite what Palmer had pictured, Beans lives in
a normal house. In the freezer, Beans pulled out
a “He-man” box. The box contained a frozen
muskrat that his cat, Panther, had brought in one
day. Henry tells Palmer that Panther is the
meanest cat in town. You can‟t pet it and it is
always biting off the heads of birds and mice and
bringing the carcass to Beans. Beans de-thawed
the muskrat in the microwave, nailed it to
Dorothy‟s door and rang the doorbell. Mrs.
Gruzik opened the door. She screamed and shut
the door. The boys were cracking up, when they
looked at the sky and saw a pigeon.
Beans ran after the pigeon but it got away.
Mutto pointed out that they pigeon was flying
over Palmer‟s house. Palmer denied every seeing
a pigeon. After that day, he became more
attached to his pigeon. Palmer was waiting for a
consequence from the muskrat experience.
When that day did come, it was not what he
expected.
Treestumping caught on at school. Girls and
boys, except for Dorothy, were doing it to each
warm giggley, I‟ve got a
secret feeling like
Palmer?
89: coaxed,
aquainted
Connection: Have you
ever been excited about
a pet that you wanted to
learn all about them?
Why didn‟t Palmer just
check out the library
book?
94: stupendous
95: maturity
What excuse does Palmer
give his mother for the
new „independence‟ that
he asks for? Does his
mom fall for his excuse?
96: scenarios,
trespass
97: infested, divert
What does Palmer do to
keep his friends out of
his house? Can you think
of a better way to keep
his secret hidden?
What is treestumping?
99: lean-to,
primitive
102: Technicolor,
ambling
Prediction: What will the
boys do to the pigeon?
Will Palmer stop them,
revealing his secret, or
let the pigeon die so they
never know?
108: reluctant
Foreshadowing: At the
end of the chapter the
author leads into
something happening.
What do you think it is?
110: herkyjerking
111: smoldered,
Why is Dorothy most
hurt by Palmer when
Ch. 23
Pgs.119-122
Ch. 24
Pgs.123-131
Ch. 25
Pgs.132-135
Ch. 26
Pgs.136-144
other. Beans did not like the fact that they
received no recognition from Dorothy. They
treestumped her all the way home from school
one day and she still did nothing. Everyday Beans
would try to bug her more. He stole her hat,
dumped beans on her shoe, flailed his arms;
nothing worked. Nothing happened until one day
Beans was standing right in front of her. Finally
she moved, walked up to Palmer and asked, “Why
are you doing this to me?” She was crying, and
he realized that after all this time she was
hurting, and it was him who had hurt her most.
The next day Nipper didn‟t return. Palmer was
very worried and didn‟t leave his room. When he
woke up the next morning, Nipper was tapping at
his window sill. When Nipper flew away that
afternoon Palmer could no longer keep it inside.
He ran to Dorothy‟s house; as soon as she opened
the door he announced that he had a pigeon.
It is Bean‟s tenth birthday. After singing, having
cake, and opening presents, he sets out looking
for Farquar to receive The Treatment. When he
can‟t find Farquar, Beans becomes frantic. After
The Treatment was given Beans showed no sign
of pain. He finally felt 10 and was proud to be a
wringer. Palmer realized that in three months he
would be a wringer as well.
Ever since Palmer told Dorothy about Nipper she
has started coming over more often. She stays
away at school and when the boys are around
though, and they have grown tired of tormenting
her. Palmer relates his feelings for Dorothy as
floating—he knew he could let go and she would
hold him up. Palmer told Dorothy everything, how
he doesn‟t want to be a wringer, she doesn‟t look
like a fish, sorry for treestumping her…While he
was going on and on about how he did not want to
be a wringer, Dorothy pulled him in close and
kissed his nose. They went back to playing.
On a beautiful spring day, the boys are walking
away from the school trying to decide what they
should do. Palmer feels a familiar pair of feet on
his head. Nipper. The boys accuse Palmer of
being the owner of the pigeon. He tries to
convince them that he hates pigeons and will be
the best wringer ever.
intercepted
113: silhouette
Palmer tells Dorothy about the boys and is very
worried that Nipper will find him again in front
of them. He puts on many layers, trying to
disguise himself from the bird. Palmer wishes
that school would last forever, he even asked the
teacher to keep him after school. He told the
teacher he spit on the floor but she wasn‟t going
136: agitated
140: conscience
141: lunger
Beans does most of the
mean things to her?
Character Analysis: Why
do you think Dorothy hid
her emotions for so long?
What does that tell us
about her character?
Palmer could no longer
keep his secret. Why do
you think he decided to
tell Dorothy? What will
she do with the
information?
119: raucous
120: condemn
The next part of the
book is called
Featherfall. What do you
think the meaning is?
Why does Beans want to
receive The Treatment
so bad?
What does Palmer mean
when he says that
Dorothy makes him feel
like he is floating?
What does Palmer mean
when he says, “For much of
his life he has been standing
at the edge of a black,
bottomless hole” ?
Will the boys believe Palmer
about hating pigeons and
wanting to be a wringer?
Will the bird land on
Palmer again with the
boys around?
Mutto has a slingshot
today, what would Palmer
do if he was about to
shoot Nipper?
Ch. 27
Pgs.145-150
Ch. 28
Pgs.151-158
Ch. 29
Pgs.159-163
Ch. 30
Pgs.164-167
Ch. 31
Pgs.168-173
to make him stay after because he cleaned it up.
Palmer spit right there on the floor, he had to
stay after school and write I will never never
never spit on the floor 100 times. When his
teacher walked out of the room he would erase
what he did. The boys were waiting outside for
him when Palmer was done. He had figured out a
way to divert the attention from Nipper.
Palmer still had a month until summer vacation.
He realized that by getting into trouble he could
avoid being seen by Nipper, and grew more
popular with the boys. The last thing he did was
tickle his teacher, he had to stay after school
for the whole last week. Palmer had become very
popular around the school. He wished that he
could be invisible. On the last day of school he
didn‟t have detention so he wore his elephant,
Halloween mask home. Finally school was over,
but soon he would become a wringer.
The boys came to get Palmer for “wringer
school.” There was a wringmaster at the park
and many other boys. He went over the rules of
the game. After the shooter has finished his five
shots three boys run out. One grabs the box to
put the pigeons in, and the others pick up the
pigeons. The wringmaster then brings out a stunt
pigeon. He showed them how to wring a pigeon,
and they all had to practice before going home.
Palmer is talking with Dorothy about how he
doesn‟t want to be a wringer and she says to tell
everybody, or she will do it for him. Dorothy asks
if she is invited to his party this year. He has
two separate lives, and is unsure what to do but
Palmer‟s mother tells him he must invite Dorothy.
She also asks if someone is missing a yellow cat
(panther) because she has seen one roaming
around and today it was in their house.
Even though she was invited, Dorothy did not
come to his party. When the boys found out that
Palmer‟s father was a sharp shooter they were
very excited. Beans asked him if he hated
pigeons, he replied, “No, never had.” When talking
about being wringers, Palmer‟s father also said
that Palmer can decide if he wants to or not.
Farquar was not around so Palmer did not receive
The Treatment. His birthday was not a happy
one because he was now old enough to be a
wringer. At night when he goes downstairs for
leftover cake he sees the word, TONIGHT,
fingered into the frosting.
Palmer thinks that Henry is the one who wrote on
the cake. He has a meek, not mean, streak.
147: morsels
How did Palmer solve his
problem? How would you
have solved it?
152: leering
156: humanely
How does Pigeon Day help
the community? What do
they do with all the
birds?
160: bolted, fuming,
impish
Word Choice: Instead of
the author telling us that
Palmer is mad he uses the
words fuming and
describes Palmer. Pg. 160
Foreshadowing: Palmer
says he feels as if he has
just peeked into the
future. What is the
author trying to hint?
Character: What do you
think about Palmer‟s
father, Mr. LaRue? How
does he feel about the
contest?
164: hoodlum
166: devastated
What does the cake mean
and who did it?
170: foiled
171: trance
What did the boys find?
Ch. 32
Pgs.174-179
Ch. 33
Pgs.180-183
Ch. 34
Pgs.184-188
Ch. 35
Pgs.189-195
Ch. 36
Pgs.196-198
Maybe Henry is warning him that the guys were
going to sneak in his room, they still hadn‟t
gotten over their suspicions. After his parents
went to bed, Palmer hid downstairs with Nipper
waiting and listening for the boys. Finally he
heard two yips outside and knew the boys had
come.
Early in the morning the boys came over, with a
nerf ball from Palmer‟s room that has Nipper
written on it. They accused him of having a
pigeon, but Palmer denies it. The boys and Palmer
went to find Farquar to give Palmer the
treatment. Right before it happened Palmer said,
“”No…no treatment, no wringer, no snots,” and
started to run.
Palmer hid behind a dumpster that was five and a
half blocks from his house. How would he get
home? A worker from the store that the
dumpster belonged to brought Palmer out a
Sprite. He had decided to wait until dark to go
home, until he thought about Nipper and what
the boys would do if they found him. Palmer ran
home and found Panther on his bed. He swatted
him away and let Nipper in.
Palmer tells Dorothy that he has to get rid of
Palmer by the next day. The boys will continue to
come after him until he is gone. Dorothy and
Palmer tell their parents they are going on a
picnic, pack their bikes with food and Nipper in a
shoe box and ride out of town. They rode as far
as they could and dropped Nipper off in a forest.
Quickly they rode back. When they arrived,
Nipper was waiting at the window sill.
Palmer was pacing the room trying to decide what
to do when they noticed that Nipper would pace
with him and stop when he stopped. His mother
came in and confessed to Palmer that her and his
father know he has a pigeon. She held him and he
let out all the tears he had been holding in. Last
year his father didn‟t even watch the Pigeon Day
competition—Palmer‟s mother said he is changing.
Palmer tells his mom everything that has been
happening over the past year. Dorothy‟s family is
going to the seashore on vacation; her parents
agree to take the bird and release it there.
At night, Palmer could hear the boys trying to
get into his room. They would treestump him in
the street. It was as if he was never one of the
guys. He didn‟t consider Henry one of the boys
either. Palmer wanted to show Henry his room
and prove that he had gotten rid of the pigeon.
Henry was allowed into Palmer‟s room to inspect
Character Analysis: Was
Henry really warning
Palmer? What does that
tell us about his
character?
177: airshaft
180: reeling
Compare Henry and
Palmer. How does Palmer
say they are alike?
What did Palmer realize
during this chapter that
made him stand up for
himself?
Did the events in the
chapter surprise you.
Foreshadowing: The
chapter ends by saying
that Palmer knew the
pigeon must go. What do
you think he will do?
184: implored
188: dense, wearily
Make up a plan for Palmer
and Dorothy to get rid of
Nipper.
190: conscious
191: lax
Character Analysis:
Palmer‟s father…Over the
years in his life, how has
he changed?
Will Nipper find his way
back? Give evidence to
support your prediction.
197: brazenly
Henry is a very tall boy,
but Palmer said he is
actually quite
small…What does he
mean by this?
Have you ever met
someone who didn‟t act
for a pigeon. He thanked Henry for the warning
on the cake and asked for his real name. It is
George. When Henry went to leave, Palmer called
after him, asking him to quit but Henry was gone.
Ch. 37
The boys stopped going out of their way to
Pgs.199-203 harass Palmer. Dorothy and Palmer avoided each
other as well. His father taught him the proper
way to set up his soldiers. When playing they
would all be against the eraser. The eraser would
sneak past all the troops only to be machine
gunned down in the end. One day, Palmer buried
all the soldiers. At a baseball game Palmer‟s
father caught a foul ball. On the way home, as
Palmer held it, he imagined he felt a heart beat.
Ch. 38
Family Fest is coming up. Palmer realized that he
Pgs.204gave up Nipper for himself, and it was a high
207
price he had to pay for the peace. He attended
Family Fest with his parents and stayed close by
them. That Friday night the shooting gallery was
full, and the golden pigeon on the mantel was
gone.
Ch. 39
Pigeon Day…Palmer walked to the park and
Pgs.208-217 watched the scene. Palmer describes the
shooting more like the pigeons were tripped.
They barely started flight before being shot. He
noticed Beans, Mutto, and Henry as wringers. It
was their turn about every fifteen minutes. He
also noticed that they didn‟t rotate job—Henry
always held the box. Dorothy joined him, every
time there was a shot, she flinched. One time
Beans came up to them and wrung the pigeon in
their faces. She tells Palmer that they let
Nipper off in a railroad yard. He becomes very
angry. Dorothy runs away.
Ch. 40
Palmer goes to the crates to look for Nipper. He
Pgs.218-228 was forced back into the crowd and stays for the
entire day. Almost every pigeon looks just like
Nipper, he witnesses his death a thousand times.
One bird was missed but kept circling the field,
it was Nipper. Palmer ran onto the field. Nipper
landed on his head and Beans grabbed it and told
the shooter to kill it. The pigeon was wounded
but not killed. Palmer held his pigeon close till
there was no noise and walked off the field. He
could feel the cold stares from the crowd. A
little girl reached up to touch the bird and asked
her father if she could have one too.
Other Activities/Ideas:
199: cicada husks,
formidable
200: flankers,
platoon
201: fusillade
the way they looked?
Will Henry get the
courage that he needs to
quit the gang?
Is the way that Palmer
sets up and plays with his
soldiers significant to
anything in his life?
204: churning
206: jostle
Page 206: During the next
211: elegance
212: jeers, ribbing
What was weird about
when the three boys
would go out to fetch the
pigeons? (Henry always
held the box) Why didn‟t
they rotate?
couple of weeks, Palmer‟s
father comforts him, but
not through words. What
are some examples of how
body language can tell more
than words?
What is the problem with
Nipper being released at
a railroad yard?
220: demented
221: deuce
223: gorged,
muggery
225: luring
Even though Palmer and
Snots are the same
person, they are very
different. What are
some ways that they are
different?
Hold a Pigeon Day at your school. EW GROSS—ONLY KIDDING!
This is a good book for kids to really decide what is important in their lives. They can think about their actions
and the actions of their friends. Are they with the right group of people?