Shiloh

Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. (2000). Shiloh. New York, New York: Scholastic Inc.

Brief Annotation: Marty, an eleven-year old boy living in West Virginia, encounters a thin, young beagle while wandering in the woods and immediately falls in love with the dog. He finds out that the dog, which he names Shiloh, is owned by an angry, violent neighbor, Judd Travers, who starves and abuses his dogs. Marty's parents make him return Shiloh to Judd, but when Shiloh escapes his owner and again finds Marty, Marty resolves never to return the dog to Travers. He hides (and bonds with) the dog until a dangerous dog hurts Shiloh, they have to take Shiloh to the vet, and Travers finds out that Marty has been keeping Shiloh. Marty stands up to Travers, works to pay for the job, and receives the dog and some respect from Travers.
Genre: Realistic fiction
Grade Level: 2-5
Readers who will like this: Readers who like animals, readers interested in stories about kids their age facing challenges, readers who like books that pose moral dilemmas.
Response/Rating (1-4): 4. The book is very well-written, and condenses an emotional story into a fairly short chapter book.
One question you would ask before a read aloud: Is it OK to do something you know your parents will think is wrong if you do it to save another creature?