Very good book. This book would get a 9/10. It was very interesting, but it had some confusing parts and was a bit boring. It was about Billy the hunting dog and his adventures.
Billy suddenly feels a deep desire to hunt dogs. He had worked hard for months in order to get 50 dollars to purchase 2 dogs. His grandfather helped him finally order them. He walked 50 miles to collect them. He has loved his dogs since that day. Little Ann and Old Dan were his dogs. They quickly became good friends, even though they had only been trained for a short time. His dogs and Billy’s determination made them the most successful coon hunters in the country. When hunting was difficult, they had to overcome many hurdles. For example, Old Dan started pushing Old Dan in the freezing cold water. Little Ann offered her assistance, but she was not strong enough. Old Dan was still stuck under the water, even though the coon had escaped. Billy knew there was no time to waste and devised the most ridiculous plan. He placed the lantern handle on the end of a stick to pull Old Dan through the mud. Old Dan was saved thanks to the extra length of his lantern. These kinds of obstacles helped strengthen the bond between Billy and his dogs. His grandpa suggested that he enter him into a coon-hunting tournament. He took his dad, Billy, and his two dogs to the campground for two days. On their arrival, they were entered in a beauty contest. Little Ann was chosen by Billy. Although he had very little time, he did his best to keep her clean. Two dogs were left in the competition, one was a larger hound and Little Ann was the winner. The judges awarded Billy a small silver trophy for his victory.
For 5 nights, there were 4 teams that hunted together. The fourth night saw Billy capture 4 coons. Another team won 4 coons that night. The following night, Billy went out with his opponent to play a tiebreaker. He was accompanied by his family, the judge and his dogs. After retrieving the 2 coons and escaping, a strong snowstorm began. Due to the wind, it was impossible to hear or see anything. They persevered thanks to Old Dan’s determination. They couldn’t find their pups soon and became very concerned. Everyone advised Billy to let go of his dogs. But he refused. Billy prayed to God for an idea. His idea suddenly came to him. They continued firing the Gun to get his dogs’ location. Little Ann finally came to their rescue, but Old Dan remained steadfast. Little Ann led them to Old Dan, who was barking up a tree. Instead of only 1 coon appearing from the tree, they saw 3! They managed to get 2 coons, but one ran away. They shaved the skins and realized that grandpa was not there. After searching for more than an hour, they came across him lying unconscious on the ground. They brought him with the coons back home and discovered that the other hunter was only able to get 2 coons. The storm had delayed his entry so they arrived in time. His dogs and Billy won. He won a gold cup with large amounts of cash the next morning.
They returned home and Billy and his dogs continued hunting, but they finally found a trail to follow and were able to tree it. Billy heard the growl of a bobcat and realized that it was his pup. He was familiar with how to kill bobcats, so he didn’t seem too concerned. He then noticed that the eyes were large and staring directly into his. He recognized it immediately as a mountainlion. He had never fought one before and knew they were very dangerous. It charged and Old Dan was able to get Little Ann’s help. Billy quickly joined the fight, armed with an axe. The mountainlion leapt at Billy with his axe and freed himself from the dogs. Billy waited to see it hit, but Old Dan was there to save him. It was soon destroyed by Billy’s axe. Old Dan took him home right away after he was badly injured. Mama tried to save him but his intestines had been damaged and he could not stop bleeding. Billy was there to witness Old Dan’s final breath. Little Ann and Dan were both devastated. He was soon buried on a hill by Billy. Little Ann became weak and unable to eat because her best friend died. Two days later, Billy discovered Little Ann dead next to her grave. Billy also buried Little Ann there.
A few months later, Billy saw a red-fern tree above his dogs when he went to say good-bye to them. The legend goes that the red-fern tree was the most honorable and spiritual natural monument. Billy was not.
Now that he was aware of the miracle, he is not so sad.
