The author recalls his carefree life in a small midwestern town at the close of World War I, and his adventures with his pet raccoon, Rascal.

Benji, the hunted: Benji is left in the wilderness after an accident. Rascal: A boy, a dog, and a pet raccoon provide merriment for the family. Where the red fern grows: A young boy longs for his own red-bone hunting dogs. The journey of Natty Gann: In the 1930s, a tomboyish girl runs away from her guardian to join her single father who is 2,000 miles away.

A young boy is determined that his non-pedigreed sheep will enter the county fair and win the blue ribbon, despite opposition from everyone in charge.