Subject
Rodeos -- Juvenile fiction Books
Best books
Joan Clark
Connie Carl at Rainbow Ranch
"Connie Carl at Rainbow Ranch" by Joan Clark is a novel written in the late 1930s. The story centers around sixteen-year-old Connie Carl, who returns to her family's ranch in New Mexico after three years of schooling in the East. With a sense of nostalgia, Connie aims to take charge of Rainbow Ranch, but upon her return, she discovers that the ranch is beset by financial troubles and changes that threaten its future. As she navigates her new role, she faces both external challenges and internal conflicts regarding trust and authority. The opening of the book sets the stage for Connie's homecoming and her initial realizations about the state of the ranch and its management. Upon arriving in Red Gulch, she learns from locals that many of her father's loyal cowhands have left, and she encounters Forest Blakeman, the ranch's foreman, who seems to be running things with a heavy hand. Connie also discovers troubling issues regarding the ranch's debts and mismanagement, which lead her to take a firm stand in reclaiming her rightful place as its owner. As she settles back in, she begins to practice for an upcoming rodeo, which holds the promise of financial relief but also foreshadows ongoing struggles and conflicts, notably with Blakeman and the mysterious new cowboy, Jim Barrows.
James Cody Ferris
The X Bar X boys at the round-up
"The X Bar X boys at the round-up" by James Cody Ferris is a juvenile Western adventure novel written in the early 20th century. It follows teenage brothers Roy and Teddy Manley on the X Bar X ranch as they navigate round-up season, test their horsemanship, and face threats on the open range. Early signs point to trouble from suspicious “buyers” and possible rustling, alongside rodeo ambitions and classic Western hazards. The opening of the novel finds Roy and Teddy riding fence, worrying over a mysterious rider and the inquisitive Lefton brothers, when a wolf chase turns into a desperate flight from a ravenous pack—ended only by a timely rescue from the Leftons and their partner, Mob Jamisson. Invited to the trio’s camp, Roy later sneaks back under a pretext and overhears talk of “cars,” an “eight mile” run, and hundreds of head—hinting at a scheme. A comic interlude follows at the neighboring 8 X 8 ranch, where Bug Eye’s runaway homemade mower nearly destroys a flower bed. Back home, a curt buyer named Peter Peterson demands a forfeit and insists the Manleys deliver six hundred head to Red Rock instead of the usual Eagles, which raises the brothers’ suspicions. Scouting Red Rock, they spot Peterson conferring with the Leftons before the men board a train, reinforcing the sense of collusion. Returning to the ranch, the boys launch rodeo practice as Teddy mounts an unbroken mustang, setting the stage for both competition and looming cattle trouble.
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