Lately I’ve been revisiting a lot of books that I loved growing up, and recently I was talking with my mom about the ones I remembered the most. She pointed out that there was one in particular I always loved that she’d noticed I hadn’t mentioned on my blog yet – Wilson Rawls’ 1961 children’s novel Where the Red Fern Grows. This classic takes place in the Ozark mountains in the 1930s and follows the story of Billy, a young boy who’s always wanted dogs.

Billy’s family has barely any money, and he decides he’s going to save up money from working little jobs here and there selling things (like bait to fishermen) to buy a couple of redbone coonhounds. After two years of saving, his work finally pays off and he buys a brother and sister pair whom he names Old Dan and Little Ann. 

Billy faces many challenges alongside his dogs, from getting into physical fights with a local bully to being attacked by a mountain lion. His dogs prove to be loyal to no end, always ready to protect him over themselves, no matter the consequences.

While this is a children’s book, there are some really emotionally heavy elements that could be difficult for some kids to handle. Billy definitely goes through some traumatic experiences and parents should take a look at a summary of this one to decide if their child can handle reading this story, but if they can handle it then I’d say it’s a great choice for summer reading for middle schoolers – it has a fascinating backdrop of Oklahoma during the Great Depression, and it’s a book that will leave its mark on dog lovers everywhere. But if you are a dog lover, definitely look into some spoilers before reading, because this one can be really sad.

I think what stuck with me most about this one was the love Billy clearly has for his pets. At a time when coonhounds were often more of a hunting tool to most, he really makes them part of his family. The dogs also remind me of my sister’s treeing walker coonhound, Precious, or as I call her, Sweet Pea/the prettiest girl in the world. Hounds in general can be so loving, and this book does a great job of illustrating that.

If you’re a dog lover looking for an emotional roller coaster that’s (mostly) kid friendly to traumatize yourself (in a good way) this summer, then this is a great book you don’t want to miss!