Longhorns and Outlaws is a novel originally released in paperback by Coteau Books in Saskatchewan in 2008. It was released in ebook format in 2014 under the title, Badlands and Outlaws. The 2014 edition has renamed the main character as Gerrit Nagel, who is a couple of years older.
Fast Fact: The novel is based on historical facts, starting with the 1900 Galveston Hurricane.
Twelve-year-old Lucas Vogel has lost his parents in the 1900 Galveston Hurricane. Now, eight months later, he’s being dragged off to the frontier to chase longhorns instead of in school reading books and learning.
Lucas, a Pinkerton Agent-in-training, would rather be looking for outlaws than learning to ride a horse in the thick dust following a cattle drive.
However, Lucas soon discovers the buttes of Montana and the Big Muddy make great outlaw hideouts and he finds himself deeper into outlaw adventures than he’s ever imagined when he encounters the Sundance Kid.
But of course, Gil thinks he’s imagining things. Will his brother ever realize he’s growing up—or give him some say in their future?
Reviews for Longhorns and Outlaws
Longhorns and Outlaws was a winner in the Foreward Magazine Award for Juvenile Children’s Literature for 2008, announced at the 2008 Book Expo in New York City.
Prairie Books NOW said in an interview with Linda Aksomitis, “Sometimes a book fits its author like a worn saddle on a favorite horse —you can’t imagine one without the other…Aksomitis draws on more than her powerful imagination to create this historically accurate fictional world. it took three years of hardscrabble research for the author to sculpt a natural historical landscape.”
Resource Links listed Longhorns and Outlaws as one of the Best Books for 2008 in Fiction for Grades 3 – 6. Resource Links says: “Linda Aksomitis has written an outstanding historical novel for young readers…”
The Appaloosa Horse Club of Canada magazine says, “The author brings her first hand knowledge of the landscape, flora and fauna, and of the hardships and simple joys to be found in the saddle in the real west, making this work authentic, historically correct and a great read for young and old.
SWON Libraries (Southwest Ohio) says: “Strong characters, real wild west action and authentic facts about cowboys and horses make this an excellent adventure.”
Jim Schaeffer, Excecutive Director for Custer Country Montana says in the Billings Gazette, “Those unfamiliar with Eastern Montana will get a glimpse of the landscape of the region and a feel for the harsh conditions of life on the range. Written for younger readers, Longhorns and Outlaws can be enjoyed by adults as well.”
Wainwright Star Chronicle says: “Aksomitis weaves together a rich cowboy tapestry of horses, cows and ranch life…”
Prairie Fire Magazine says: “Young readers who are interested in cowboys, horses, or outlaws will enjoy Longhorns and Outlaws, and they’ll learn a lot about life in the early 1900s at the same time. “
Children’s Bookwatch says, “Longhorns and Outlaws [is] a great western fiction for young children about to move onto standard chapter books.”
CM – Canadian Materials says, “Aksomitis establishes the archetype of the wide-eyed boy amid the vast, undiscovered American frontier by using vibrant descriptions of the landscape and animated supporting characters. The character of Gil provides a wonderful dynamic as the gruff and intolerant brother from whom Lucas predictably seeks approval. The author’s grasp of the Texas twang is dead-on and helps to transport the reader immediately into Lucas’s world. Trying to balance historic events in a work of fiction, particularly one intended for children, can appear clumsy if not treated carefully. Aksomitis achieves this feat with the effortless weaving of truth and fiction, not delving too far into the realm of fact, allowing the story to unravel without having to substantiate on every point. “
Longhorns and Outlaws was one of only five novels for readers aged 9-12 featured in the 2008 McNally Robinson Books of the Season catalogue! McNally Robinson Booksellers say Longhorns and Outlaws is “A touching coming-of-age story and a fine account of frontier life in the early 1900s.”
Cowboy Dictionary for Longhorns and Outlaws
These are the old west cowboy terms you’ll find in Longhorns and Outlaw and the ebook edition, Badlands and Outlaws.
Above snakes — Above ground; alive
Afeared — Afraid
Among the Willows — Dodging the Law
Bed ground — Where cattle are held at night
Beeves — Cattle
Best bib and tucker — Best clothes
Between hay and grass — Half grown; not a boy anymore but not yet a man
Big pasture — Jail or penetentiary
Burn the breeze — Ride at full speed
Buzzard bait — A worn-out horse or nag
Choking the horn — Holding on to the pommel or saddle horn (something no cowboy wants to be seen doing)
Chow — Food; dinner
Churn twister — Farmer (an insult referring to using a churn to make butter)
Conchas — Ornamentation that resembles shells
Corral dust — Lies or tall tales
Cow chip — Dried cow manure
Cuttin’ more dirt — Going faster
Diggings — Home, either lodgings or community
Draw cuts — Also called to draw straws or decide something by blindly drawing stalks of grass cut to different lengths)
Drover — Cowboy driving cattle
Dry gulched — Ambushed (surprised by someone hiding in a dry creek bed or gully)
Dusted — Thrown from what you’re riding
Flapping your gums — Talking
Goose flesh — Goosebumps
Got wind of — Heard about
Grub pile — Meal or the contents of the chuck wagon
Flea-trap — Cowboy’s bedroll
Hang your hat — Make yourself at home
Hard pushed for cash — Short of money
Hear tell — Hear a report of
Jawing — Talking
Like lickin’ butter off a knife — Something is easy, not hard
Lynching bee — An event around the hanging (of a person)
Night hawk — Cowboy taking night watch with the herd
No ways bridlewise — Not controllable
One-horse — Small or inferior
Painting the town red — Having a good time
Peck of trouble — Lot of trouble
Pilgrim — Someone from the city, thus unfamiliar with frontier ways
Pull in their horns — Back off and quit looking for trouble
Puncher — Cowboy taking care of cattle
Remuda — Herd of spare horses
Scooped in — Tricked
Shank of the evening — Late afternoon
Slipe — Considerable distance
Sowbelly — Side pork or bacon
String party — Term for a hanging or lynching
Toad strangler — Heavy rain storm
Trampous — Wander
Wake snakes — Raise a ruckus
Published by Coteau Books, September, 2008, ISBN: 978-1550503784
Buy a Copy of Longhorns and Outlaws
Coteau Books, the print publisher of Longhorns and Outlaws, closed its doors. However, you can buy print copies of Longhorns and Outlaws from Our Little Bookshop, which is operated by Linda’s writers’ group.
Or, you can purchase the ebook version, Badlands and Outlaws, from Amazon.
Read an Article by Linda
- Write Effective Web Content
Write Effective Web Content is an online course offered through community colleges and public libraries. AI tools are integrated throughout the writing strategies to help with research and productivity NOT replace you as the writer. Linda Aksomitis is the instructor. - Is Publisher Rocket Worth It?
Publisher Rocket is an indispensible tool for authors at every career stage. Learn about what’s selling in the Amazon marketplace and how authors’ are doing it! - 4 Inside Scoop Tips to Easily Choose Character Names
Discover four insider tips on how to choose a main character’s name using great free tools, including ChatGPT. - How to Plan a Novel Series Made Easy with AI: Setting
Learn how to plan an outline for a novel series, starting with setting. This article shows how to conduct setting research using ChatGPT artificial intelligence or AI. - An Easy Trick to Know Whether to Ask KDP to Change Your Book Categories
Trying to decide whether to ask Amazon to change your book’s KDP categories? Here’s an easy trick to help you decide and the data’s all free!
Linda Aksomitis 