Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Shiloh is an award winning children's novel written by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. The author is from Anderson Indiana. Being a child of the Depression, she didn't have toys to play with, instead her parents read to her every night. This is what sparked her love of books.

The story takes place in the small town of Friendly, West Virginia. A boy named Marty Preston finds a stray dog wandering in the fields near his house. When the dog follows Marty home he decides to keep it and names the dog Shiloh. The real owner of the dog turns out to be a local hunter named Judd Travers. He is a rough man who has several dogs all of which Marty believes, are mistreated. Marty wants to keep the Shiloh but his father insists that the dog be returned to his rightful owner. However Marty disagrees with this and he keeps the dog hiding him in a cage in the woods. He bonds with Shiloh going on excursions in the woods and sneaking bits of  his supper to him. Soon Marty's mother discovers his secret but agrees to keep it from his father. One night Shiloh is attacked by a German Shepard and injured so Marty is forced to tell his father that he has been hiding the dog. Shiloh is taken to the doctor in town and Marty is made to give the dog to Judd by the weeks end.
Marty decides to ask Judd about keeping Shiloh and working off the cost of the dog. On the ways to Judd's house Marty witnesses Judd killing a deer out of season. With this information he summons up the courage to confront Judd and blackmails him into letting Marty keep the dog. They agree on a price of $40 equal to 20 hours of work. After the first week Judd informs Marty that the evidence of his illegal hunting has disappeared and he will no longer be honoring their deal. But Marty has gotten to know Judd and decides to continue working for him. As Marty befriends Judd he learns that as a child Judd was abused by his father. Eventually Judd softens towards Marty and agrees to let him have Shiloh. This begins their adventures, Shiloh is the first book in a series.

This book brings up issues of right and wrong. Is Marty wrong for keeping the dog safe and not returning him? Is it Judd's right to treat his animals any way he chooses? It also made me think of bullies. What makes a bully? No child is born a bully, something happened to Judd to make him mean and abusive to the dogs. There are consequences to all of our actions and Shiloh explores this.