A Book Account

Where the Red Fern Grows... a book synopsis by Emily Ruthann, author Wilson Rawls

Warning! If you have never read Where the Red Fern Grows and wish to, please note that this book report has spoilers in it. If you wish to continue on, do so at your own will, but don’t blame me for spoiling the ending for you!

Warning! If you plan on not reading this and instead reading the book first, please note that the book does have three or four bad words in it.

Billy was just a small boy when his father got him traps. Billy trapped every night, trying to kill coons. And he succeeded, too. He caught more coons than thought possible with just some silly old traps. He was thankful for the traps, and happy with them, but he wanted some dogs. And not just any dogs, he wanted coon-hunting hound dogs. His mother would simply not allow it. Then one day, as he was investigating some passerby hunters’ leftover camp remains, he spotted an old newspaper. Naturally, he picked it up and started reading it. Having looked through a few pages, he saw the paper was nothing of interest so he started to set it down, but something caught his eye. A little note that read, “Registered redbone coon hound pups–twenty five dollars each,” changed his life forever.

            For two years, Billy worked harder than he ever had, and gained enough money to buy his pups. After running away to get them, he came home with two hound dogs – Big Dan, and Little Ann. He taught them well, and soon, they were the best coon hunters a boy could want. Dan had the guff – he was large, and well built. He could fight off anything. Ann was petite, but she had loads of brains. Together, (and they did everything together) they made a team.

            Billy had hundreds of encounters with coons, cats, and bears, but mostly coons. And my, did he catch a lot of them. He sold the coats, and gave the money to his father, and he didn’t mind a bit. He didn’t care where the money went, he just loved to coon hunt – and so did his dogs. Then one day, his grandfather showed him a paper contest entry form, and told him that he had already entered Billy, and all Billy had to do was go! Billy was so excited! He ran home, told his parents, and soon enough, his father, his grandfather, and his dogs were on their way to the biggest contest in the county – a coon hunt with your best dogs.

            Billy, of course, won, and received a gold cup for winning, and a silver cup for the best looking dogs. A few days afterwards, Billy went coon hunting in his own territory, but got into trouble with a cougar. He (barely) survived, but his dogs did not. Big Dan died because of wounds, and Little Ann died of a broken heart.

            With the money from all of the coons, Billy’s pa got enough money to buy a house in town, and the family moved ... but not before one last look at the graves of Dan and Ann. When Billy walked up to the graves, he almost screamed for joy – for there was a Red fern growing right in-between the two graves. And legend had it, that wherever a Red fern grew, that place was sacred forever.