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kristif's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
happylilkt's review against another edition
4.0
Listened to the audiobook narrated by Anthony Heald—his performance is outstanding. We listened to this on a road trip with my 6,.8, and 10 year olds. The only reason I'm not rating it 5 stars is that the ending was a little weak and the violence was more graphic than I remembered. I was reading up on the author, however, and it sounds like he was heavily influenced by Jack London, so that makes sense...
The writing is so beautiful, the characters—especially the dogs—so well developed, and Anthony Heald's narration is impeccable. My cold-hearted children did not, however, join me in crying at all during the novel. (They didn't cry at the end of Charlotte's Web either. Are they sociopaths? Should I be worried?)
All jokes aside, it still holds up pretty well from when I last read it in 3rd grade. We talked as a family about our pet who died this year, my father who died in 2021, and how in life (and in the best literature) the bad is mingled with the good.
The writing is so beautiful, the characters—especially the dogs—so well developed, and Anthony Heald's narration is impeccable. My cold-hearted children did not, however, join me in crying at all during the novel. (They didn't cry at the end of Charlotte's Web either. Are they sociopaths? Should I be worried?)
All jokes aside, it still holds up pretty well from when I last read it in 3rd grade. We talked as a family about our pet who died this year, my father who died in 2021, and how in life (and in the best literature) the bad is mingled with the good.
camiand96's review against another edition
4.0
Similar to other readers I read this book in elementary school and am still impacted by its message today.
marshmellowhello's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5 stars
yes, it's sad. there are just a bit too many miracle elements for my liking.
yes, it's sad. there are just a bit too many miracle elements for my liking.
angelkat556's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
mgarzee's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
kiana2173's review against another edition
5.0
If you want to bawl your eyes out, this is the book for you. Of course, this book has dogs. How can you not fall in love with them? The book follows a young boy who hunts with his two dogs, and he proves everyone who didn’t believe him wrong. But why did I bawl my eyes out? Read and find out!
Repost of review from instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/C01gZTqJ7Zu/?img_index=1
Repost of review from instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/C01gZTqJ7Zu/?img_index=1
goosiana's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It is a little graphic at times and has animal death.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Blood
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Grief
Minor: Body horror
jenmangler's review against another edition
2.0
I remember really liking the book when I was in middle school, but I sadly don't feel the same the as an adult. If you aren't into hunting, this book is not for you. And I'm not, so it isn't. There are many things I like about this book - the writing, Billy's work ethic, the relationship between Billy & his grandpa, the awesome duo of Old Dan and Little Anne - but I absolutely loathed the hunting scenes and, since that's pretty much the whole book, I had a hard time reading it.
sdale2596's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I read this book to my middle school classes for about 10 minutes a day. I think that may have impacted the emotional impact of the book, but it was still a wonderful ride.
This book does a great job of describing the nature of the Ozark mountains in language that puts the reader right in the thick of it. The book is more than just a dog book. It's about the uncertainty of life and how we can't predict where life will take us.
It captures the dreamlike quality adolescents have where all things are possible, but it never completely lets us forget because we all have our red ferns.
This book does a great job of describing the nature of the Ozark mountains in language that puts the reader right in the thick of it. The book is more than just a dog book. It's about the uncertainty of life and how we can't predict where life will take us.
It captures the dreamlike quality adolescents have where all things are possible, but it never completely lets us forget because we all have our red ferns.