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Where the Red Fern Grows report
to Rubin’s grave and puts some flowers on the grave.
Billy’s Grandpa enters him in a coon-hunting contest. Billy, his Papa and Grandpa take a buggy to the contest. Little Ann wins the beauty contest on the first day. Billy and his dogs qualify for the championship round. A winter blizzard begins and Billy’s Grandpa falls and sprains his ankle. Billy loses track of his dogs. When he stops to build a fire, he finds his dogs covered in ice. They catch enough coons and win the tournament. Everyone cheers. Billy wins a $300.00 prize. Everybody is really happy, especially Billy’s Mama and his sisters.
After the contest is over, Billy and his dogs keep coon hunting. One night, instead of a coon, the dogs tree a mountain lion. Old Dan howls at the cat, and the cat attacks Old Dan. Billy grabs an ax and starts swinging at the lion hoping to save his dogs. The lion starts attacking Billy and the dogs have to save him. It takes a long time, but the dogs defeat the mountain lion. Old Dan is really badly wounded. Billy tries everything to save him, but he dies the next day. Billy and Little Ann are heartbroken. Little Ann is so sad, she loses her will to live and dies a few days later.
Billy’s family tries to console him. His Papa tells him the good news that they will be moving to town. Papa saved all the money Billy gave him from the coonskins. Now they can move to town and they can all go to school. Billy is happy for his family but he is very sad about his dogs. The day the family is moving, Billy visits his dogs’ graves. Growing out of the graves is a large red fern. According to Indian Legend, only an Angel can plant a red fern. It never dies and makes the spot a sacred place. The whole family is in amazement, and now Billy is ready to move to town.
This was a great book. I really enjoyed all the adventure. I also liked Billy. He had a lot of courage. He was strong. He knew what he wanted and he worked hard to get it. He loved his dogs and his family. He was a great kid