Wyatt Burp Rides Again

Adventures of Jo Schmo #2

by Greg Trine, Frank W. Dormer (Illustrations)

Superhero Jo Schmo has a problem: There aren’t any crimes to fight in San Francisco! So she and her doggy sidekick Raymond build a time machine and head back to the Gold Rush Days to track down the notorious burping outlaw Wyatt Burp. Meanwhile, trouble is brewing back in the present time. Two mean girls have it in for Jo, and they’re lying in wait for her with a wrecking ball. If Wyatt and his Hole in the Head gang don’t get her, Gertrude and Betty will. Look out, Jo!

Genres: Humor, 2nd Grade, Time Travel

112 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Greg Trine is the author of the Melvin Beederman, Superhero books for children, which he creates with his illustrator sidekick, Rhode Montijo. He is also the author of the young adult book, The Second Base Club. He lives with his family in his Southern California hideout.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/gregtrine

Reviews

[Brianna Deines]

Intermediate

1. The plot of this story is fairly easy to follow and understand. I feel it is set up very similar to Jeff Kinney's Diary of Wimpy Kid, more text than pictures. This is the second book in the series but I don't think the books would have to be read in order to understand the plot. The characters stay the same but conflict differs in each book. The pages that do have pictures are not in color and are not full of detail but more of a sketch and each really match what is being said in the text.

2. The appropriate audience for this book would be mid elementary school or for any student that really likes a combination of history and science fiction. The plot is part of a spin off of Wyatt Earp but Jo (main character) time travels.

3. I am not sure that there are terrible concerns about this book other than the fact it has a particular sense of humor with burping. I personally didn't love the story but it doesn't mean there isn't a 2nd grader out there who would find it hilarious and very comical.

[Meagan Gore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adventures: Kindle (e-text)
Wyatt Burp Rides Again from the Adventures of Jo Schmo is a fun and silly adventure chapter book series. In this book, Jo Schmo is going back in time to tackle an adventure to find Wyatt Burp, she encounters some bumps along the way. Jo must be witty and ready for this adventure to find the outlaw and keep the streets safe. In a 4th grade classroom, I would use this book to teach about the adventures genre. I would also use it to teach about abiding by the law but also being adventurous. After reading this book in book clubs, I would ask each group to share an adventure they would like to go on together as a group. Then, maybe each group can try to act out their own adventure for the class.

This is a WOW book for me because I like to be safe and help keep others safe just like Jo Schmo! This is also a WOW book because I LOVE to be adventurous and experience things in life. It is important to life live to the fullest and also keep our streets and self safe!

[Kemi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
(This time, I didn't give my 6-year-old a vote. ha ha)

My son loves this series. This book wasn't as repetitive as the first one ("...in the time it takes to say..."), but there were still plenty of times Raymond the dog communicated his thoughts with a look-- still too many times for my taste-- and the "and her little dog, too!" schtick is getting tired.

Betty Sludgefoot makes a funny (dumb) bad girl, but there was a point in this book where I think she may have been mixed up with Gertrude McSlime, who is both bad AND smart. That part actually made me uncomfortable. Two super-mean girls ganging up on an unsuspecting nice girl-- even if she's a superhero-- is too real-world for this mama. It was much better when one wasn't smart enough to do any "real" nefarious plotting.

Either way, these books are getting us through an accident, concussion and surgery (and recovery!), so I am willing to give them A LOT of leeway. :)

[The Book Girl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good. Review to come.

[Gozde Erdemir]

This book was even sillier than the first one, but a supervillain whose superpower is burping is absolutely hilarious for 6 year old boys.

[Bethe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This easy chapter book has lots of kid appeal, especially for the bodily noise crowd, even if the protagonist is a 4th grade girl. It is easier to read than the usual 4th grade book, more like a second grade book, for those ready to graduate from Junie B. Jones or Ricky Ricotta. The illustrations support the text, adding to the ease of reading. There is a page of pop culture references that the intended audience may not understand, but like the series title: The Adventures of Jo Schmo, lack of understanding doesn't really matter. This is book 2, I hadn't read book 1 and it didn't seem to matter to pick up the action with the pint size crime fighter.

[Karen Arendt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story about a girl detective who is bored and decides to build a time machine to go back in time to tackel Wyatt Burp, an evil villain who can blow the doors off a bank vault with his burp. The story has great voice and will appeal to children who like zany stories with humorously evil characters.

[Jnase1 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this series as is has a young girl as the heroine, but I am having a difficult time with the voice of the story. It reads like a ten year old wrote it, which may be the point, but I feel like I am grading a writing assignment when I read it. I will try the next book in the series and see if I like it any better, but so far, I am a bit disappointed.

[Kate Hastings · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grades 2-3. RL 660. Fun short chapter book about crime fighter Jo and her grandpa Joe Schmo. The crime wave has slowed down to a crime ripple-- so Jo builds a time machine that will take her to the Wild West so she can capture bad guys again.

[Tamarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

JF Tri
- female Melvin Beederman, fighting crime in San Fransisco vs Los Angeles
- same red cape, same silly humor
- 3rd grade humor :)

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did this as a read aloud for first/second graders. Although I wasn't always thrilled with it, they enjoyed it and understood and accepted some of the strange events more readily than I.

[Kascia · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an okay read. I did, however, enjoy the illustrations.