Weird U.S.: A Freaky Field Trip Through the 50 States

Weird Travel Guides

by Matt Lake, Randy Fairbanks

Now, for the first time ever, kids can join America's most beloved WEIRD hunters on an unforgettable cross-country journey-and experience all the fun and discovery for themselves! Camera and notebooks again in hand, the two Marks introduce brave young explorers to bizarre objects and strange sites across our land, from UFO museums and the world's largest cow to cursed roads and a house that looks like a mushroom.

Genres: Nonfiction, Travel, Trivia

128 pages, Hardcover

First published May 3, 2011

Reviews

[Melody · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh, I picked this up on a whim because my parents were about to leave on a cross-country drive. I kind of thought it would be full of Tom Robbins-esque Roadside Attractions. It did have some of those, but there were a lot of weird ghost stories and sea monsters and places where "gravity doesn't work" all reported in a distressingly credulous fashion. I'd rather see a giant whiskey jug-shaped bar than a place where my ping pong balls roll uphill.

[Kaethe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read. My only complaint is that the authors don't seem to know much about urban legends. I don't mind that they report the stories of various spots as local legend tells them, I'd just like them to acknowledge that, for example, ghostly hitchhikers have been spoken of for hundreds of years and almost every town has one. Fair warning: probably too creepy in places for some kids.

Library book.

[Eden Silverfox · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought the book was okay, but I like the regular Weird U.S. better. I think this is pretty much a condensed version of the two Weird U.S. books just made for younger readers.

It wasn't bad, but I'd recommend checking out the two Weird U.S. books instead.

[Mairana Abballo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed getting to know some weird things about the US and it makes me wanna visit some of these places now I really enjoyed this book and I learned something new actually couple things new highly recommend if you want to weird things or just kind of cool or unusual

[Travis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've always seen these "Weird U.S." and "Weird" state books but never picked one up until I saw this one in the kids' section of the library. I figured I'd finally give it a shot in hopes I'd gather some neat inspirations for stories to write or places to visit on road trips.

It's a fun little book. I'm guessing it's sort of light weight since it's classified as a children's book. I read the entire thing in a couple hours and that included flipping around randomly and looking up my state of Maryland at various points. There's lots of cool little stories about various oddities. The sections on hauntings, cryptozoology, and other paranormal subjects were much more entertaining and interesting than the mundane sections about the more standard roadside attractions such as giant teapots and toilet seat art. I'm sure there's even better books about the paranormal topics that would provide more depth, but that wasn't the point of this book so I won't really fault it.

Everything written in an easy to read manner which makes zipping through it all quickly very easy. There's also lots of pictures although some appear to be just random pictures put in for atmosphere (e.g. a mostly overgrown "Dead End" sign in the haunted road section). Sometimes the incredulous tour guide shtick gets a little overbearing but it's all in good fun and feels like an overactive TV show host (akin to Mythbusters).

So take this for what it is, a quick highlighting of some oddities and legends that make up the United States.

[Alex · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't understand the purpose of this book. If you're going to call something a "field trip" how about organizing it by state or by region rather than general topic?

There are two prior editions that have more content each, which this one draws from. Add to the disappointment in the content, the quality of this printing is substantially inferior to the prior two editions. Go look for the other two Weird U.S. Books or the one that was issued for your home state.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

A HILAIRIOUS book about the funny and just plain weird sightings, stories, and stops in the U.S. I guarantee you that you will find something strange about your area, state or city that you NEVER knew!

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really good book. It was funny and cool. I liked it a lot.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mmmmm....Roadkill Cook-off www.pccocwv.com :-)