When a boy from Appalachia sees the skill and bravery in two hunting dogs, he decides to get two coon hounds of his own. This boy, Billy, is always ridiculed by his classmates in town for his appearance - rags for clothes and worn out shoes just for appearances in the town - the dogs may remedy another problem: loneliness.

The reader sees Billy's intense struggle to achieve his goal despite his poverty, his hard-earned triumph in training his team of dogs, and the development of his bond with Lil' Dan and Lil' Ann.

- Layla, 16, Central Library