Library Book: Shiloh [Paperback]

Marty will do anything to save his new friend Shiloh in this Newbery Medal–winning novel from Phillis Reynolds Naylor.

When Marty Preston comes across a young beagle in the hills behind his home, it's love at first sight—and also big trouble. It turns out the dog, which Marty names Shiloh, belongs to Judd Travers, who drinks too much and has a gun—and abuses his dogs. So when Shiloh runs away from Judd to Marty, Marty just has to hide him and protect him from Judd. But Marty's secret becomes too big for him to keep to himself, and it exposes his entire family to Judd's anger. How far will Marty have to go to make Shiloh his?A Reading Group Guide to

The Shiloh Trilogy
By Phyllis Reynolds Naylor


About the Trilogy

The Shiloh Trilogy by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor launched by the Newbery Award–winning novelShiloh, takes readers straight into the heart and soul of an eleven-year-old West Virginia boy named Marty Preston. His family of five has barely enough food and room for themselves, never mind a pet. But when Marty finds an abused beagle out in the woods, he’s willing to go to almost any length to hold on to him. The story of how Marty keeps Shiloh and at the same time tries to balance his responsibilities to his family, to the dog’s troubled original owner, and, perhaps trickiest of all, to himself, unfolds in an unforgettable trilogy. Each book is richly rewarding on its own. Together they form one of the most deeply felt sagas in modern children’s literature.

Discussion Topics

1. Marty loves animals. What details does the author provide, right from the opening paragraphs ofShiloh, that make this clear to readers? What does Marty teach Judd about loving animals inShiloh SeasonandSaving Shiloh?

2. “A lie don’t seem a lie anymore when it’s meant to save a dog,” Marty says in