Product Description

A chance to spend spring break on a Wyoming ranch was a welcome change. The roundup, a rattlesnake, high tech cattle rustlers and the uncle's different role model.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #788621 in Books
• Published on: 2004-10-25
• Released on: 2004-10-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

Customer Reviews

Totally awesome!

Reviewed by Lake Furney (age 9) for Reader Views (12/07)

Todd and Amanda find out that their dad has arranged for them to go to Wyoming to help their Uncle Reed on his cattle ranch with the spring roundup. On the spring roundup they encounter snakes and modern day rustlers! They suspect that one of the ranch hands, Travis, may be working with the rustlers.

"Big Rig Rustlers" is packed with adventure and excitement. It was easy to read. My hands were "glued" to the book. I think boys and girls ages 6-14 would enjoy it.




Reviewed by Kelli Glesige for Reader Views (5/06)

It is spring break for twelve year old Todd Brannon and his ten year old sister, Amanda. They live in Illinois, where nothing exciting happens, along with their parents and their English sheep dog, Stony. However, this spring vacation will be different because Todd and Amanda have been invited to fly, unattended by parents, to Uncle Reid's 80,000 acre ranch in Cheyenne, Wyoming to help with Spring Roundup. Excitement builds, for this vacation should be like none other with real cowboys, calf roping, horseback riding, chuck wagons, and unfortunately, rattlesnakes. The Double R Ranch is truly the "wild west" in the eyes of Todd and Amanda.

Even before they arrive at the ranch, Todd and Amanda experience signs of cattle rustling with broken down fences, trailers driving without lights in the dark, missing cattle, a bull loose in the middle of the road, and even suspicious characters like Travis, the helping hand who works on Uncle Reid's ranch. Travis was a lowlife cattle rustler before being given a second chance of serving time on the ranch instead of serving five years in prison, informs Cousin Drew, twelve year old son of Uncle Reid, who quickly becomes a best buddy to Todd and Amanda.

"Big Rig Rustlers" is fast paced and exciting, making this an ideal story for all tweens, both boys and girls. After an accident with a rattlesnake leaves Amanda feeling grateful, the message of taking a punishment for another, such as Jesus did for us, is exemplified twice in the book. Such an act is not always done consciously either; it just feels like the right thing to do when Jesus is in your heart. After experiencing some very intense situations, Todd also makes some significant confessions to Uncle Reid which change his life when he returns back home after his memorable and captivating vacation!

Important messages and some fun and intriguing knowledge can be gained by reading "Big Rig Rustlers." While being reminded that it is the Christian way to give someone a second chance, Max Elliot Anderson gave me insight into the nature of rattlesnakes and cattle rustling, what life can be like living in the open space of the west, and how beautiful nature is. And The Double R Ranch experiments with a new type of freeze branding, which identifies whose ranch the cattle belong to, rather than burning, which is comforting news to the animal lover, Amanda.

A particular part of the book that I enjoyed was when Anderson described the immaculate bunkhouse where the kids stayed. The descriptions of the rooms left me with an intriguing picture in my mind. One room was decorated as a mine shaft and another was set up to look like a jail, just to name a few. Just great!

I highly endorse another great book by Max Elliot Anderson! It is a commendable story with a noble message, written by a knowledgeable author.

Great Read
Once again, Max Elliott Anderson has penned a winner with his captivating new novel "Big Rig Rustlers." Anderson is a talented writer of adventurous narratives for tweeners, readers between the ages of 8 to 13. "Big Rig Rustlers" is a timely tale packed with non-stop action. Anderson uses: realistic dialogue to move his story from episode to episode, authentic action to maintain interest, and plots that hold the readers interest from first page to last.
When Todd and his sister, Amanda are invited to spend spring break with their aunt and uncle at their Wyoming ranch, they are delighted. Much about ranch life is different from what they expect, including their cousin Drew. With a masterful grasp of tweener's and especially reluctant readers, Anderson weaves a tale of ranch life including cattle round-up, branding, a rattlesnake incident and mysterious rustlers. It is obvious that GOD is Max Elliot Anderson's muse.
Beverly J Scott author of Righteous Revenge, Ruth Fever and Jena's Choice

Another Max Elliot Anderson Adventure
Twelve-year-old Todd Brannon and his ten-year-old sister, Amanda, are excited beyond words when they are invited to spend their spring break with their aunt, uncle and cousin Drew at Dad's brother's ranch in Wyoming. They get to travel all by themselves on a plane from their Midwest home to Cheyenne.

Met at the Cheyenne airport by Uncle Reid and Aunt Debbie, the two tired kids are piled into the ranch pickup and start the long drive to Uncle Reid's ranch. Well after dark, on the way, they almost run into a big bull smack in the middle of the road. How did he get there? A fence down? Not too much later they nearly smash into the rear-end of a truck and trailer running without any lights. Uncle Reid calls the home base and tells Travis, the hand on the other end, to call the sheriff and report both the loose bull and the trailer without any lights. Todd hears his uncle say something about cattle rustlers. Rustlers? Wow.

Finally arrived at the ranch, Cousin Drew shows Todd and Amanda to their rooms in the bunkhouse - not at all like they had imagined from watching western shows on television. They each have their own special room. This was really cool.

As the kids settle in to ranch life, they learn to ride a horse and all about how a ranch this size is run and help as preparations are made for spring roundup. Cousin Drew talks to Todd about the cattle rustlers and his suspicions of one of the ranch hands. In typical kid fashion, they decide to secretly check things out when they go out on the roundup.

Todd and Amanda are exposed to the process of rounding up the calves and all about branding them. They also learn, the hard way, about rattlesnakes, and, in the end, discover modern-day cattle rustlers.

BIG RIG RUSTLERS is another great adventure from Max Elliot Anderson. Max tells a great story that is sure to be a winner with your tweener, whether boy or girl. Hey, even I enjoy Max's books, and I haven't been a tweener for - well - a long time. Find Max's books at amazon.com - they'll make great gifts.