The Wounded Buzzard On Christmas Eve

Hank and Drover run up against a gang of toughs so mean and heartless it's a wonder they make it back to the ranch.

Previously published: Houston, Tex.: Maverick Books, 1989.

Accompanying Slim and Little Alfred into town on a Christmas shopping trip, Hank and Drover run into a wounded buzzard and a gang of toughs so mean and heartless, they begin to wonder they'll ever make it back to the ranch.

Want to identify fiction books that boys in grades three through nine will find irresistible? This guide reveals dozens of worthwhile recommendations in categories ranging from adventure stories and sports novels to horror, humorous, and science fiction books. In Get Those Guys Reading!: Fiction and Series Books that Boys Will Love, authors Kathleen A. Baxter and Marcia A. Kochel provide compelling and current reading suggestions for younger boys—information that educators, librarians, and parents alike are desperate for. Comprising titles that are almost all well-reviewed in at least one major professional journal, or that are such big hits with kids that they've received the "stamp of approval" from the most important reviewers, this book will be invaluable to anyone whose goal is to help boys develop a healthy enthusiasm for reading. It includes chapters on adventure books; animal stories; graphic novels; historical fiction; humorous books; mystery, horror, and suspense titles; science fiction and fantasy; and sports novels. Within each chapter, the selections are further divided into books for younger readers (grades 3–6) and titles for older boys in grades 5–8. Elementary and middle school librarians and teachers, public librarians, Title One teachers, and parents of boys in grades 3–9 will all benefit greatly from having this book at hand.

Hank the Cowdog marks twenty-five years in print! In this latest installment to the long-running series, the weather on Hank?s west Texas ranch is hot and dry. So dry, in fact, that they?ve got to be on the lookout for prairie fires. So Hank bravely takes on the role of Head of Fire Safety and gets to work. But patrolling for fires is dull, and it?s hard to do on an empty stomach. Despite a minor culinary distraction, though, Hank?through grit and determination?is able to keep focused on the job. And it?s a good thing he does, because sure enough, things on the ranch start to heat up....