Where the Red Fern Grows, by Wilson Rawls

(Paperback, 304 pages, first published in 1961)

Read the beloved classic that captures the powerful bond between man and man’s best friend. This edition also includes a special note to readers from Newbery Medal winner and Printz Honor winner Clare Vanderpool.

Billy has long dreamt of owning not one, but two, dogs. So when he’s finally able to save up enough money for two pups to call his own—Old Dan and Little Ann—he’s ecstatic. It doesn’t matter that times are tough; together they’ll roam the hills of the Ozarks.

Soon Billy and his hounds become the finest hunting team in the valley. Stories of their great achievements spread throughout the region, and the combination of Old Dan’s brawn, Little Ann’s brains, and Billy’s sheer will seems unbeatable. But tragedy awaits these determined hunters—now friends—and Billy learns that hope can grow out of despair, and that the seeds of the future can come from the scars of the past.

Cautions: Beware, this is a very sad but wonderful book. It contains depictions of violence on hunts and a graphic fight between a mountain lion and the dogs, an accidental death, and some bullying. See PluggedIn's review here.

Recommended Age: 10+ for independent reading or 8+ as a read-aloud