Where the Red Fern Grows

[NancyJ, Moderator]

Has anyone read Where the Red Fern Grows?

[Joy, Your Obedient Servant]

I read it over the summer!

One of the best written books on this list in my opinion.

[Nyla]

I taught it for many, many years, so I have probably read it at least a dozen times. It is an excellent story, and most of my students loved it, but I did get tired of it. I was personally grateful when we changed the curriculum, and I was able to give my students more choices.

[NancyJ, Moderator]

Nyla, I think once or twice would be my limit, though it would help to see it through a child's eyes. I just read it for the first time, with a rl book club. I wasn't really in the mood for this type of book at the time, so I was slow to warm up to the charm of the book. I did eventually get there, as the book became very exciting The author gives the reader early warning of the saddest events in the book, which I think was wise. It softens the blow, and keeps the book from becoming a total tearjerker.

I tried both the print and audio versions of the book, and I found that in this case I strongly preferred reading the print version. The narrator of the audio used an accent that may be perfectly appropriate to the location, but it seemed too folksy to me, and it slowed the pace considerably. When I read parts that I already heard, I appreciated the writing so much more.

[Paula]

NancyJ wrote: "Nyla, I think once or twice would be my limit, though it would help to see it through a child's eyes. I just read it for the first time, with a rl book club. I wasn't really in the mood for this ty..."

Your comment about the narrator struck a chord with me. I listen to audio books in my car. Sometimes I feel like I'm trudging through a book when the narrator doesn't do a good job. By the way, the film version of this book was well done, in my opinion.

[NancyJ, Moderator]

Paula wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "Nyla, I think once or twice would be my limit, though it would help to see it through a child's eyes. I just read it for the first time, with a rl book club. I wasn't really in the m..."

Thanks Paula, I'll look for that.

With audios, sometimes it's just personal preference, but they're usually slower than reading silently. I always have one in the car too.

[Heather]

I really enjoyed this book even though it made me cry. I watched the movie as a kid as well.

[NancyJ, Moderator]

Bruyere wrote: "I really enjoyed this book even though it made me cry. I watched the movie as a kid as well."

I'm surprised I didn't cry (well, maybe I did a little). It helped to know what was coming with Big Dan, but I wasn't expecting the part about Little Ann. It would be a lot harder to watch this as a kid.

Did you find it odd that the sisters didn't have any names?