What can I say. Shiloh is the book that had my children begging me to continue reading (boy and girl; 8 and 10). We don't need TV, they said, just don't stop reading, mommy.
And I think they liked it because unlike many of the books we read this one had REAL tension emanating from the pages, and not just 'pretend' drama. The story is about Marty Preston, a 10 year-old living in rural West Virginia. I'm not sure of the timeframe, but Marty's family has a television and a fridge, but not a phone.
Marty's a boy, very much like my children, in that he REALLY wants a dog. Unfortunately, his family isn't in a position to afford one. BUT THEN one day he happens upon a lost beagle. The dog is skittish but eventually the two come together and it's more or less love at first sight. Only problem is that the dog belongs to another. A man name Judd, who it turns out abuses his hunting dogs -- much as he himself was abused as a child.
Judd takes 'Shiloh' back and Marty is disgusted. But then Shiloh escapes again and this time Marty resolves that he won't give him up, no matter what.
Talking Points :::
Shiloh might sound like a typical boy-and-dog book, but it's not. And what sets it apart in my view is that in keeping his promise to the dog, Marty crosses all sorts of barriers of right-and-wrong. He lies, for example, even to his family and best friend, and even resorts to blackmail at one point. Something I don't think you see in most of your standard kid books. And it's these decisions, and the threat of being caught, that created the drama that hooked my children. And which served as the basis of more than one serious conversation as we discussed what Marty did that was questionable and what we would do.
Talking Points :::
Shiloh might sound like a typical boy-and-dog book, but it's not. And what sets it apart in my view is that in keeping his promise to the dog, Marty crosses all sorts of barriers of right-and-wrong. He lies, for example, even to his family and best friend, and even resorts to blackmail at one point. Something I don't think you see in most of your standard kid books. And it's these decisions, and the threat of being caught, that created the drama that hooked my children. And which served as the basis of more than one serious conversation as we discussed what Marty did that was questionable and what we would do.
Recommend this one as a good read.
by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Reading Information:
Word Count: 29,617
Page Count: 144
Accelerated Reader: 4.4 / points: 4.0
AR quiz: 5440
Lexile: 890L
--sample pages and other reviews available
Page Count: 144
Accelerated Reader: 4.4 / points: 4.0
AR quiz: 5440
Lexile: 890L
--sample pages and other reviews available
No comments :
Post a Comment