Harcourt School Publishers Staff

Where the Red Fern Grows

Wilson Rawls

Billy, Old Dan, and Little Ann -- a boy and his two dogs. A loving threesome, they ranged the dark hills and river bottoms of Cherokee country. 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 to them, but sadness waited too. Where the Red Fern Grows is an exciting tale of love and adventure you'll never forget.

Meagan Fischer 

A moving story as a kid. I'm not sure what's holding me back from giving it 5 stars. Maybe just how sad it is, which isn't really fair. But it is what feels right.

I adore this book. It’s so heartwarming and it makes me sob every time.

Liz Hunsaker

I knew the dogs were going to die, but I still cried when it happened (I listened to it at work 💀😭)

Rachel Stratton

A beloved classic that captures the powerful bond between man and man’s best friend. Billy has long dreamt of owning not one, but two, dogs. So when he’s finally able to save up enough money for two pups to call his own—Old Dan and Little Ann—he’s ecstatic. It doesn’t matter that times are tough; together they’ll roam the hills of the Ozarks. Soon Billy and his hounds become the finest hunting team in the valley. Stories of their great achievements spread throughout the region, and the combination of Old Dan’s brawn, Little Ann’s brains, and Billy’s sheer will seems unbeatable. But tragedy awaits these determined hunters—now friends—and Billy learns that hope can grow out of despair, and that the seeds of the future can come from the scars of the past. Praise for Where the Red Fern Grows A Top 100 Children’s Novel, School Library Journal's A Fuse #8 Production A Must-Read for Kids 9 to 14, NPR Winner of Multiple State Awards Over 7 million copies in print! “Very touching.” —The New York Times Book Review “One of the great classics of children’s literature . . . Any child who doesn’t get to read this beloved and powerfully emotional book has missed out on an important piece of childhood for the last 40-plus years.” —Common Sense Media “An exciting tale of love and adventure you’ll never forget.” —School Library Journal “A book of unadorned naturalness.” —Kirkus Reviews “Written with so much feeling and sentiment that adults as well as children are drawn [in] with a passion.” —Arizona Daily Star “It’s a story about a young boy and his two hunting dogs and . . . I can’t even go on without getting a little misty.” —The Huffington Post “We tear up just thinking about it.” —Time on the film adaptation

Debra

I listened to this on a whim and I was not disappointed.

A book that is apparently read in every American school and was also on my radar for years. 

In my expectation rather stored as an adventure a la Goonies, it was much more the story of a poor boy and his dream of own hunting dogs, their training and the subsequent adventures on the hunt.

It took a little to get going and drags a little at the beginning, but at the latest in the second half a really nice and readable book, at the end of which you have taken the dogs Little Ann and Old Dan into the heart and really share the thrill of the coon hunts.

Nick Bicko

A book that is apparently read in every American school and was also on my radar for years. 

In my expectation rather stored as an adventure a la Goonies, it was much more the story of a poor boy and his dream of own hunting dogs, their training and the subsequent adventures on the hunt.

It took a little to get going and drags a little at the beginning, but at the latest in the second half a really nice and readable book, at the end of which you have taken the dogs Little Ann and Old Dan into the heart and really share the thrill of the coon hunts.

Lee Yi Hsean

I think 'Where the Red Fern Grows' is a really good book, an interesting classic that is definitely underrated. The setting might be hard for some readers to relate to though, as it is set in 1920 in the rural hills of the Ozraks. 

The bond between Old Dan and Little Ann is so adorable, and I often catch myself going, "aww" whenever descriptions of them interacting with each other appear. The friendship Old Dan and Little Ann have with Billy is honestly no less fascinating. 

The tear jerking ending had me in pieces, and I was sobbing throughout the last few pages. I loved every second of this novel, and I think it's something everyone should read at least once in their life.

Sarah Ryan

A lovely book about a young boy and the love he has for his hounds (and they for him). A book about growing up and how you can completely change your life if you are determined enough.

Caroline Lewicki

I can't believe I'm just now reading this classic, but I'm so glad I did. A touching story about a boy and the love he has for his dogs.

Melody Izard

I'm sure I would have been a pure fan as a younger Melody. But the religious magic and the sweeping generalizations about women were annoying. Then you add the way Sammy the house cat is treated and don't get me started on the poor 'coons! And this whole thing with the red ferns doesn't come up until the very end. And I certainly have never heard about any legend of any red or other colored ferns. The mixing up of pure superstitions and religion is peppered throughout and not really in a way of "oh, you know how those hillbillies are". But just kind of the in the way that Santa and Jesus seem to merge when the Christmas lovers get all stirred up about when they have a right to listen to Christmas carols and when they can put up their tree. Sorry, I digressed.

There is also this dominion over animals that's uncomfortable especially since the love of these dogs seems to be the draw to this story.

(and I guess this can be seen as a spoiler - so move on if you have not read it) One other thing. I felt sure that Grandpa's hooch was going to get blamed for Grandpa pitching face forward into the blizzard and busting up his ankle. OR the spirits were going to be brought out as his "medicine" to cut the pain. But we hear no more about the alcohol after Grandpa gets Billy to sneak his liquor out to the buggy without Grandma knowing about it.

I'm glad I read it though it might not seem that way

Team Raccoon here. Sure, the boy loved the dogs. Sure, it's sad when bad things happen to them (not even a spoiler, there are a lot of ups and downs). But the book is literally hunting story after hunting story once the boy gets the dogs. He kills animals every way he can. We get long, detailed hunt scenes and hear about the raccoon being brutally killed after days upon days of treeing them.

They literally laughed about a cat being continually caught in traps on accident. Poor cat. 

Like I'll give it to Rawls, they're well written stories. I just hated them and the message he wanted to make. I rooted for the raccoon every time, unless I was just rooting for a poor dog to not die. The kid was just a blank slate for young boys to insert themselves I guess. I don't know, it seemed o early dramatic on weird things. 

It was like a poor copy of Tom Sawyer or Huck Finn.

Oh! And the whole religious aspect was super weird. Every turn it was that these dogs were something more than normal dogs and maybe God sent them, etc., etc. It's just shoved in your face.

(view spoiler)[YOUR DOGS DIED BECAUSE THEY FOUGHT A MOUNTAIN LION! Someone tell the kid that. Only in a book glorifying childhood would a freaking child be fighting a mountain lion hand to hand with an AXE and come out unscathed. Those poor dogs. I don't know the dog training process or how easy it is to use dogs for hunting, but it sounds like obedience was a huge problem for him as a handler. To me, he never had proper control of those dogs. He should have been able to tell the dogs to leave a scent, go home, stay, etc. It just sounds like they were good at scent tracking and he let them wander wherever.

And finally, this is definitely a Tom Sawyer/Huck Finn rip off set in the depression. The winning, the eventual moving to town, the kid being the one with the fortune, being a "hillbilly," and needing to become civilized. I dont know why he wouldn't have been able to take the dogs to town. He'd just have to actually train them more than scent chasing.

I'm done, really. Lol. I felt no sympathy for the kid wondering why they dogs died. I literally was shouting in my car at the audiobook that they died because of a flipping mountain lion fight. Well, the one did and the other just gave up, because of religion or some dumb logic. Ugh.  (hide spoiler)]

Jeni Enjaian

A review from my old blog...

I started with Where the Red Fern Grows. It's chilly here where I live. Perfect weather for curling up on the couch with a feel-good book. This book fit the description. I've read many books like this before. There's something simply American feeling about a boy that loves his coon dogs. Something I noticed throughout teh book is that there was no driving plot line through the book. Different sections of the book have different driving motivations. The first part centers around Billy's drive to buy his coon dogs. Of course, thoughout the book I knew that the dogs would end up dead. How else could a book like this end? I enjoyed the book but almost wonder why Rawls named the book for something that doesn't appear until the last chapter of the book.

Carla Aquino

I read this book back in fourth grade...I remembering crying so much, but I liked it all the same. To all the haters out there who criticize the book for the use of the dogs to kill the raccoons and other aspects of the book that you think to be gory you need a reality check because life is not all pansies and cupcakes. Just because Rawls talks about the hunting in detail doesn't make it a bad book. His job as an author is to be able to paint a picture for readers and I think he did an awesome job.

Charles Frederich

This was the first book that absolutely destroyed me emotionally. Well-written and poignant.

Erin 

I remember reading this in school and loving it but finding it very sad. It was one of the first books in school that I loved. I don't remember a whole lot about the plot but who doesn't love dogs, right?!

Danielle Crain

I have read this book no less than a dozen times. I just re-read it for the second time with my children. This is one of those books that really influenced me as a child. As an adult reading (and re-reading) I am blown away by the quality of Rawl's story telling, his use of imagery, and emotion when telling this story. 

Its hard to summarize this book without giving away key ploy elements that drive the story, but basically its the coming of age story of Billy and his two coon hounds Old Dan and Little Ann. 

Billy, our main character, is just an overall good example of hard work and determination, and also shows us that it is ok to not be emotionally strong all the time. Things in life don't always come wrapped in silver wrapping paper but through hard work, and not all situations in life come out the way we want them to, but perhaps maybe the way they were meant to be, even if we don't understand why. 

My 14 and 11yo boys were captivated by the action-filled plot line. Even the "slow bits" kept their attention. My 9yo daughter and I were sobbing by the end.

Michael Hessling

Not as sad as I remembered. I cried at the happy parts, though, so there's a chance for me.

fe fe 💛

Jehan Chawla

For fans of Old Yeller and Shiloh, Where the Red Fern Grows is a beloved classic that captures the powerful bond between man and man’s best friend.
 
   Billy has long dreamt of owning not one, but two, dogs. So when he’s finally able to save up enough money for two pups to call his own—Old Dan and Little Ann—he’s ecstatic. It doesn’t matter that times are tough; together they’ll roam the hills of the Ozarks.
   Soon Billy and his hounds become the finest hunting team in the valley. Stories of their great achievements spread throughout the region, and the combination of Old Dan’s brawn, Little Ann’s brains, and Billy’s sheer will seems unbeatable. But tragedy awaits these determined hunters—now friends—and Billy learns that hope can grow out of despair, and that the seeds of the future can come from the scars of the past.

Source: http://www.penguinrandomhouseaudio.com/book/139387/where-the-red-fern-grows/