Review of Shiloh

Topic Sentence Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor is a story about a boy’s struggle to keep a dog that is not his. Marty Preston lives in West Virginia. One day while exploring, he discovers a beagle. He names the dog Shiloh but learns that the dog belongs to Judd Travers, who is known for mistreating animals. Body Sentences When Marty’s dad makes him return Shiloh to Judd, Marty sees Judd kick Shiloh. Then one day Shiloh escapes, and Marty builds him a cage in the woods. Marty struggles to decide how to keep the dog without stealing from a neighbor or lying to his parents. Something happens that forces him to tell the truth. Ending Sentences If you want to know if he keeps Shiloh, you will have to read the book yourself. I think you’ll like Shiloh as much as I did.

Review of Shiloh

Beginning Paragraph Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor is an emotional story about a boy who wants to keep a dog that is not his. Marty finds the dog lost in the woods and starts to take care of him. He soon discovers that the dog already has an owner—a mean one. This problem forces Marty to make tough choices between what is right and wrong.

Middle Paragraphs The main character in Shiloh is Marty Preston. Marty is 11 years old and lives with his family in the hills of West Virginia. Character He loves animals. He won’t even eat the rabbits that his father hunts for dinner. One day he meets a stray beagle in the woods. Marty takes him home and names him Shiloh. However, his dad says Judd Travers owns Shiloh.

Judd is a mean man who mistreats animals. When Marty returns Shiloh to Judd, he sees Judd kick Shiloh. This saddens Marty, and he decides that he needs to buy Shiloh from Judd. The problem is Marty doesn’t have any money. Then Shiloh runs away to Marty, and things get really complicated. Marty knows if his parents find out he has Shiloh, he’ll have to return the dog to Judd. Conflict But Marty thinks if that happens, Judd will abuse Shiloh even worse.

Marty understands lying is wrong. He once caught Judd cheating the owner of the corner store out of money. But he also wants to protect Shiloh, so he hides Shiloh out of sight beyond his house. He says, “Funny how one lie leads to another, and before you know it your whole life can be a lie.” Eventually something happens that forces Marty to confess. In the end, he has to confront Judd, too.

Theme The book Shiloh shows that the difference between right and wrong is not always clear. Marty says, “Nothing is as simple as you guess—not right or wrong, not Judd Travers, not even me or this dog I got here.” When you need to make a choice without a simple right or wrong answer, you have to think it through and act for the greater good. Marty decides Shiloh’s well being was important enough to bend the rules.

Ending Paragraph I like this book because I love dogs, just like Marty. I also like that Shiloh is told from Marty’s point of view, since then I was able to learn his thoughts and feelings along the way. So you might be wondering what happens to Marty and Shiloh in the end. Read the book to find out!