Where the Red Fern Grows
by Wilson Rawls
Published by Yearling Books
in 1961
Genre: Children's
Genre: Children's
Length: 304 pages
Ages: 8 - 12
Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | BookDepository
Literary Awards:
North Dakota Children's Choice Awards (1981)
Massachusetts Children's Book Award (1987)
Synopsis:
Literary Awards:
North Dakota Children's Choice Awards (1981)
Massachusetts Children's Book Award (1987)
Synopsis:
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.
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.
My Thoughts:
Ten-year-old Billy lies awake at night listening to the coon hounds running through the foothills and wants nothing more than a pair of his own. He wants them so bad, he works hard for two years straight to save the money for them. And once he has them, there's absolutely nothing that can tear them apart.
I came across this book secondhand last year and it kept nagging at me that I wasn't quite sure if it was a book I had read in my youth or if the cover was just familiar, or even if maybe I had seen the movie without reading the book. I finally started it and instantly knew I had read the book before, not just seen the movie. Even though it had been decades and I honestly couldn't remember a thing about it, every sentence was familiar to me and the entire read was incredibly nostalgic. I also cried my eyes out at the end and have no idea how I would forget such a heartbreaking ending.
There's so much about this book that shows it's age. It's a remnant of the past. It's funny how, as a kid, it didn't bother me that Billy spent his entire day in the woods or crossed a mountain and went into town barefoot but to think of any child doing that today is almost laughable. I always loved those sort of 'boys books' where they went off into or lived in the wilderness. This reminds me so much of books like My Side of the Mountain, Hatchet, and Rascal.
I came across this book secondhand last year and it kept nagging at me that I wasn't quite sure if it was a book I had read in my youth or if the cover was just familiar, or even if maybe I had seen the movie without reading the book. I finally started it and instantly knew I had read the book before, not just seen the movie. Even though it had been decades and I honestly couldn't remember a thing about it, every sentence was familiar to me and the entire read was incredibly nostalgic. I also cried my eyes out at the end and have no idea how I would forget such a heartbreaking ending.
There's so much about this book that shows it's age. It's a remnant of the past. It's funny how, as a kid, it didn't bother me that Billy spent his entire day in the woods or crossed a mountain and went into town barefoot but to think of any child doing that today is almost laughable. I always loved those sort of 'boys books' where they went off into or lived in the wilderness. This reminds me so much of books like My Side of the Mountain, Hatchet, and Rascal.
Great review! Somehow I missed this book growing up, but I really want to read it. It’s a classic, and I loved the author’s other book.
ReplyDeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Thanks! Yes, I'm trying to make my way through more children's classics and I'm glad I reread this one! It's a good one! :)
Delete