Wendelin van draanen swear to howdy summery

by Wendelin Van Draanen

Knopf, October, 2003.
Hardcover, 144 pages.
ISBN: 0375825053
Ages 9-12

Swear to Howdywill draw in any young reader with its tale of boyish pranks and the kind of freedom that boys may still enjoy in small towns, but its message about the bonds of friendship comes as swift and hard as unexpected tragedy.

The novel takes a sharp turn into tragedy.

A funny friendship turns serious in this haunting book about secrets, lies, and what it means to be a true friend.

A funny, thought-provoking story of friendship from Wendelin Van Draanen.

"Swear to Howdy" is a young adult novel written by Wendelin Van Draanen.

A funny friendship turns serious in this haunting book about secrets, lies, and what it means to be a true friend.

Rusty Cooper tells the story about his best friend, Joey Banks, and their wonderful adventures in the small town of Lost River. Lost river is clearly a Southern town with its most important street named Lee Street, and a history teacher who gives detailed exams on the Civil War.

Each boy has an older sister who seems to get special privileges from parents. Rusty and Joey are the mostmischievous younger brothers any teenaged girl has ever had to endure. A huge bull frog in one's underwear drawer is enough to make any young girl scream at the top of her lungs.

And that is only the beginning. Clearly sibling rivalry and the basic gender differences between