Product Description

MARTY WILL DO ANYTHING TO SAVE SHILOH

When Marty Preston comes across a young beagle in the hills behind his home, it's love at first sight -- and also big trouble. It turns out the dog, which Marty names Shiloh, belongs to Judd Travers, who drinks too much and has a gun -- and abuses his dogs. So when Shiloh runs away from Judd to Marty, Marty just has to hide him and protect him from Judd. But Marty's secret becomes too big for him to keep to himself, and it exposes his entire family to Judd's anger. How far will Marty have to go to make Shiloh his?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15820 in Books
• Brand: INGRAM BOOK & DISTRIBUTOR
• Published on: 2000-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 144 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780689835827
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Amazon.com Review
When 11-year-old Marty Preston chances upon a mistreated beagle pup in his hometown of Friendly, West Virginia, he is not prepared for the ethical questions he has to face. Should he return the dog to its owner, only to have the animal abused again? Should he tell his parents? Should he steal food to help the poor creature? Marty's efforts to cope with these questions provides the moral backbone for this story, which is presented in a language and manner that will be understood by third- and fourth-grade readers. The heart and beauty of this 1992 Newbery Medal winner lies in lessons children will take away with them.

From Publishers Weekly
This 1992 Newbery Medal winner revolves around an 1 1 -year-old boy who finds an abused dog near his West Virginia hills home; PW noted that this heartwarming novel should win new fans for the popular Naylor. Ages 812.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-6-- Marty Preston, 11, is a country boy who learns that things are often not what they seem, and that adults are not always "fair" in their dealings with other people. Marty finds a stray dog that seems to be abused and is determined to keep it at all costs. Because his family is very poor, without money to feed another mouth, his parents don't want any pets. Subsequently, there is a lot of conflict over the animal within the family and between Marty and Judd Travers, the dog's owner. Honesty and personal relations are both mixed into the story. Naylor has again written a warm, appealing book. However, readers may have difficulty understanding some of the first-person narration as it is written in rural West Virginian dialect. Marty's father is a postman--usually one of the better paying positions in rural areas--yet the family is extremely poor. There seems to be an inconsistency here. This title is not up to Naylor's usual high quality. --Kenneth E. Kowen, Atascocita Middle School Library, Humble, TX
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

A Boy, a Beagle. . .and a Dilemma
What a wonderful book! I read it after my 11-year old son suggested it as a change from my usual reading fare of history and biography. It turned out to be much more than just a summertime reading diversion...it became for me a deeply moving reading experience in its own right. I was quickly captivated by Marty and his family, Shiloh, the beagle, and yes, even the despicable Judd Travers.

The story is straightforward: Marty Preston is an eleven-year old boy living with his parents and two younger sisters in rural West Virginia. It is a close-knit, loving family with traditional values and a clearly defined set of rules to live by. His father is a mail carrier and his mother a homemaker.

One Sunday afternoon, as Marty is walking along a backwoods road, he spies a young beagle hiding under a bush. He calls to it, but the dog doesn't respond. When Marty walks away, the dog follows him. Marty tries to get the dog to come to him several times, but the animal, which has obviously been abused, cowers miserably. Finally, the dog happily comes to Marty when the boy whistles at him. Marty immediately falls in love with the dog, whom he names Shiloh. The little beagle responds with trust and affection. The boy quickly figures out that Shiloh belongs to Judd Travers, a local ne'er-do-well, and a man with an unsavory reputation for dishonesty, a hot temper, and animal abuse. Marty wants to keep Shiloh, to protect him from Judd. However, his parents insist he return the dog to its rightful owner, which Marty begrudgingly does.

Shiloh runs away from Judd a second time and finds his way back to Marty's house. This time, Marty vows to keep him. He hides the dog, sneaks food out of the house to feed him, and begins to lie to friends and family when questioned about Shiloh's whereabouts. A tragic accident causes Marty's secret to be found out by his parents. He is forced once again to return Shiloh to his master. Marty, desperate to keep Shiloh, offers to do almost anything to get Judd to give him the dog.

I won't give away the ending of the book; suffice it to say, it is a dramatic and compassionate ending, sure to move anyone who reads this book.

"Shiloh" is a beautifully and masterfully written in every way. It is written in the first person, from Marty's point of view. The narrative is written in a rural West Virginia dialect that sounds totally natural and unaffected. It seemed almost possible for me to hear Marty speak as I read along. The book's plot is absolutely superb - tightly woven, dramatic, and realistic. Each of the characters come to life with complete believability. All of the situations presented in the narrative are easy to understand and appropriate for young readers.

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor proves why she is such a gifted writer of children's books, mainly because she so brilliantly fires the reader's imagination and teaches positive values. In the story, she presents Marty with an ethical dilemma which, at one time or another, all children face. Marty's predicament is this: whether to do what is right in the eyes of a higher authority (his parents) when it is a reasonable certainty that the action will result in a great wrong being done by someone else; or to do what his heart says is right, even though that action is wrong in the eyes of the higher authority (his parents). Marty's dilemma is compounded his conscience, which speaks loudly and often to him, demanding from him both honesty and a sense of fair play. How Marty responds to these challenges is the great lesson taught by this book.

"Shiloh" is a winner of the Newbery Medal and a classic of children's literature. I heartily recommend it to kids of all ages...from 9 to 99.

Both boys and girls will love Shiloh!
Shiloh is a wonderful example of realistic fiction for children. The story revolves around Marty, a small town boy in the hills of West Virginia. There isn't much money, and putting food on the table is difficult and all consuming for the adults of his community.

Marty spends his free time roaming the hills with his rifle, until he discovers Shiloh, a dog, whom he learns lives with constant abuse by his owner. Marty determines to rescue Shiloh and care for the dog he immediately becomes attached to. He finds, however, that simply wanting something, is not a determinant of taking possession: he is stunned that the abusive owner has rights, which is confusing and heartbreaking for him.

Throughout the story, Marty is confronted by moral issues which he must wrestle with as he focuses his attention on loving Shiloh and finding a way to make life better for the dog. In doing so, his values are questioned and his morality is strengthened. He must learn to solve moral dilemmas by analyzing the choices he has. He realizes that adults don't always do the right thing, nor do they always have the answers to questions. Most, important, he learns to recognize that he has the ability, within himself, to realize the resolve it takes to do the right thing in the face of adversity.

Young readers will experience these dilemmas with Marty, and the story provides youngsters with the opportunity to develop their own moral skills along with him.

Shiloh Review
Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds, Shiloh, New York, New York: Aladdin Paperbacks Publishing, 2000. 137 pages.

Have you ever thought to yourself, "Why do people abuse their animal(s)?" I mean it is just plain wrong. In the book Shiloh there isn't really a main setting in the book because they go all around their town. The main characters are Marty who is a boy, then there is Shiloh who is the dog which is surprisingly the main character but also the title of the book. My favorite part of the book was when Judd got in a truck accident because of drinking to much beer. That night Shiloh snuck out of the house because he had a weird feeling and when Shiloh was looking off the bridge he saw someone which was Judd Travers who was the original owner of Shiloh and still was but Judd was abusing Shiloh, so Shiloh ran away. Well, I don't want to ruin the story but Shiloh started barking like crazy when he found Judd on the side off the bridge. Marty woke up at the loud barking and noticed that Shiloh wasn't there. If it wasn't for Shiloh, Judd would've been dead. I don't really think that you can really judge a book by its cover. If you love animals then you will really love this book. It is really sad because Judd abuses his animals so bad, and it makes me get all teary. This book is the best book I have ever read. I have read this book more then 5 times. I really love to read animal books. I really wouldn't change anything about this book. I would rate this book out of 1-5, with four being that I couldn't put this book down, it was so good and one being that it was hard to stay awake, and I struggled to finish it, I would rate this book a five and beyond.