Tearjerkers

        I recently read Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls and had the hardest time getting through the ending. I had to stop ten pages from the ending to cool off, before I could finish up the book. It got me thinking about other books I have teared up over, so I decided to make a list of a few of the saddest books I've read. 

1. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls

    Where the Red Fern Grows is the saddest book I have ever read. The story follows a the journey of a young boy, Billy, living in the Ozarks with his hound dogs. At the beginning, Billy is determined to get his own hunting dogs but his family can't afford to buy any hound dogs for him. So, for two years Billy works every day in summer to save money, and one day buys two hound dogs, Old Dan and Little Ann. From here the story goes on to tell the adventures the trio has together, until one fateful day. 

This next part will include spoilers! Highlight to read it.

    In a encounter with a Mountain lion during one of their hunting trips, Old Dan received a terrible blow that he was unable to recover from. Billy and Little Ann are heartbroken, and both struggle to move on after experiencing a terrible loss. Only a few days after Old Dan died Little Ann also died, from the heartache of losing a close companion.  The ending of the story does a beautiful job of showing the pain from losing a close friend.

Through this story you were able to experience this beautiful and strong relationship that Billy and his dogs had created. You are invested in their friendship and the struggle that it took to get there, which makes the ending so much harder to handle. This is a wonderful read and would recommended it whenever your in the mood for a heartwarming story.

2. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak 

    Since this is a World War 2 book it deals with a lot of sensitive subjects. The book is narrated by Death and follows the a young girl living in a small town in Germany. This book is very similar to Where the Red Fern Grows, with many close and endearing relationships with unsatisfying endings. Just a head up, it was slow in the beginning, but it quickly picks up through the middle and end. Otherwise, it's a great read with a unique writing style and would definitely recommend it.

3. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

    The giving tree is a classic picture book by one of my favorite authors Shel Silverstein. It tells the story of a man and a tree, in the beginning the tree is giving everything to the man until the tree is just a stump. That's plenty though, for now the man is very old and just wants to sit. This story doesn't make you cry as much, but it makes you think. The relationship between the tree and the man, shows how the two can be happy in this uneven relationship. It's also a bit sad though, because the tree gave itself up for this man and the tree can no longer be the mighty thing it used to be. Though in the end the tree ended up being the exact thing the man wanted. 

Thanks for reading!  

- Sophie