The World of Tumbleweed Thompson books by Glenn McCarty

Humorous and winsome, tales from the World of Tumbleweed Thompson will engage young fans of Tom Sawyer and Homer Price.

Reading Level: Middle Grades, Ages 10-12

Recommended For: Ages 10 and up

The Misadventured Summer of Tumbleweed Thompson by Glenn McCarty, illustrated by Joe Sutphin, 2018. 327 pages.

Twelve-year-old Eugene Appleton is a lively storyteller, and he does have a story to tell. When a boy lives in a town in the Old West and devours dime novels about Dead-Eye Dan, he craves adventure that will liven up his summer boredom. Enter Tumbleweed Thompson, courtesy of a charlatan’s wagon.

What kind of adventures? Oh, an unfortunate episode with a bottle of something that was NOT molasses, smugglers on a riverboat, a pet raccoon, a girl who outsmarts both Eugene and Tumbleweed, a treasure hunt, an essay-writing contest, and a mysterious barber with a past who is either an outlaw or a thoughtful man of integrity. There’s also a scorpion and a kidnapping and a hideout in a canyon, in case that wasn’t enough to entice you.

McCarty is a lively storyteller who knows what boys like to read, and it’s all packed into a novel with a sprinkling of respect for the church. The religious content doesn’t dominate the story, but it’s sincere. Each chapter is introduced with an excerpt from the Dead-Eye Dan books, making him almost as much a character as the boys themselves. A fun, fresh read for those who need a break from fantasy.

Junction Tales by Glenn McCarty, illustrated by Joe Sutphin, 2019. 161 pages.

More stories about the origin of Rattlesnake Junction and other folks who live in town fill this companion volume, in case you were wondering how Miss Camilla Wimberley acquired that significant umbrella. Also, a Dead-Eye Dan story just to whet your appetite when you ought to be helping your Ma dust the library shelves.

Dead-Eye Dan and the Cimarron Kid by Glenn McCarty, illustrated by Aedan Peterson, 2021. 176 pages.

After so many hints about Eugene Appleton’s hero in Misadventured Summer of Tumbleweed Thompson, McCarty provides a taste of a Dead-Eye Dan dime novel. The hero awakens with amnesia, conflicted with a sense of guilt that seems foreign to a lawman. A rifle, a ring, memories of a ruby, a circus, and the names of two particular women plague him until he can sort out who he is and why he is so far from civilization.

Being noble-hearted in spite of his doubts, Dead-Eye Dan befriends a widow and her son who are threatened by Higgins, a hired man trying to take advantage of their vulnerable situation. Louis, the Cimarron Kid who remains mute after witnessing his father’s death, plays a role that Eugene would surely envy.

While the unraveling of Dan’s confusion can be difficult for the reader to follow and the intended audience seems older than the previous books, Dead-Eye Dan is a clean introduction to a genre that is new to me.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5

• Worldview/Moral Rating: 5 out of 5
• Literary/Artistic Rating: 4 out of 5

Read more about our ratings here.

Related Reading From Redeemed Reader:

• A Review: Centerburg Tales by Robert McCloskey
• A Review: Charlatan’s Boy by Jonathan Rogers
• Interview: Jonathan Rogers on Reading and Writing, Boys and Dads
• A Review: Little Britches by Ralph Moody

Titles in The World of Tumbleweed Thompson can be ordered directly from the author through his website.