Book Title: Shiloh
Author: Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Copyright Date: 2000
Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction
Brief Annotation: At just eleven years old, Marty is faced with decisions and choices many adults would have trouble navigating. When Marty meets a scared, lovable beagle his life changes. He recognizes that this dog is in trouble. When, for the second time, the dog runs away from his abusive owner, Marty cannot bear to return him. He loves this dog. He will do anything to protect this dog. He names him Shiloh and their journey together begins. A story of the lows and highs of humanity that will have you, too, quickly falling in love with Shiloh and the boy fighting to save him.
Your Rating (1-5) and why: 5 – I love being introduced to all these wonderful books, and Shiloh is no exception. This is not an easy story to read at times – it’s difficult to read about cruelty to animals. But in telling the truths of the animal abuse, we are able to experience the beautiful truths of Marty’s love, kindness, courage, and his struggle with right and wrong.
Readers who will like this book: Boys and girls, who like realistic stories and have a soft spot for animals, will most enjoy this story. There are lots of emotions involved, so it would be helpful for parents to discuss the questions and feelings the story brings up.
Teaching Strategy from Yopp & Yopp: Book Bits (p. 27-31); Shiloh deals with a variety of themes, behaviors, and emotions. There are many great sentences you could use to spark interest and conversation. With this activity, students are given bits of information (lines from the book), never revealing too much. They begin to form a range of impressions and predictions about the text. In the process, students need to be able to adapt and reform their thinking as new bits of information are provided. Example lines from the book might include:
* I can hear Dad’s voice saying, “Get a flashlight,” but I’m already out on the back porch, then running up the hill.
* That’s a flat-out lie. Funny how one lie leads to another and before you know it, your whole life can be a lie.
* I tell him about a million times I love him as much as I love my ma.
* Judd just laughs, and his teeth’s dark where the tobacco juice oozes through.
* Wish I could let him make a little noise. It’s not natural, I know, to keep an animal so quiet.
Interest Level (age): 9-11
Grade Level Equivalent (grade): 5.7
List awards: Newbery Medal Book, ALA Notable Children's Books
You do a fine job acknowledging in your summary the difficult themes in Shiloh, but also advocating for its inclusion in classroom libraries. I don't know what it is about K-6 kids and animals, but I swear you could write about almost anything featuring animals and you'd have kids in the palms of your hands. I mean, I guess I understand the psychology of being once removed from difficult ideas when animals are featured (instead of abused children, in the case of this book), but it's still fascinating to think about this formula.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I'm glad you liked this classic book--classic in the sense that its appeal is timeless, along with the ideas it compels readers to consider. Book Bits is a great match as a pre-reading strategy to pique students' interest in the story. I can see a Book Box working in the same way.
The Tompkins strategy book has an idea called Tea Party that works from the same idea of studying story excerpts, but it's a post-reading strategy. The teacher and the students select their favorite lines from the story, write them on index cards, then during a tea party celebration (juice and cookies?), the take turns reading aloud their excerpts. It's just a nice, non-evaluative idea for celebrating books.