It’s authentic and adds greatly to the emotion, as much of this complex work revolves around gray ethical issues and Marty’s internal debates about how far is too far to rescue a creature in need (he would say Hotel for Dogs is too far). Shiloh is written in first-person narration, and Marty’s grammar is awful, which is somewhat to be expected, as he is 11 and lives in the country – so he writes just like he speaks. They work out a compromise: Marty will work two weeks for Judd, and in return he can keep Judd’s beagle. When a neighbor’s German Shepherd attacks Shiloh, then Marty’s family learns that he’s keeping a dog, and eventually, through the grapevine that is rural living, Judd finds out, too. Their neighbor Judd Travers, who has a history of mistreating his animals, loses a timid new beagle, whom Marty comes across and decides to secretly adopt, feeding “Shiloh” table scraps. This is the central dilemma of Phyllis Reynolds Naylor’s classic Shiloh, set in rural northern West Virginia in the late 1980s. Not “rock-poor,” as Marty points out, but pretty near it, because they have to help take care of an ill elderly relative. By Wesley Coburn 4 years ago This edition of Dog O’Day’s book reviews looks at Phyllis Reynolds Naylor’s 1991 middle-grade novel Shiloh.
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