Eight Reasons to Teach Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Looking for one more novel to read out loud or have your students read this year? Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor may be just what you are looking for. Here is why!

Shiloh is a wonderful book for elementary teachers to introduce to their students. If you're unsure whether you should teach Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, then check out this blog post with eight reasons why you should!

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Point of View/Writing Style

Shiloh is written in first person in the voice of eleven-year-old Marty Preston. Marty lives in rural West Virginia, and his speech patterns make that very evident. This is a great opportunity to analyze how an author can use a local dialect to shape a character.

Ethical Issues

In the story, Marty rescues a dog that is being brutally mistreated by his owner. Since his parents won’t let him have a dog (because they are too poor to afford one), Marty finds himself lying on several occasions. Because Marty is a good person, this does not sit well with him at all. There are so many great discussions here as students weigh Marty’s good intentions with what he does to carry them out.

A Villain with Depth

The villain in this story is Shiloh’s owner, Judd Travers. Judd is a really dreadful person, but Naylor helps both Marty and the reader find compassion for him by giving us a glimpse into his past and by giving him a small amount of humanity near the end of the story.

A Protagonist to Admire

At first, there doesn’t seem to be all that much to Marty, but as he wrestles with himself over his own bad behavior and his love for Shiloh, he grows into a more complicated character. He struggles to understand Judd Travers, and at the end of the story, when he chooses the high road at much personal expense, he defines himself even more.

Newbery Award

It won the coveted medal in 1992.

There’s a Movie

The movie adaptation of the book is quite good. While it does follow the story line fairly closely, there are some changes, and students will enjoy discussing how these changes affect the story and why they were made.

There are Sequels

Two of them, in fact: Shiloh Season

and Saving Shiloh

(there are movies for both of these books, as well). Reading a book with sequels is always a plus for those kids who want to keep reading.

Resources Galore

There are lots of literatures guides and other resources for teaching this book, including this terrific set of comprehension questions.

So, consider Shiloh for your next reading assignment – after all, you can’t go wrong with a boy and his dog, and unlike so many other ones, in this story the dog doesn’t even die in the end.

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