From: MForbes99
Date: Tue, 20 Jan 1998 12:32:17 EST

I attended a mock Newbery?ldecott Election Committee Session at the DuPage Illinois Library System the week before the announcements, and while Out of the Dust won top honors, the majority of the top three choices included Wringer. There is just something compelling about this book. I, too, was initially put off by the idea of the wringer, but this book is really about the choices our children face in the world we have made for them today, and about the realities of the outcomes of these choices. I have three grown sons, and am the Head of Youth Services in a Chicago suburb. I have been working with children for twenty years, in both school and public library environments. I agree with the sixth grade teacher who sees this reality every day.

This book is wonderfully written. I loved the scene where he hides in the dumpster and doesn't know how he is going to get home. And when he finally talks to his parents, how affirming that is. This is not a grim book- how many children never discover that their parents are willing to help them cope with the seemingly insurmountable difficullties of growing up. So many books today are about children from dysfunctional families who have to deal with it all themselves, and hope is absent.

I think the discussion about this book demonstrates its importance. And I listened to the criteria at that meeting. These awards are not popularity contests - they are about excellence in literature and about challenging their readers to expand their imaginations. Wringer definitely meets the challenge.
Received on Tue 20 Jan 1998 11:32:17 AM CST