Wringer, by Jerry Spinelli

The cover gave me the creeps the second I plucked it from the chelf, so of course I had to check it out. In Wringer, Palmer is dreading the day when he turns ten. That is when young boys are expected to work as wringers at the town's annual Pigeon Day shooting contest. And wringers, well, they get to finish off the birds that get wounded instead of shot down and killed immediately. Will Palmer accept the role that is part of a long-standing tradition in his community or will he stand up for what he believes in? Those who liked The Chocolate Wars will enjoy the similar sinister tone and moral dilemma faced in Wringer.

Spinelli, J. (1997). Wringer. New York: Harper Collins. ISBN 0-06-440578-8