Reviews for Westward Ho Ho Ho! : Jokes from the Wild West

The average rating for Westward Ho Ho Ho! : Jokes from the Wild West based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2021-04-14 00:00:00 Ken Blakeslee Death is a tricky thing to write about, especially in books for younger readers, but Greene's novel Beat the Turtle Drum addresses it in a way that's both poignant and thought-provoking. Much like Bridge to Terabithia, this book doesn't talk down to kids but instead includes them in a consideration of what grief, love, friendship and growing up truly mean on a level that manages to be both simple and deep at the same time. The book follows two sisters, Kate and Joss, both of whom get along really well, in the events leading up to a tragic accident. The two girls undergo family drama, the excitement of trying to rent a horse, talking to their neighbours... and then something horrible happens, leaving Kate struggling to hold up the walls of her world as they come shattering down. Greene writes about this event in a very sudden, sharp and to-the-point manner that strikes immediately as something both incredibly sad and also confusing. Why do bad things happen to good people? Beat the Turtle Drum tries to answer that question in this unforgettable coming-of-age tale about life, death and sisterhood. The characters, even the side characters, are really well-developed and realistic, and the poetic, nostalgic language is truly beautiful.

Review # 2 was written on 2017-06-09 00:00:00 Herb Pluemer Beautiful story. But quite upsetting. Realistic YA Fiction. Also a movie. The plot concerns a family, with two sisters, Cate and Joss. They are more then sisters but also best friends. One day, Joss, the younger sister is killed in a tragic accident., shattering the family and leaving all of them but Cate in particular lost in grief an d questioning everything, including her own belief system. This book is brutally beautiful. I saw an other reviewer wrote that it "haunted her" and I feel the same way. It doesn't read lightly. But it is a deeply moving, superbly told story of love, loss and family that I think has and will resonate with readers. Four strong stars..