Where the Red Fern Grows

By, Wilson Rawls

245 pages

Where the Red Fern Grows, by Wilson Rawls, is a story about a boy named Billy. Billy really wants to buy coon hounds so he can hunt in the forest. He saves up his money and finally buys the dogs. He trains them to hunt raccoons and gives the money he earns to his father. Billy was going against Ruben and Rainie Pritchard trying to catch a raccoon when Ruben dies. Billy is very upset about this until he visits Ruben’s grave. One day Billy decides to enter a contest to catch raccoons against grown men. They had a lot of problems during their hunt because of a winter storm, but still end up winning the hunt and some money. Later on Billy’s dogs tree a mountain lion and they have to save Billy from it. One of Billy’s dogs dies and the other dies because she misses the other dog. Billy digs a grave and buries them. When he goes back a red fern is growing there and according to Indian legend only an angel can plant a red fern, so Billy is ready to move on without his dogs.