Jerry Spinelli

This 1998 Newbery honor book is powerful, poignant and hauntingly beautiful. This is a remarkable story of peer and social pressure, the courage to sort through the quagmire of self doubt until the mud clears and what remains is a crystal clear reflection of self acceptance.

Sensitive, animal loving nine year old Palmer LaRue passionately dreads the arrival of his tenth birthday. The rite of passage in his small town is to become a wringer -- a wringer of the necks of pigeons still alive show more after being shot at by the local townsmen. The annual pigeon day is a huge event and Palmer has a decision to make -- should he become a "man," or should he stand alone and say no.

Wanting desperately to belong, Palmer abandons his long-term friendship of a neighborhood girl and initially finds a sense of belonging by becoming a member of the in crowd of male bullies where the rite of acceptance is a birthday brutal punch in the arm for every year. Like a medal of honor, Palmer proudly displays his horrific bruises obtained at the hands of a much larger, older boy.

Soon, Palmer realizes that he is uncomfortable with both the peers who emotionally and physically harm and the townspeople who once a year maim and kill 5,000 helpless birds.

Spinelli does a masterful job of weaving various emotions swirling inside Palmer, especially as Palmer discovers a pigeon on his windowsill and develops a loving relationship with the animal.

Returning to his neighborhood friend, he accepts the softer side of himself and once again embraces his friend Dorothy as together they feed and love the animal at the risk of discovery by the bullies and the townspeople.

Parker's mother and father are portrayed in a loving way, and his mother in particular shines like a beacon.

This book was particularly powerful because of the way the author used the softness of animals and females to guide Parker in his realization that while it is hard to risk non acceptance, it is harder still to say no to what is good, pure and right.

Highly recommended. Five Stars!!! show less

Cammie O'Reilly lives at the Hancock County Prison--not as a prisoner, she's the warden's daughter. She spends the mornings hanging out with shoplifters and reformed arsonists in the women's excercise yard, which gives Cammie a certain cache with her school friends.

But even though Cammie's free to leave the prison, she's still stuck. And sad, and really mad. Her mother died saving her from harm when she was just a baby. You wouldn't think you could miss something you never had, but on the show more eve of her thirteenth birthday, the thing Cammie most wants is a mom. A prison might not be the best place to search for a mother, but Cammie is determined and she's willing to work with what she's got. show less

Once more, in his characteristic style, Jerry Spinelli shows why he is one of my favorite authors. This inspirational, heartbreaking novel uses a strange approach to celebrate the power of friendship, love, and respect for life.

Palmer is terrified of his tenth birthday. The fateful day when he will be old enough to become a wringer, one of the boys charged with helping out on the day of the city's great Pigeon Day Shoot, breaking the necks of the innocent birds.

Every other boy anticipates show more this milestone, but Palmer can hardly stand it. Then he picks up a very unlikely friend of his own; a charming, mischievous and intelligent pigeon he names Nipper. But for obvious reasons, Nipper must remain a complete secret, or someone will inevitably use him as just one more practice bird to kill. Meanwhile, Palmer navigates the hideous training of the wringer along with his peers, who are only too eager to accept the practice of violence with delight. He also befriends his outgoing neighbor Dorothy, who seems to understand his reluctance, and teaches him something about standing up for yourself.

But when the day of the Pigeon Shoot arrives...will Palmer be able to save Nipper?

I cry each time I read this book, from the scenes of ignorant brutality to the heartwarming moments of utter triumph. I felt for Palmer's character, and I loved the charming and unique personality of Nipper, who sometimes seemed just as human as the other characters. The ending isn't perfect, but the tears you'll shed will be of happiness, if you're anything like me. And most of all, the ending, like those of Spinelli's other books like "Stargirl" and "The Library Card," is bright with hope, the best thing a book can leave you with. show less

I feel like Stargirl is a strange little book, but it's a good kind of strange. The kind of strange that makes a bit more sense as an adult.

From an adult's point of view, Stargirl feels like an examination on the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope in a middle/high school setting with that middle/high school lens. You admire what's different and strange, you crave it, you want it for your own, but once you have it, appreciating it as it is becomes difficult since society (and you yourself) may want show more to change that strange, unusual and precious thing. Stargirl herself is a manic pixie dream girl for our main character, but we also see her growing and changing both for the betterment of the strained society that is high school, but also for herself. The story feels incomplete, but that's because our characters, and our titular Stargirl is still growing and still writing her life's story.

To my surprise, this book ended up getting a musical adaptation on Disney+ - and it's pretty faithful to the book save for changing up a few details regarding the main character's backstory (swapping out an uncle for a father), and some details with Stargirl's clothing choices (though I imagine that was just fashion crew having fun when filming), and the songs really helped bring the story to life in movie form. show less