My Life as a Cowboy Cowpie (The Incredible Worlds of Wally McDoogle, #19)

Once again our part-time hereo and full-time walking disaster area finds himself smack dab in another misadventure. This time it's full of dude-ranch disasters, bungling bronco busters, and the world's biggest cow-and, well, let's just say it's not a pretty picture (or a pleasant smelling one). Through all this, Wally learns the importance of following God's command to always forgive one another. Children's Literature Although the basic theme is ethical and involves returning good for evil, the main thrust of this book is juvenile humor. The hero, Wally McDoogle, is a computer nerd whose macho father has sent him to Cowboy Roy's dude ranch camp to make him more manly. A total klutz, Wally is forever falling into piles of horse and cow manure as he stumbles through his ranch chores of riding, roping and branding. Always on hand to steal his girlfriend and outshine him in all activities is handsome, athletic Chad Diamond, who turns out to be both cruel and deceitful. Nevertheless, Wally overcomes his healthy dislike of Chad enough to save him from the horns of Satan Breath, a rampaging escaped bull. Although the writing is brisk and trendy, the jokes are heavy-handed, the plot is unlikely (riding and roping skills take more than a week to two to be learned) and includes cruelty to horses, and the resolution is trite. This is the nineteenth volume in the Wally McDoogle series. 2001, Tommy Nelson, $5.99. Ages 8 to 12. Reviewer: Patricia Dole When Wally and his two best friends spend the summer at a dude ranch, he discovers that writing superhero stories will not help him deal with the cantankerous ranch owner, a deceitful camper, and a dangerous bull named Satan Breath.