Where+the+Red+Fern+Grows

Review by Gabrielle Berube

// Where the Red Fern Grows // by Wilson Rawls Publisher: DoubleDay Publishing, 1961 Language: English Reading Level: Grades 4-6 ISBN: 0375806814
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Paperback, 272 pages

(Woodrow) Wilson Rawls was born on September 24, 1913, in the Ozark country of Scraper, Oklahoma. His mother home-schooled her children, and after Rawls read Jack London's canine-centered tale Call of the Wild, he decided to become a writer. But the Great Depression hit the Unites States in 1929, and Rawls left home to find work. His family moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1935, and he came home each fall to work and hunt. He wrote stories while he traveled, but his lack of formal education hampered his grammar, and he could not sell anything. In 1958, he gave up on his dream and burned all his work. He later revealed his literary desires to his wife, Sophie, and she encouraged him to keep writing. In a three-week burst, Rawls wrote Where the Red Fern Grows, a highly autobiographical and poignant account of a boy, his two hounds, and raccoon-hunting in the Ozark Mountains. His wife edited his grammar and, after serialization in the "Saturday Evening Post," Doubleday published the novel in 1961. By the late 1960s, word-of-mouth helped the book become a classic for young readers. Rawls wrote (and Sophie edited) one more book, The Summer of the Monkeys, in 1976. This, too, became a classic. Rawls died in 1984 in Idaho Falls, Idaho.
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Billy Colman roams the Ozarks of northeastern Oklahoma with his bluetick hound and his precious coonhound pup trying to "tree" the elusive raccoon. In time, the inseparable trio wins the coveted gold cup in the annual coon-hunt contest, captures the wily ghost coon, and bravely fights with a mountain lion. When the victory over the mountain lion turns to tragedy, Billy grieves, but learns the beautiful old Native American legend of the sacred red fern that grows over the graves of his dogs.
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This is a book that is definitely geared toward slightly older students but it is an amazing one none the less. Readers become emerged in the story and become emotional right along with the characters. I remember crying it when I read it my first time, and just as much my second time. This book is just all around a fun read for teachers and students alike.
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Since this book is such a classic it really touches on several classic novel concepts. It would be really fun for a class to compare this book literary wise to a newer book and see the similarities and differences between the two.
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