Swear to Howdy

Locations
Call Number: Y Fiction / Van Draanen, Wendelin
On Shelf At: Downtown Library

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown Kids Books 4-week checkout	Y Fiction / Van Draanen, Wendelin	4-week checkout	On Shelf

Youth level.
Two thirteen-year-old boys share neighborhood adventures, complaints about their older sisters, family secrets, and even guilt that bind them together in a special friendship.

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

I Swear to Howdy, I liked it! submitted by ErinDurrett on March 30, 2010, 6:07pm Swear to Howdy is a very quick read about the challenges of friendship between two boys, Russell and Joey, after a prank of theirs goes terribly wrong. More than the first half of the book contains stories about the adventures of Joey and Rusty-boy and pranks they get involved with, which attests to the closeness and power of their friendship. In one such scenario, being charged with getting rid of squirrels a buck a pop, Joey accidentally shoots his violent and abusive father’s cat. Russell helps Joey bury the cat down by the river and “swears to howdy” he won’t ever tell a soul! The book turns serious when the boy’s recreation of the “lost ghost” causes a fatal accident and starts a secret that begins to eat at the two. I enjoyed this book, especially the language the author employs in telling Joey and Russell’s story. This book was written for youth, but is definitely enjoyable for adults too, as most of Mrs. Van Draanen’s books are. I’d recommend another book of the authors, Flipped, if you like this book. Silly at first, but serious towards the end, Swear to Howdy is a good way to spend two hours on a Sunday afternoon.