What do you think?
Rate this book
The Great Gerbil Roundup
From the bestselling author of Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days!
Why are thousands of wild-eyed tourists running through the streets of Gerbil, Pennsylvania, twirling miniature lariats? Why are swarms of desperate gerbils desperately scampering out of their way? Why does the town's fate now depend on two kids named Elton Wazoo and McBeth McBeth? And how does this all involve Rory Rallickson's Rhinoceros Ranch?
It all began when the sleepy town of Gerbil decided to put itself on the map. The amazing First National Drive-Thru Museum of American Sightseeing and Clean Rest Rooms let anyone experience an entire vacation in ten minutes--without even leaving the car!
But some citizens insisted that wasn't enough. The town needed something even more spectacular to lure more tourists and more dollars. That's when the mayor announced The Great Gerbil Roundup.
People flooded into Gerbil from every direction. Then the worst fears of gerbils and Gerbilites became reality--for a Fourth of July the town, and you, will never forget. As for the rhinoceros ranch--well, read this book and find out!
Why are thousands of wild-eyed tourists running through the streets of Gerbil, Pennsylvania, twirling miniature lariats? Why are swarms of desperate gerbils desperately scampering out of their way? Why does the town's fate now depend on two kids named Elton Wazoo and McBeth McBeth? And how does this all involve Rory Rallickson's Rhinoceros Ranch?
It all began when the sleepy town of Gerbil decided to put itself on the map. The amazing First National Drive-Thru Museum of American Sightseeing and Clean Rest Rooms let anyone experience an entire vacation in ten minutes--without even leaving the car!
But some citizens insisted that wasn't enough. The town needed something even more spectacular to lure more tourists and more dollars. That's when the mayor announced The Great Gerbil Roundup.
People flooded into Gerbil from every direction. Then the worst fears of gerbils and Gerbilites became reality--for a Fourth of July the town, and you, will never forget. As for the rhinoceros ranch--well, read this book and find out!
112 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
About the author
Stephen Manes
34 books25 followersStephen Manes (born 1949) wrote the "Digital Tools" column that appeared in every issue of Forbes until recently when he took a break. He is expected to return in the future. He is also co-host and co-executive editor of the public television series "PC World's Digital Duo," a program he helped create.
Manes was previously the Personal Computers columnist for the Science Times section of The New York Times and a regular columnist for InformationWeek. He has been on the technology beat since 1982 as a columnist and contributing editor for PC Magazine, PC/Computing, PC Sources, PCjr, and Netguide. The now defunct Marketing Computers named him one of the four most influential writers about the computer industry and called him "a strong critical voice."
From April 1995 to December 2008, he also wrote the "Full Disclosure" column, anchoring the back page of PC World.
Manes is coauthor of the best-selling and definitive biography Gates: How Microsoft's Mogul Reinvented an Industry--and Made Himself the Richest Man in America. He also wrote The Complete MCI Mail Handbook and programmed much of the Starfixer and UnderGround WordStar software packages.
Manes is also the author of more than 30 books for children and young adults, including the Publishers Weekly bestseller Make Four Million Dollars by Next Thursday! and the award-winning Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days!, which was adapted for the public television series Wonderworks. His books include the cult favorites Chicken Trek and The Obnoxious Jerks and have won a commendation from the National Science Foundation, International Reading Association Children's Choice awards, and kid-voted awards in five states. His writing credits also include television programs produced by ABC Television and KCET/Los Angeles and the 70s classic 20th Century-Fox movie Mother, Jugs & Speed.
Manes is currently serving his fourth term as an elected member of the National Council of the Authors Guild, the country's oldest organization of book authors. Born and raised in the hills of Pittsburgh, he now lives in hillier Seattle.
Manes was previously the Personal Computers columnist for the Science Times section of The New York Times and a regular columnist for InformationWeek. He has been on the technology beat since 1982 as a columnist and contributing editor for PC Magazine, PC/Computing, PC Sources, PCjr, and Netguide. The now defunct Marketing Computers named him one of the four most influential writers about the computer industry and called him "a strong critical voice."
From April 1995 to December 2008, he also wrote the "Full Disclosure" column, anchoring the back page of PC World.
Manes is coauthor of the best-selling and definitive biography Gates: How Microsoft's Mogul Reinvented an Industry--and Made Himself the Richest Man in America. He also wrote The Complete MCI Mail Handbook and programmed much of the Starfixer and UnderGround WordStar software packages.
Manes is also the author of more than 30 books for children and young adults, including the Publishers Weekly bestseller Make Four Million Dollars by Next Thursday! and the award-winning Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days!, which was adapted for the public television series Wonderworks. His books include the cult favorites Chicken Trek and The Obnoxious Jerks and have won a commendation from the National Science Foundation, International Reading Association Children's Choice awards, and kid-voted awards in five states. His writing credits also include television programs produced by ABC Television and KCET/Los Angeles and the 70s classic 20th Century-Fox movie Mother, Jugs & Speed.
Manes is currently serving his fourth term as an elected member of the National Council of the Authors Guild, the country's oldest organization of book authors. Born and raised in the hills of Pittsburgh, he now lives in hillier Seattle.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 1, 2019
Elton Wazoo and McBeth McBeth lived in a town called Gerbil, Idaho, where the main industry was guess what . . . gerbils! The town council met and decided that they needed something that would put the ordinary town on the map, something that would draw tourists. Several people had lousy suggestions, but finally they chose to hold a contest to discover the best idea to draw people to Gerbil.
Finally the two friends mentioned above came up with a compelling idea: a museum that would house an example of something notable from every state. So they, with Mr. Wazoo, went from state to state in an old elephantobile and filled it with remarkable items. Their idea went off like a bang! Tourists from all over visited Gerbil, and as a result, new businesses went up all over town. Finally, the town council decided they needed to sponsor a "great gerbil round up." As you can imagine, it was a chaotic mess. You have to read the book to find out how they resolved the clutter and confusion.
This is a delightful, problem-solving book for children. I enjoyed it tremendously, thinking, "the grass is always greener on the other side."
Finally the two friends mentioned above came up with a compelling idea: a museum that would house an example of something notable from every state. So they, with Mr. Wazoo, went from state to state in an old elephantobile and filled it with remarkable items. Their idea went off like a bang! Tourists from all over visited Gerbil, and as a result, new businesses went up all over town. Finally, the town council decided they needed to sponsor a "great gerbil round up." As you can imagine, it was a chaotic mess. You have to read the book to find out how they resolved the clutter and confusion.
This is a delightful, problem-solving book for children. I enjoyed it tremendously, thinking, "the grass is always greener on the other side."
November 16, 2022
What a strange book.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews