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SPOILERS INCLUDED IN THIS REVIEW. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Audiobook | Hardcover | Kindle | Paperback

There is a little good in all evil.

Where the Red Fern Grows

Quick Overview

Overall: 5/5
Characters: 5/5 great depth to the characters
Setting: 5/5 setting was well described and easy to imagine
Writing: 5/5 Rawls is a phenomenal writer
Plot/Theme: 5/5 absolutely loved the theme and plot

About the Book

TRIGGER WARNINGS: Animal death, accidental death, graphic violence, profanity

Release Date: 1961
Published by: Doubleday
Page Count: 245
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Autobiographical Fiction

Where the Red Fern Grows is a phenomenal book. I tried to read it once when I was around 10, but at the time I just couldn’t get through it. Finally, I decided to read the whole book two years ago and it completely broke me.

I cried for hours after I was finished. It was heartwarming in some parts and absolutely heartbreaking in others. Overall, I loved the book and highly recommend it to everyone.

It follows a young boy who works for two years straight to be able to buy two dogs of his own. He teaches them loyalty, how to hunt, and quickly they become some of the best hunting dogs in the Ozark Mountains.

Let’s get into the full book review.

Full Book Review

Plot

The novel follows a young Billy Coleman who wants nothing more than to have a pair of coon hunting dogs of his own. His grandpa shows his an ad in a magazine for coon hounds $25 each.

For the next two years, Billy works as hard as he can to earn the $50 he needs for two puppies of his own. When he finally earns the money, he has to walk over 20 miles to pick them up. He names the pair Little Ann and Old Dan, and teaches them with his grandpa to be extremely loyal to each other.

Pretty quickly, Billy and his pair of coon hounds become well-known as hunters when they tree the legendary “ghost coon” that has escaped other hunters for years. Eventually, Billy enters his pups into a hunting competition.

After winning the competition, and the $300 prize, Billy takes Little Ann and Old Dan out hunting and run into a mountain lion. The dogs, loyal to Billy, try to protect him and manage to kill the mountain lion. Unfortunately, Old Dan suffers from some major injuries, and sadly passes away. Little Ann loses all of her will to live and unfortunately passes a few days later.

Billy buries both the dogs together, and the result is a Red Fern growing between their two graves. This was said to be a symbol of only the truest, purest of love.

Writing

Wilson Rawls is an incredible writer. The details he uses in this novel make it easy to actually picture what is happening. I also learned while writing this review that this novel is actually based on events from Rawls past, which makes the writing better because he puts his real emotions into it.

Characters

All of the characters are well-written. The main character, Billy, has goals and works to reach those goals. This is great because it teaches kids that they can reach their goals with a little hard work.

The supporting characters, like Billy’s family, are all really supportive of Billy’s goals, and they encourage him to reach his goals on his own. There are also a few supporting characters that you won’t like, which is exactly how they were written.

Setting

Where the Red Fern Grows takes place in the Ozark Mountains. It is clear that Rawls has a lot of knowledge about the Ozark Mountains because his descriptions are so clear. He puts so much detail into writing the setting that it almost feels like you are actually there!

Book Review Wrap Up

Pros: Great writing, amazing plot, strong main characters
Cons: Very sad, heartbreaking elements
Overall Rating: 5/5

Even though there are some incredibly sad and heartbreaking scenes in Where the Red Fern Grows, it is by far one of my favorite novels. The writing is great, the plot is well thought out, and the characters are strong and well-written.

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