Wringer

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= Book Talk = Loud bangs echo through the air. Feathers fly, people cheer, and wringers chase. One wringer get the bird and twists his knuckles so that the neck has been wrung, right in front of his eyes… Palmer remembers his first Pigeon Day very clearly. This young child now knew that the wringer he had seen long ago did not want the bird as a pet but instead wanted to kill it. He has changed his mind about being a wringer, even though, where he lives, it is traditional for a ten year old boy to become one. One day there was a blizzard, and an unexpected visitor arrived at his windowsill. Palmer couldn’t just let it starve, so he fed it. But from that day on, it kept reappearing at his windowsill. Secretly, he took it in and cared for it. Palmer decides to call he bird Nipper because it likes to nip at pretty much everything, especially his ear. Soon his new friends, Beans, Mutto, and Henry, who have longed to become wringers, start to get suspicious. They start to catch on to Palmer’s secret, so he lies. Each day palmer has to be more cautious than the day before. Will his friends discover the truth behind Palmer’s secret and attempt to hurt, or even kill the bird, or will Palmer let Nipper go before things get worse?

= Biography = Jerry Spinelli born February 1, 1941 is an author of children's novels on adolescence and early adulthood. He is best known for the novels Maniac Magee and Wringer. Spinelli was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania and currently resides in Wayne, PA. At the age of sixteen, his love of sports inspired him to compose a poem about a recent football victory; later, when Spinelli didn’t know, his father had published it in to the local newspaper. It was at this time, he realized that he would not become a Major League Baseball player, and decided to become a writer instead. Spinelli graduated from Gettysburg College in 1963, and acquired his MA from Johns Hopkins University in 1964. He married Eileen Mesi in 1977. They have six children and sixteen grandchildren. Other books Spinelli wrote include Star Girl, Eggs, Smiles to Go, Milkweed, Loser,Today I will,egges, and Crash.

These are some other sites
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Spinelli http://www.jerryspinelli.com/newbery_001.htm [] = __Theme:__ = The story is about a boy becoming a man. You can like what ever you want to like. A person doesn't always have to follow tradition.

=__Setting: __= The setting is in Waymer, Ohio. It is a very small town. There is lots to do.

= Problem\solution = = = The problem is that Palmer has a pet pigeon and in his town the people hate pigeons.Solution is he has to find a safe place to let the pigeon go. = =

=** Character Description **= ​ Palmer= A scared and weak person who likes pigeons. Beans= A tough guy that wants to be a wring leader of the gang. Mutto= Second in command fights with Beans. Henry= The weird one of the gang knows Palmer's secret. Mom= Palmer's mom hates Beans and his gang. Dad= He wants Palmer to be a wringer. Dorothy= She is hated by Bean's gang, likes pigeons, and is Palmer friend. Farquar= Is the person that gives people the //Treatment, // and a legendary wringer.

=Vocabulary= media type="file" key="wringervocab.mp3" width="264" height="41" syn--soft ant--hard syn--stabbed ant--flat syn--gangster ant--gentleman/woman syn--fight ant--peace talk ** Alley ** p. 105 -- A narrow street between buildings. syn--byway ant--blockade syn--laugh ant--cry **scowl** p .109 -- A look of anger, irritation, or to look sullen. syn--frown ant--smile syn--wiggly ant--motionless **silhouette** p.113 -- an outline filled with solid color syn--shadow ant--negative space **sneered** p.131 -- to curl upper lip to show scorn syn--scoff ant--grin **gaped** p.133 -- to open the mouth wide as if yawning syn--enthralled ant--tight-lipped **sliding board** p.19 -- a slide or a ramp syn--ramp ant--level **maddeningly** p.21 -- to be unpredictable syn--unpredictable ant--predictable **genius** p.24 -- an incredibly smart person syn--smarty-pants ant--dummy **wonderment** p.30 -- to be amazed
 * Cotton candy** p.55 -- A Light fluffy substance
 * punctured p.3 ** -- To have a hole in.
 * hoodlums p.11 **-- Gangsters or people with their hoods up a lot.
 * Rumble p.12 **-- To fight or to tussle.
 * chuckle p.105 **-- To laugh softly in a mild tone.
 * flailing p.111 **-- to move one's arms about like flails

= //Wringer// Quizes = 1. What is a wringer's job?(check all that apply) A. To gather the dead pigeons. B. To wring floppers' necks. C. To release pigeons from the boxes. D. To throw the non-flying pigeons into the air with a net

2. What was the message in the frosting? A. Beans B.Tonight C.Henry D. I know about Nipper.

3. Where did Beans get the muskrat? A. the woods B. It was roadkill. C. Panther caught it for him. D. He found it by the river and wrung its neck.

4. How did Dorothy make Palmer feel? A. like he was sinking B. like puking C. like he was floating D. all of the above

5. Why was Palmer sad when his bruises from the Treatment faded away? A. He wasn't sad. B. He had to get another Treatment. C. The gang wouldn't like him anymore. D. He couldn't show it off to other kids anymore.

6. What did the golden bird have written on it? A. In honor of all pigeons. This house loves you. B. Pigeon Day, Waymer's Pride! C. Wringer Boy--1989 D. Sharpshooter Award -- Pigeon Day -- 1989

7. Where did Dorothy let Nipper go? A. by the railroad yards B. in the city C. she secretly kept him D. by the beach

8. What did Palmer's mom do to help Nipper? A. She didn't tell Palmer's dad about Nipper. B. She put a new box of cereal in Palmer's closet. C. She gave Nipper's foam ball back. D. She told the gang that Palmer was busy whenever they wanted to see him.

9. Why did Palmer wear a mask on the last day of school? A. all students were supposed to B. It was too hot to wear his normal disguise. C. Beans and Mutto dared him to D. It was part of Palmer's costume.

10. What did Palmer do to stay after school? A. He asked the teacher if he could. B. He teased Dorothy. C. He swore at the teacher. D. He spit on the floor.

=//Wringer// True or False questions.=

1. Palmer’s parents die in the book.

2. Palmer is afraid to be a wringer.

3. Beans hates pigeons.

4. Beans isn’t named Beans for his love of cold beans straight out the tin can.

5. Palmer, Beans, Mutto, and Henry always where friends the whole book.

6. Zipper was the name of the pigeon Palmer found.

7. Beans, Mutto, and Henry hated Palmer after they found out that Palmer had a Pigeon.

8. Dorothy wrote on Palmer’s Nerf ball: Nipper’s Ball

9. Nipper was Palmer’s “alarm clock.”

10. Palmer’s mom hated Henry, Beans, and Mutto. =Short answer:= 1. What did Palmer's dad give him for his ninth birthday? Why was this important?

2. What do you think would of happened if Palmer and Dorothy didn't release Nipper?

3. Why do you think Beans was so mean to Dorothy? Explain by giving examples.

4. What do you think happened after the book ended?

5. Give three examples of how the gang was mean to Dorothy. = Vocabulary Questions =

cotton candy, punctured, rumble, alley, hoodlums, scowl, silhouette, gaped, mimicked, lurking, cringed, barracks, shock, lob, tentatively, upthrust, sneered, hunkered, wearily, befuddled 1. _- to bend over, tremble with fear 2. _- to squat on one's heals 3. _- unsure, uncertain, not positive 4. _- exhausted, fatigued 5. _- to thrust in an upward motion 6. _- to smile, laugh 7. _ - to exist unexpected 8. _- groups of buildings where soldiers live 9. _- to imitate or copy an action 10. _- gangsters or people with their hoods up a lot 11.- to fight or tussle 12.__- to open the mouth as if yawning 13.__- an outline filled with solid color 14.__- to curl upper lip to show a scorn 15.__- narrow street between buildings 16.__- a look of anger 17.__- to confuse 18.__- to have a hole, to poke a hole 19.__- a colored, soft, and sticky type of candy 20.__- to throw or chuck with an arch