1. Billy mentions that he has been passionate about hunting since he could walk. What were you like as a very young child? How have your childhood dreams shaped who you are today?

2. Have you ever desired something so intensely that it affected your eating and sleeping habits? Explain.

3. Billy's grandfather believes that determination is essential for a boy. Billy's greatest wish is to own two redbone coonhounds for hunting. How does Billy manage to get them?

4. Considering the Coleman family's financial situation, would it have been simpler for Billy to give up? How does setting and achieving a goal contribute to personal growth and maturity? How did it benefit Billy?

5. Billy's mother compares him to the young Daniel Boone. How is her observation an accurate portrayal of him?

6. For Billy, trapping is an entirely acceptable activity. What is the general perception of this activity in your area?

7. Billy makes a bold decision to walk thirty miles to Tahlequah to collect his dogs from the railroad depot. What kind of courage did this require? He left without informing his parents. What would they think when they found him missing in the morning? What would your parents think and do in a similar situation?

8. Rawls employs strong foreshadowing in chapter six. What do you think might occur?

9. Billy is grateful for his puppies. Have you ever experienced events aligning to help you achieve or obtain something special? How did you feel? Compare your sense of gratitude to Billy's.

10. Although Billy is almost fourteen, his mother worries about him hunting alone at night. His father recognizes that he is growing up, but his mother wishes to keep him a boy. How do your parents feel about your own growth? Compare their feelings to those of Billy's parents.

11. The death of a young person is a profound tragedy. Compare Billy's reaction to the death of Rubin Pritchard or his dogs to the reaction of someone you know who has experienced a similar loss. If you have faced such a loss, can you share your reaction?

12. Billy feels a strong commitment to keeping his promise to his dogs that if they treed their first coon, he would give it to them. What does Papa mean when he says, "If a man's word isn't any good, he's no good himself."

13. How would our society be different today if this code of ethics were still followed? How would your school, community, and family be different if this code of ethics were practiced?

14. Billy and his dogs, Little Ann and Old Dan, become champion hunters. Outline the steps they took to achieve this status.

15. How did Billy's attitude and character evolve through his trials and successes? What evidence shows these changes?

16. After the death of his dogs, Billy and his family leave their farm and relocate to town. Compare Billy's farm life with his new life in town. Consider what life in town might have been like for Old Dan and Little Ann. Was it fortunate that they did not live to experience the move to town? Explain your reasoning.

17. Billy deeply loves his grandpa and believes he has the best grandpa in the world. Describe your relationship with a "best" grandpa, grandma, aunt, uncle, or someone significant in your life. Compare that individual to Billy's grandpa.

18. From reading Where the Red Fern Grows, what have you learned about these themes: love, devotion, perseverance, family, faith, and friendship?

19. Explain how this statement relates to Where the Red Fern Grows: "This story is fiction, but it is true."