Swear to Howdy

By Wendelin Van Draanen

A funny friendship turns serious in this haunting book about secrets, lies, and what it means to be a true friend.
 
“Rusty, I swear to howdy, if you tell a soul...”
 
Joey Banks is a walking adventure. He’s funny, daring, mischievous—and frequently in trouble. Or he would be if anyone found out about half the stuff he’s done. But Rusty Cooper knows how to keep a secret. And Joey’s the best friend he’s ever had. But then comes a secret that is at once too terrible to tell and too terrible to keep. A secret so big it threatens to eat them alive. What would a true friend do now?
 
Wendelin Van Draanen has written a richly layered book that offers a thought-provoking look at the boundaries of friendship and what it really means to be true.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Dec 18, 2008
• ISBN: 9780307547859

Wendelin Van Draanen

Wendelin Van Draanen has written more than thirty novels for young readers and teens. She is the author of the 18-book Edgar-winning Sammy Keyes series—often called “The new Nancy Drew”—and wrote Flipped, which was named a Top 100 Children’s Novel for the 21st Century by School Library Journal and became a Warner Brothers feature film, with Rob Reiner directing. A classroom teacher for fifteen years, Wendelin resides in California where she can be spotted riding shopping carts across parking lots. She and her husband, Mark Parsons, have two sons and enjoy the three R’s: Reading, Running, and Rock’n’Roll.

Reviews for Swear to Howdy

[cheryl_in_cc_nv · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Thank you, friend 'smalls,' for recommending this. I'm so glad I finally got around to reading it. Perfect for male reluctant readers age 10-13, great for everyone else. Would be great for family or classroom discussion.

Yes, it's about what it means to be a true friend. It's also about courage. Almost everyone in the book acts courageously at one time or another. And the few that don't, well, they show us the consequences of cowardice.

[parkerf_7 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Awesome and funny at most parts example of a great friendship

[ref27 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Slim and powerful, describing a rambunctious joy in a rural summer. The boy's display a loose-limbed exuberance, and the suspicious, slightly hostile, slightly conspiratorial relationship between the boys and their sisters is hilarious and spot-on. The tragic turns feel authentic and not overly-dramatized.

[lizzybeth23 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Touching book that made me cry at the end.

[aehawkins_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very good.IT IS ALSO FUNNY.THE END IS SAD.