Where the Red Fern Grows

Where the Red Fern Grows is a timeless coming-of-age story that hits hard no matter your age. Though aimed at younger readers, this novel holds a powerfully emotional narrative that captures the heart of anyone willing to dive into its pages. It follows Billy, a determined young boy growing up in the Ozarks, and the deep bond he forms with his two beloved coonhounds, Old Dan and Little Ann. What makes this book shine is its honest portrayal of hard work, loyalty, and loss. Billy earns his dogs through perseverance, raises them with love, and trains them into champion hunting dogs. His growth as a character—his independence, compassion, and quiet strength—is inspiring, especially as he faces the responsibilities of adulthood far earlier than most. And yet, his family—especially his grandfather—remains a grounding, loving force throughout his journey. But be warned: this book does not spare your emotions. Against all hope, you may try to convince yourself that not all endings are tragic—but Rawls doesn’t flinch from portraying the harsh truths of life. The ending is deeply heartbreaking, and it's not something you'll easily forget. Few books make you weep in public, but this is one of them. The grief is raw, the love is real, and the final image of the red fern is as poetic as it is symbolic. Even the so-called antagonists—such as the rival boys or even the tragic death of one—are handled with complexity and empathy, allowing readers to feel compassion even for the flawed characters. This nuance adds depth to what could have been a simple tale about a boy and his dogs and instead makes it a story of resilience, sacrifice, and deep emotional growth. Where the Red Fern Grows is a beautifully written, emotionally resonant story that explores childhood, devotion, and the pain of growing up. It's a must-read classic that lingers with you long after the final page—and yes, it may just break your heart, but it’s worth every tear.

Great book.

such a sad detailed book but so wonderful! it really makes a person think and i could spend hours reading this book!

This will forever be my favorite book. It is the one that taught me that you can escape into another world with reading and fall in love with characters.

I first read this book as a kid in 5th grade. Well, actually, the class listened as the teacher, Mrs. Brown, read the story. I remember her reading the story a chapter or two a day for about 2 weeks. A story about a boy and his love of his two dogs spoke to me as I was also a boy who loved dogs. The story stayed with me for years. In 2025, I ran across the book on Kindle and remembered a bit about it from years ago. I bought it. I took me a few months to start reading it and six months to finish it. The reason it took so long was I wasn't reading much at the time as I have the last month. Mr. Rawls was able to tell this story in a way that the reader had no trouble following along. I could imagine Billy working hard and saving the money to get Dan and Ann. I could see their nightly hunts. The tragedy of Rubin Pritchard's death, the exhilaration of Ann winning the Dog Show, both Dan and Ann winning the Hunting Championship, and crying when reading about the deaths of Dan and Ann. I also like how Mr. Rawls included several instances of answered (and unanswered) prayers.

I personally have never read this book. Not sure how that happened, but I'll chalk it up to fate intervening. However, my oldest son has recently read it and written up his first book report, which he would like to share on here for other kids considering picking this up. Be forewarned that there are spoilers throughout this review, because my son was writing a book report, so if you'd rather not know what happens in this novel, please do not read any further. In "Where The Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls, a boy named Billy saves up $50.00 for two years to buy two hunting dogs. In this story, Billy is determined to train his dogs, Little Ann and Old Dan, to be the best. Nothing would stop Billy from achieving his goal. He started his journey in the middle of the night, alone and walked 30 miles to pick up the dogs. After a year of training Old Dan and Little Ann, he started hunting every night and then he took the coon skins to his grandfather’s store to sell. Once he spent 2 days chopping down a tree his dogs had treed a coon in. He would not leave the tree until he got the coon. Two mean boys challenged Billy to hunt down a ghost coon. After a long chase, the dogs treed it, but Billy did not want to kill it. There was a bad fight with the mean boys’ blue tick hound and Billy’s dogs., One of the brothers took Billy’s axe and fell on it and bleed to death. The other brother ran away in shock. Billy was sad about the bad accident. Billy’s grandfather entered his dogs in a big hunting contest where they spent a few days competing against other dogs. In the final day, there was a blizzard while they were hunting and the dogs nearly froze to death circling a tree they had chased the coon in to. Just like Billy, the dogs would not give up. Billy went home with 2 trophies and $300.00 prize money. Billy continued to hunt. One night the dogs came up against a mountain lion, who attacked them and Billy. Billy’s dogs saved his life but were severely injured. Billy’s father helped get the dogs home and Billy’s mother helped stitch up Old Dan. Old Dan died soon, and Little Ann found his grave and died there. In the spring, rare red ferns grew at the grave site. . Billy grieved and asked God why the dogs had to die. He did not want any other dogs but Old Dan and Little Ann. Billy’s parents tried to make him feel better. His parents had always dreamed about moving to the city so the children could attend school. His father showed Billy the box of money he had been saving from all the coon skins he sold and the contest money. Thanks to Billy’s great love for his dogs and his success and determination, the family was able to move to the city. In this book, I learned to never give up no matter how hard it gets in life. I also learned to set a goal and try to achieve that goal.

Excellent story for any age. A story about family, making do with what you have and being grateful. It's about a young boy coming of age with his hunting dogs

Love this book!

The story line is of the maturing of a boy to a young man in the wilds of the USA, by wanting and then training dogs to hunt coons (of Davy Crockett hat fame). I am not giving any more away. Read it.

Kleiner Spoiler aber ich muss es loswerden, das Ende des Buches war für much emotional damage ×1000. Aber ansonsten eine schöne Geschichte über die liebe eines Jungen zu seinen Hunden.

they are both Xmas presents so have not been opened yet

A classic youth novel! Will make a great gift!

Not impressed with the quality of the book. Considering it should be a gift very disappointed it looks worn and second hand 🤦🏻‍♀️