Slingshot and Burp

by Richard Haynes, Stephen Gilpin (Illustrations)

Yippee-ki-yay! Saddle up and hit the dusty trail with the wildest bike-ridin’ kid cowboys west of the Mississippi!

Slingshot and Burp—two pea-shootin’, slingshot-totin’ cowhands on two wheels—are on the lookout for action. Bleached bones? Bring ’em on! Lost outlaws? Let’s go! Hidden loot? Yee haw! Rattlesnakes! Scorpions! Ghost cats!Wait, what . . . ? Whoa! Saddled up to battle the boredom of summer, these two double cousins, best friends, and next-door neighbors have fitted themselves out like Old West cowboys to charge boldly (and sometimes bravely) into the southwestern desert that is their backyard. And sure enough, in two rattles of a snake’s tail, the boys find themselves boots-deep in adventure, dodging sisters, jail time, coyotes, and squirting skulls! Boll weevil!

Genres: Adventure, Chapter Books, Realistic Fiction, Childrens

112 pages, Hardcover

Published August 2, 2016

About the author

Richard Haynes grew up on a farm in Pennsylvania, one of nine children. Every day of his boyhood was filled with adventure and not a few battles with sisters and brothers over territory. Slingshot and Burp is his first book for children. He lives in northern California with his wife, writer Megan McDonald.

Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Meagan]

Everyone needs a cute story about cowboys and their adventures, right?

[Damian Navarro]

Good and funny

[Andréa]

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

[Pop Bop]

High Energy, Gee Whiz Cowboy Kid Fun

It takes a bit more than a few "Howdy's" and some "Pardners" to make a fun pretend cowboy kid adventure, but this book really shows you how it's done.

Slingshot and Burp are two kids who live the Wild West cowboy lifestyle every minute of the day. Their mounts are "Lightning" and "Thunder", (bicycles), and they hang out in their Rattlesnake Ranch bunkhouse, (sisters' playhouse), looking out for bad guys and chasing varmints.

This setup may sound a little precious or condescending, but it really isn't. The kids have great imaginations. They convert everything to cowboy style, and a lot of it is very clever. (I won't tell what "cowboy coffee" is, but it involves more cocoa than caffeine.) Best of all, they ride, rush and tear around constantly. Everything - their imaginations, their plans, their activities, their talk - is high energy and sort of breathless. And the kids are a hoot. They're smart and funny, loyal to each other, and totally committed to the "cowboy code". Reading this as an adult is sort of like eavesdropping on the play conversation of two bright, friendly, imaginative kids, and it would almost be heart warming, if cowboys got warm hearts. (And while the author plays it straight with his kid readers - no hip irony here - he does have some fun with cowboy cliches that older readers and adults will get and enjoy.)

Anyway, in this volume the boys are going exploring in the Boneyard, (the square mile of sagebrush desert behind their adjoining yards), to find skeletons, loot and adventure. With their imaginations, every sound, shadow or movement means danger and adventure.

The illustrations add a good deal to the proceedings. They are crisp and clear and inviting, and emphasize the chapter action with clear views of what's going on, which I would expect would be helpful for younger readers.

So, it's fun and it has great Wild West flavor. The principle characters are a hoot, and the whole thing is wrapped up in good humor and fine young reader craftsmanship. A nice find.

(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

[Martha]

Cousins Slingshot and Burp are chock full of energy and imagination. Living in a desert, gives these two high energy boys all the ingredients they need for a fast paced adventure in the wild west. Fueled by a visit with their friend Big Jim, proprietor of Boots and Saddle Tack Shop, and one of his "edge of your seat stories" about Windy Tucker's skeleton found in Skull Valley, a place no one dares venture into, the boys know just where their next adventure will take them. While looking for the loot of bank robber Windy Tucker in Skull Valley, they encounter a real skeleton (cow skull), scary eery noises, and a blood spurting horned toad, producing just the right amount of fear in this high stakes adventure to even scare Slinger and Burp. Add to the mix, a couple of bossy conniving older sisters, a coyote like dog, and a real scorpion stuck in Burp's boot, and the hyper active boys are truly having the best high stakes adventure of their life. Young readers will imagine themselves in similar adventures on their own wild horses (bikes), being just as brave as Slingshot and Burp. This is a laugh out loud adventure that boys will devour. Hopefully sequels will follow!

[Katie Fitzgerald]

Slingshot and Burp are double cousins who live in the West and consider themselves to be cowboys. When they discover that there might be bones - or better yet, treasure - buried in a local area known as the Boneyard, they jump at the chance to dig it up. But what they don't count on is the fact that there might be a ghost cat out there, too, looking to scare them off, or worse. This lively story filled with realistic dialogue provides a fresh and different approach to books for newly independent readers. The unique setting and strong connection between the two boys help the story stand out among other realistic fiction titles for this audience. For kids who are interested in cowboys, or whose imaginations fuel adventures in their own backyards, Slingshot and Burp will be two new best friends. Recommended for library collections in specific need of more books to engage boys, and for families looking for fun boy-friendly read-alouds for six, seven, and eight-year-olds. A great read-alike for the Hooey Higgins series.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book*]

Haynes, Richard Slingshot and Burp, 100 pages. Candlewick Press. 2016. $14.99. Language: G (0 swears, 0 "f"); Mature Content: G;

Slingshot and Burp are two imaginative friends who turn their backyard into the southwestern desert. As Old West cowboys, they are out for a wild time together! Follow them in their cowboy experiences as they fend for their territory.

This cute book is packed with good ol' cowboy adventurous fun! Any reader or reluctant reader that is a cowboy at heart, will be wrapped up in its pages.

EL (K-3) - ADVISABLE. Reviewer: Amy, Elementary Teacher.
http://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2016/...

[Teresa Reads]

Slingshot and Burp are best friends, cousins, and buckin' horse riding cowboys. After their pesty sisters takeover their playhouse, they decide to enter the dangerous Boneyard. If they can find a skeleton, they might just be able to frighten their sisters out of their hangout. In the Boneyard they find scorpions, hissing creatures, and even a skull. But on top of that they find adventure and a new friend. Lovers of the Old West and those who feel a day using their imagination can be as fun as using an ipad will enjoy this book.

[Nancy]

This is a book for young readers who like adventure. Slingshot and Burp (whose ages are unknown) are self-dubbed cowboys who are also friends, neighbors and cousins. In this book they go looking for skeletons and embark on other adventures while trying to avoid their older sisters. The boys are very imaginative and really adopt the cowboy persona. The 10 short chapters include illustrations that add to the enjoyment of the story.

As an adult I thought the book was okay, but my 8 year-old son enjoyed it.

[Emily]

This was another PYRCA selection, and although I think students might enjoy it, I did not enjoy reading it out loud. I'm usually not judgmental about books for young readers, but this one really bothered me, and I think it's because reading the "bloody eyes" section out loud kind of made me cringe. It's okay, but not my favorite.

[Sue Poduska]

Two rootin’ tootin’ cowboys roam the Wild West in this cute tale brimming with fun and imagination. Boys, especailly, will get a lot of enjoyment and practice with literacy skills from this premier novel.

[Amy]

Fun beginning chapter book about two active boys who pretend to be cowboys in their town in the desert. Plenty of adventure and humor for young readers. The setting and cowboy theme are what make this book different from other contemporary series for young readers.

[Rhonda]

Absolutely adorable, I can't wait until my grandson is old enough to read this on his own.

[Melissa Ann]

I would say that Slingshot and Burp was a big success in my house! Both of my boys, ages 7 and 9, really enjoyed the characters and I thought the illustrations were wonderful.

[Howard Hewitt]

very cute kids will love it

[Alison]

I couldn't finish this book. I could see it being appealing to boys who went through the cowboy phase but I just thought it was silly and not worth reading.

[Lynn]

A lively fun adventure with plenty of fun vocabulary and antics for newly independent readers. The cartoon-style line drawings add appeal and plenty of humor.