Shiloh
by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Discussion Guides and Activity Ideas
Shiloh is the intriguing story of Marty, who shelters a dog (that he names Shiloh) who he believes is abused. Marty’s troubles begin when Shiloh’s legal owner, Judd, tries to find and get back Shiloh. Marty must decide whether it’s more important to be honest about Shiloh or to protect the dog, and soon discovers that neither option is free of consequences. Shiloh is the winner of the 1992 Newbery Medal.
Phyllis Reynolds Naylor lives in Bethesda, Maryland with her family and has written over 100 books for children and adults. Here’s what Naylor says about Shiloh:
"The first part of my Shiloh trilogy is true—the way Marty found Shiloh along the river. That's how I came across the shy, trembling female dog who became Shiloh in my story. She followed my husband and me back to the home of friends in the little community of Shiloh, West Virginia, just up the hill from Friendly.
"After we left for home that day, I worried about what would happen to that dog. We had two cats waiting for us back in Maryland, so we really didn't consider taking her with us.
"But I couldn't get her out of my mind. We don't own a dog now, but I grew up with a springer spaniel, and know what it's like to love a dog. So I began writing Shiloh, working happened if I had known to whom she belonged, and what I might have done if she had come to me because she was being mistreated. Three weeks later we received a letter from our friends who said the dog was still there, so they adopted her and named her Clover. She is now the happiest dog in West Virginia, they claim, and we've been back many times to visit." (from www.shilohfilm.com, "The Author")
DISCUSSION STARTERS:
- Marty felt that Judd did not take good care of his dogs. What kind of care do dogs need? Does Marty meet these needs?
- Marty speaks up against wrongdoing, yet he lies about keeping the Shiloh. How does he feel about his lying?
- What kind of problems are caused by Marty’s lying?
- What else could Marty have done instead of keeping the dog and lying about it?
- How do you know that truth and honesty are important values in Marty’s family?
- Marty said that "you can lie not only by what you say but what you don’t say" How can you lie by what you don’t say?
- Marty’s father tells him, "I want you to do what’s right." What do you think the right thing is for Marty to do? Why?
- Do you feel the deal that Judd made with Marty was fair or not. Why?
- Why do you think that Judd honored the agreement that Marty had made with him?
- Marty changed from the beginning of the story to the end. How has he changed? What do you think of the change?
SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES
- Check out our Events Calendar to see the date and location of the next Shiloh event.
- Draw a picture or create a diorama of the setting of Shiloh. (The area around Marty’s home.)
- Research West Virginia. Where is it? Is there a real town named Friendly? What is the land like? What is the climate? What is the population? How does it differ from Minnesota?
- Check out the movie Shiloh from the Scott Co Library after you’ve read the book. Compare the movie to the book. How was it the same? How did it differ? Which did you like better? Why? If you were a movie director making the movie today, what actors would you pick to play the parts?
- Take a trip to a veterinarian’s clinic or find a book on pet care. What is the best care for a dog? What are their needs?
- Look at www.childrensbookguild.org/naylor.htm to learn more about the author, including the fact that she’s received over 10,000 rejections of her books and stories (authors have to be persistent!). To read an interview with Phyllis about Shiloh, go to http://www.ipl.org/div/kidspace/askauthor/Naylor.html
- Take a poll with your friends and classmates – find out how many would have done the same thing as Marty.
- Read Phyllis Reynolds Naylor’s two sequels to Shiloh – Shiloh Season and Saving Shiloh. Would you have written the same kinds of sequels or would you have continued Marty & Shiloh’s story differently?
- "Truth," Marty decides in Shiloh Season (the sequel to Shiloh) "is more important, but gossip is more interesting." Monitor news shows on television for several days and take notes. Do they just present factual reports of important events? Or does gossip also make its way into the broadcast?
Other Chapter Books about Honesty
Notes from a Liar and Her Dog by Gennifer Choldenko. 11-year old Ant, stuck in a family that she doesn’t really like, copes by bending the truth.
Janitor’s Boy by Andrew Clements. Jack’s secret is that his father is the school janitor, but his father has a secret of his own.
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis. Bud runs away from a bad foster home and searches for the truth about his father, who he thinks is famous bandleader.
Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff. The true story slowly unfolds of why Hollis left the only foster home in which she was every happy.
The Girl with 500 Middle Names by Margaret Peterson Haddix. Janie feels out of place with her wealthier classmates, so she makes up a reason why she wears a sweater with a different name on it every day.
No More Dead Dogs by Gordon Korman. Cool guy Wallace Wallace is so truthful that he gets in trouble by giving his honest opinion of his teacher’s favorite book.