Where the Red Fern Grows
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- Create Date：2022-04-08 06:54:16
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Wilson Rawls
- ISBN：0440412676
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Summary
Librarian's note: An alternate cover edition can be found here
Billy， Old Dan， and Little Ann - a boy and his two dogs。
A loving threesome， they roamed the dark hills and river bottoms of Cherokee county。 Old Dan had the brawn， Little Ann had the brains， and Billy had the will to make them into the finest hunting team in the valley。 Glory and victory were coming， but sadness waited too。
Where the Red Fern Grows， is an exciting tale of love and adventure you'll never forget。
--back cover
Billy， Old Dan， and Little Ann - a boy and his two dogs。
A loving threesome， they roamed the dark hills and river bottoms of Cherokee county。 Old Dan had the brawn， Little Ann had the brains， and Billy had the will to make them into the finest hunting team in the valley。 Glory and victory were coming， but sadness waited too。
Where the Red Fern Grows， is an exciting tale of love and adventure you'll never forget。
--back cover
Reviews
Danielle N。
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This book was amazing but caused me emotional damage。 Super glad I didn’t read this as a middle schooler because my mom would probably have had to come and get me from school。 I loved the engaging episodic storytelling of Billy’s adventures with Little Ann and Old Dan in the Ozarks and the wonderful atmosphere and sense of youth created。 What kept me from rating the book higher were two particular instances I couldn’t move past:1。 The cutting down of the giant sycamore to get at a raccoon。 In te This book was amazing but caused me emotional damage。 Super glad I didn’t read this as a middle schooler because my mom would probably have had to come and get me from school。 I loved the engaging episodic storytelling of Billy’s adventures with Little Ann and Old Dan in the Ozarks and the wonderful atmosphere and sense of youth created。 What kept me from rating the book higher were two particular instances I couldn’t move past:1。 The cutting down of the giant sycamore to get at a raccoon。 In terms of perspective， I feel like letting the raccoon and disappointing the dogs to preserve a tree that’s been growing for possibly hundreds of years would have been the right thing to do。 Its this kind of thinking that’s ruining the planet today。 Reading about this boy singlemindedly whacking away at something so ancient and majestic for the sake of killing one raccoon hurt me almost as much as the ending。 Speaking of which…2。 I could deal with the dogs dying。 Fine。 I cried like a small child when it happened， but I could have dealt with their deaths if not for the fact that Billy’s parents basically said “well maybe it was all God’s plan for the dogs to die after they stopped being useful to us so we can all go live in the city。 That was their purpose after all。” That felt extremely human-centered and arrogant as if all living creatures exist for their pleasure or to die for it （in the case of the raccoons）。Other than this it was a lovely little read that I blew through in an afternoon。 I would recommend it to anyone。 。。。more
Ashley Xiao
，
This book is definitely one of my favorites， as the story line is written exceedingly well。 It takes you by surprise when you start to get to know the character， but the plot thickens as you progress through the story。 It's one of the more sad books， so be prepared to bawl your eyeballs out as you near the end of the story- I for sure definitely did。 This book is definitely one of my favorites， as the story line is written exceedingly well。 It takes you by surprise when you start to get to know the character， but the plot thickens as you progress through the story。 It's one of the more sad books， so be prepared to bawl your eyeballs out as you near the end of the story- I for sure definitely did。 。。。more
Alyssa
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A Tale of Triumph， Victory， and Heartbreak Wilson Rawls’ novel Where the Red Fern Grows is a riveting book that tells a tale of an extraordinary bond of a teenager and his two dogs。 This book shows how the relationship between man and dog stands the test of time。The novel follows a 12 year old boy in the Ozarks who dreams of getting two hunting dogs。 When the boy gets his dogs they form an incredible bond。 The boy teaches his dogs to be champion “coon” or raccoon hunters。 I quickly admired that A Tale of Triumph， Victory， and Heartbreak Wilson Rawls’ novel Where the Red Fern Grows is a riveting book that tells a tale of an extraordinary bond of a teenager and his two dogs。 This book shows how the relationship between man and dog stands the test of time。The novel follows a 12 year old boy in the Ozarks who dreams of getting two hunting dogs。 When the boy gets his dogs they form an incredible bond。 The boy teaches his dogs to be champion “coon” or raccoon hunters。 I quickly admired that his two dogs were willing to do anything for their owner and their attachment to each other really pulled at my heartstrings。 This was a book I never expected to cry to but after finishing my eyes were just filled with tears。 I never knew that a bond between the protagonist（Billy） and his two dogs （Ann and Dan） could be so strong and I had never read or seen anything like it before。 The theme of this book is really all about the strong importance of friendship and really to do anything for the people you love。 The author showed this important lesson in a really interesting way by showing it between a person and his pets。 A quote that moved me from this book is， “I buried Little Ann on the side of Old Dan。 I knew that was where she wanted to be。 I also buried a part of my life along with my dog。”（P。 288） This line alone really moved me and it’s just so heartbreaking to see such a beautiful connection between Billy and his dogs come to an end。 This really relates to the theme of how valuable your relationships with other things in life are and how it can have a huge impact on your life。 I think many coming of age readers would enjoy this amazing book。 It is kind of slow in the beginning but as we go through life with the characters the book quickly picks up and makes for an exciting read。 I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested and this really was a moving novel。 。。。more
Jen Hunt
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Just another example of why humans don’t deserve dogs and that all good dogs go to heaven。 It had been a long time since I read this。 So good and heartbreaking。
Mackenzie Kruszka
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Read this book as a class in sixth grade。。。 absolutely something I will never forget。 Sixth-grade me had her mind blown at how good the story was。 She also had her mind blown at how when she brought the story up to her parents， they had tears in their eyes just thinking about it。 Despite emotions running high in a room full of sixth-graders， I think back very fondly on this book and it's been close to eleven years since I read it。 Easily one of the best class-assigned readings I've ever had the Read this book as a class in sixth grade。。。 absolutely something I will never forget。 Sixth-grade me had her mind blown at how good the story was。 She also had her mind blown at how when she brought the story up to her parents， they had tears in their eyes just thinking about it。 Despite emotions running high in a room full of sixth-graders， I think back very fondly on this book and it's been close to eleven years since I read it。 Easily one of the best class-assigned readings I've ever had the privilege of reading。 。。。more
Mrs TJ
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Remember the saying Dogs are a man's best friends。 Well here the love of the dogs and the boy is nothing short of mother's love。 Its not just loyalty， but selfless love and care that makes this whole story stand apart。 Just a few pages shy of the ending we learn the meaning of the title of the novel。 Never a dull moment in the novel with this awesome threesome。 Remember the saying Dogs are a man's best friends。 Well here the love of the dogs and the boy is nothing short of mother's love。 Its not just loyalty， but selfless love and care that makes this whole story stand apart。 Just a few pages shy of the ending we learn the meaning of the title of the novel。 Never a dull moment in the novel with this awesome threesome。 。。。more
Elaine
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Warm endearing story of a boy and his dogs。
kenya rose
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very good book。 this one kept my interest even when I wasnt a reader。 I love the places my mind imagines when reading this book。 the ending is sad but in the end it was meaningful。
Katie Hermann
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TweenerThis book is about a boy living in the Ozark Mountains whose dream is to own two hunting coonhounds。 The boy saves up as much as he can and finally has enough money to buy two red pups， which he diligently trains。 The dogs become his best friends， and he spends long hours in the woods hunting for coons。 He ends up entering a coon hunting competition， but get caught in a snow storm and is forced to abandon his beloved dogs。 The clever hounds manage to survive， but end up getting killed lat TweenerThis book is about a boy living in the Ozark Mountains whose dream is to own two hunting coonhounds。 The boy saves up as much as he can and finally has enough money to buy two red pups， which he diligently trains。 The dogs become his best friends， and he spends long hours in the woods hunting for coons。 He ends up entering a coon hunting competition， but get caught in a snow storm and is forced to abandon his beloved dogs。 The clever hounds manage to survive， but end up getting killed later on。 This book ends in tragedy， and really pulls emotion from its readers。 This book has a Lexile level of 700， and I think it would appeal to the ages 11-18。 I think most young boys could relate to it in some way， while the girls would favor the adorable relationship Billy has with Little Ann and Old Dan。 Themes include: man’s relationship with nature， coming of age， overcoming trials， relationship with animals， loyalty， patience， and hunting。 Readers should be warned about animal death， hunting for sport， tragic death of beloved pets， graphic death of a child， and mild language。 。。。more
Lois
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I am not a huge dog lover， but we listened to this wonderful book on a car trip。 Old Dan and Little Ann were devoted to each other and to Billy。 Tears flowed as Billy buried them next to each other and a red fern grew up between them。
Katie Butler
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Nostalgic
Frank
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amazing
Shelby
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I’m sorry but I hate this book。 It’s so boring and I’m suprised I even finished it。 If you’re into hunting than this is the book for you ig。 But if you’re not then DO NOT READ THIS BOOK。
Cameron Sullivan
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This book will always have a special place in my heart。 My copy as a child was dog-eared from multiple readings。
Bekki
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Why did I do that to myself？ （As I'm sitting here weeping， watching my children weep。） I'm glad I finally got around to reading this classic， but even though I knew what was going to happen， I did not anticipate the strength of my own reaction。 Why did I do that to myself？ （As I'm sitting here weeping， watching my children weep。） I'm glad I finally got around to reading this classic， but even though I knew what was going to happen， I did not anticipate the strength of my own reaction。 。。。more
Carter Cifelli
，
WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS by Wilson RawlsBilly Colson finally saved up enough money for his two beloved dogs Old Dan and Little Ann and loves to go on adventures and raccoon hunts with them no matter the weather or other obstacles。One day， Billy saw an advertisement in a newspaper for two redbone coonhound pups for fifty dollars。 This was an absolute steal， and he wanted these pups more than anything。 However， his family were poor farmers so they couldn’t afford them。 Billy takes on extra chores WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS by Wilson RawlsBilly Colson finally saved up enough money for his two beloved dogs Old Dan and Little Ann and loves to go on adventures and raccoon hunts with them no matter the weather or other obstacles。One day， Billy saw an advertisement in a newspaper for two redbone coonhound pups for fifty dollars。 This was an absolute steal， and he wanted these pups more than anything。 However， his family were poor farmers so they couldn’t afford them。 Billy takes on extra chores and collects all the loose change he finds around the farm for two whole years until he finally has enough to buy the two puppies。 Knowing his parents wouldn’t let him get the puppies， he goes to his grandfather’s store in town and asks his gramps to mail the money to the person who placed the advertisement。 His grandfather agreed but only if Billy got the puppies。 Surprisingly， after two years the two dogs were still available， now Billy just needs to get them。 Where the Red Fern Grows was the first book Rawls published and he continued to write one more book called Summer of the Monkeys which have both turned into classics in pre-teen literature。 Where the Red Fern Grows was published in 19611 and in it he used experiences from his life and threw in some fiction to make a splendid book which still holds up today。Where the Red Fern Grows is an excellent book which might be a little too easy of a read for avid readers but for teens or pre-teens it is a great read which tends to leave you readers flabbergasted and suspended in a feeling of suspense 。 。。。more
Megan Larsen
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Where the Red Fern Grows is a delightful book that looks into the life of a young boy named Billy Colman growing up in the Ozark Mountains。 His biggest dream in life to own two of his very own hunting dogs so that he can catch himself a racoon。 He works to earn money for two years and with his grandfather's help， he purchases his dogs behind his parent's backs。 He names them Old Dan and Little Ann and he begins to train them。 A good chunk of the book is spent showing how Billy connects with his Where the Red Fern Grows is a delightful book that looks into the life of a young boy named Billy Colman growing up in the Ozark Mountains。 His biggest dream in life to own two of his very own hunting dogs so that he can catch himself a racoon。 He works to earn money for two years and with his grandfather's help， he purchases his dogs behind his parent's backs。 He names them Old Dan and Little Ann and he begins to train them。 A good chunk of the book is spent showing how Billy connects with his dogs in the wilderness surrounding his home and hunting together。 Spoiler alert: This book will make you cry， if you are picking up what I am laying down。 Proceed with caution， but understand that this book is an essential。 I remember reading this book in third grade and the ending tore me apart， so I would recommend children starting to read this in fifth grade。 It really is a class feel-good， coming of age book about a boy and his dogs， and I definitely recommend it to anybody who is looking to read it。 The only that may make some children feel uncomfortable is that it does involve hunting， so there will be some violent animal deaths in this book， though I wouldn't say the descriptions are vivid， just matter of fact。 。。。more
Rob Roy
，
This book was published when I was in the 8th grade， so I never read it。 Yet， over the years I have seen references to it， so I picked it up。 I am glad I did。 There is a magical quality of this tale， a story of the wonder of childhood joy。 It extols perseverance and faith。 It was a joy to read。
Diana Meredith
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I try really hard not to be too hard on old books。 After all， they were written in a different time， right？But whyyyyy is this a classic？ I could barely finish it。 It had very little plot beyond a boy and his dogs hunting for raccoons night after night。 A lot of the book has overly graphic descriptions of animals fighting and raccoons being skinned。 There was an absolutely horrific accident in which a child is killed， and the basic reaction to it by the characters was， "Let's just forget about i I try really hard not to be too hard on old books。 After all， they were written in a different time， right？But whyyyyy is this a classic？ I could barely finish it。 It had very little plot beyond a boy and his dogs hunting for raccoons night after night。 A lot of the book has overly graphic descriptions of animals fighting and raccoons being skinned。 There was an absolutely horrific accident in which a child is killed， and the basic reaction to it by the characters was， "Let's just forget about it and move on。" When the boy's dogs die at the end of the book， he's told to bury his grief and to forget about them。The whole book is just terrible。 I honestly can't find anything redeeming about it to recommend。 Really glad I didn't read this to my kids。 。。。more
P。Curry
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I loved this book
Tara Hill
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 When I heard that the author was inspired by the work of Jack London， I thought this book would be right up my alley。 Unfortunately， I was sadly mistaken。 I have read and enjoyed many books that deal with survival or fighting against the grim forces of nature， but this book just didn’t cut it for me。 For one thing， I underestimated the gore factor。 The author leaves nothing to the imagination when it comes to describing blood and guts in this book。There’s one particularly horrific scene where on When I heard that the author was inspired by the work of Jack London， I thought this book would be right up my alley。 Unfortunately， I was sadly mistaken。 I have read and enjoyed many books that deal with survival or fighting against the grim forces of nature， but this book just didn’t cut it for me。 For one thing， I underestimated the gore factor。 The author leaves nothing to the imagination when it comes to describing blood and guts in this book。There’s one particularly horrific scene where one of the neighborhood bullies dies by tripping and falling onto an axe that he was carrying while running。 While I understood what the author was trying to say about the scene and “why” this happened， I felt that it was mishandled because it didn’t really get much commentary afterward。 I thought it would shape the rest of the book in some important way and it didn’t。 It was treated as just a tragic event that happened and destroyed another family （the younger brother of the bully goes into shock and needs to see a doctor） and oh， well…let’s move on and talk about a countrywide raccoon hunt instead。 While I did appreciate the bond between Billy and his dogs， Old Dan and Little Ann， the plot lacked any sort of rhythm。 I had no idea how much time had passed after he trained the dogs。 By the end of the book， I wasn’t sure if he had had them one year or five。 A lot seems to happen in a very short amount of time。 Perhaps this is because he goes out hunting almost every single night。 I found myself cheering for the raccoons to escape。 Those poor raccoons！Another thing that annoyed me was the author’s abuse of deus ex machina。 The author clearly depicts Billy’s developing faith in God throughout the book starting with him praying for a way to get the dogs because he’s obsessed with wanting a pair of hunting hounds。 What bothered me was not the discussion of faith， but that the author kept implying that God helped Billy and his dogs out of difficult situations over and over again。 He did it at least two or three times throughout the book。 The result was that rather than feel awed by one moment of God’s presence in the book， I came to find it boring and even borderline ridiculous。 Like here’s this horrible or tricky situation and here comes God to save this kid and his dogs again。 Up until the final moment that is。 In the final hunt， the hounds end up saving Billy from getting killed by a mountain lion， aka “the devil cat of the mountains。” This conflict fell flat for me though because of the way that the event came about。 If the author had written about the mountain lion stalking the boy or being an imminent danger to him， this would have made sense。 Instead， the dogs trail and “tree” a mountain lion and then Old Dan， the foolhardy lead dog， goes to attack it， leading to the conflict。 He wouldn’t even listen when Billy tried to call off the hunt。 The lion was focused on fighting the dogs and only attacked Billy when he got in the middle of the fight。 Old Dan dies from wounds he got during the fight and Little Ann， while not badly wounded， dies of a broken heart following the loss of her brother。 The title of the book is explained in the very last chapter。 While different Ozark legends and superstitions were mentioned throughout the book， it would have had more impact if the legend that the book is based on was explained earlier in the story rather than squished into the very last few pages。 I also found the mystical explanation for why his dogs “had to die” ridiculous。 By turns this book either bored me or grossed me out， but ultimately did very little to enthrall me。 The dialogue wasn’t great either。 The only reason why I even finished it was because it seemed a shame to give up when I was already half-way through。 。。。more
Stephanie VanAlmen
，
I haven’t read this book since I was in 6th grade。 I have a very distinct memory of sitting in my English class and talking about this book。 I remember tears rolling down my face。 My daughter is in 6th grade so I read it with her。 Still have tears in my eyes at the end。
Fabulous Fork
，
Absolutely beautiful。
Rosa Retzer
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 One of my favorite books growing up， and if I remember correctly was one of the first books to bring me to tears with emotions。 Would highly recommend， but would caution those with a soft spot for animals。
Danny Mcalister
，
my favioretest book of alltime loved it
Ashley
，
my sister caught me crying when reading this when I was in 4th grade and called me weak。 Core memory， bruh
Kaitlyn M your_GeekyGF
，
Read as a child and still remember this books impact！！！ So endearing yet SO SO INTENSELY SAD。
Delaney Marie
，
Amazing book but a little sad
Isabella M。
，
I CRIED！ This book is so beautifully sad
Susanna
，
Oh the nostalgia！ Old Yeller， Huck Finn。 What a wonderful book。 A Boy， two devoted coon hounds， ye olde time days。 What’s not to like。 A gentle read， like floating along on a quiet stream on a warm summer day， with sunshine dappling the trees above you， and birds singing。 I loved it。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Where the Red Fern Grows
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Where the Red Fern Grows&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft