Stone Fox: Willy’s Plan

BOOK NAME: Stone Fox
AUTHOR: John Reynolds Gardiner

Welcome to today’s book club meeting!

This month, we’re reading Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardner. For today’s meeting, we have read through chapter six.

If you have finished chapter six, click “See More” to go to the meeting.

If you haven’t read that far, stop here!

Willy comes home to find a stranger at his door. His name is Clifford Snyder, and he tells Willy that Grandfather owes taxes on the farm. If Willy and Grandfather are unable to pay, the farm will be taken away from them!

Willy is determined to hold onto the farm. But how? He goes to the bank in town and tells Mr. Foster about the problem. Mr. Foster says that Willy and Grandfather will need to sell the farm to sell the taxes. But Willy gets another idea when he sees a poster advertising the National Dogsled Races. Willy will enter, and win the prize–five hundred dollars, which is the same amount as the taxes owed on the farm!

Willy withdraws some of his college savings to pay the race’s entry fee. After he registers, he encounters Stone Fox, a tall Indian mountain man. Willy says “Howdy,” but Stone Fox says nothing at all. The people in town say that Stone Fox has never lost a dogsled race.

What do you think of Willy’s plan? Do you think risking his college savings is worth it?

Do you think Grandfather will recover if Willy can pay the taxes? Why or why not?

Why do you think Stone Fox doesn’t answer Willy?

Here
are some
words you might not have seen before. (All definitions
from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.)

Moccasin: A soft leather heelless shoe or boot with the sole brought up the sides of the foot and over the toes where it is joined with a puckered seam to a U-shaped piece lying on top of the foot.

Samoyed: Any of a Siberian breed of medium-sized white or cream-colored sled dogs.

We’ll finish the book for next Wednesday’s meeting.

-DogEared