“An exciting tale of love and adventure you’ll never forget.”

 

NO MAJOR SPOILERS

I am a retired elementary school teacher. Where the Red Fern Grows is hands down the all-time, every-year favorite read aloud book! At the end of the year, when I finished my final read aloud, I always asked which book they liked best. WTRFG was a consistent winner. The author’s voice came through loud and clear from a young Billy’s perspective.

The story begins with a young boy who is very poor, but dreams of owning a pair of coon hounds. He finds a magazine ad which indicates some dogs for sale. The story captures Billy’s intense need to earn the money to buy his dogs in great detail.

There are many life lessons to be learned while joining Billy on his journey to earn his dogs. The detail throughout the book is captivating. The reader can visualize Billy’s training of the dogs, his hunting adventures, the dangers he encounters. Readers will also experience many emotions along with Billy, including disappointment, sadness, joy, despair, happiness, fear, and many more.

Although the book takes place decades in the past, my students had no problem relating to Billy. WTRFG appealed to boys and girls alike. I wrote this from the perspective of a classroom teacher, but would recommend this book to anyone over ten years old.

 

 

Reviewed by:

Somday

Added 9th October 2015