Big Rig Rustlers (Tweener Press Adventure Series)

Max Elliot Anderson
Baker Trittin Press (2004)
ISBN 0975288016
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.

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