Bob War and Poke CL

Not many automobiles travel on the back roads of Tucker County, so Ralph Collins and his brother Warren are excited when they discover an abandoned Maxwell touring car stuck in the mud. Once they free the vehicle and drive it into town, the boys find its wealthy owners--Randolph and Lucinda--and what they think is gainful employment as the pair's chauffeur and cook. The naive brothers, now nicknamed ``Poke'' and ``Bob War,'' don't suspect any wrongdoing as their employers bounce from town to town, looking for card games and accumulating a pile of unpaid hotel tabs. But when Randolph and Lucinda start robbing banks and a posse is on their trail, Bob War and Poke know they're in trouble. Offering a combination of action, intrigue and belly laughs, Watson's first novel is a zany blend of past and present, as two old-fashioned boys awake to some of the harsh realities of a world seemingly gone mad. The text is flavored with expressions from the Ozarks, supplying slapstick humor, though some of the terms may prove distracting to younger readers. Ages 10-14. (Oct.)