When 11-year-old Marty Preston chances upon a mistreated beagle pup in his hometown of Friendly, West Virginia, he is not prepared for the ethical questions he has to face. Should he return the dog to its owner, only to have the animal abused again? Should he tell his parents? Should he steal food to help the poor creature? Marty's efforts to cope with these questions provides the moral backbone for this story, which is presented in a language and manner that will be understood by third- and fourth-grade readers. The heart and beauty of this 1992 Newbery Medal winner lies in lessons children will take away with them.

From Publishers Weekly
This 1992 Newbery Medal winner revolves around an 1 1 -year-old boy who finds an abused dog near his West Virginia hills home; PW noted that this heartwarming novel should win new fans for the popular Naylor. Ages 812. Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-6-- Marty Preston, 11, is a country boy who learns that things are often not what they seem, and that adults are not always "fair" in their dealings with other people. Marty finds a stray dog that seems to be abused and is determined to keep it at all costs. Because his family is very poor, without money to feed another mouth, his parents don't want any pets. Subsequently, there is a lot of conflict over the animal within the family and between Marty and Judd Travers, the dog's owner. Honesty and personal relations are both mixed into the story. Naylor has again written a warm, appealing book. However, readers may have difficulty understanding some of the first-person narration as it is written in rural West Virginian dialect. Marty's father is a postman--usually one of the better paying positions in rural areas--yet the family is extremely poor. There seems to be an inconsistency here. This title is not up to Naylor's usual high quality. --Kenneth E. Kowen, Atascocita Middle School Library, Humble, TXCopyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The New York Times Book Review, Jane Langton
Written in a comfortable, down-home style and set in a believable dirt-poor Bible Belt countryside.

From AudioFile
Peter MacNichol's youthful voice and soft drawl are the perfect vehicle for this gentle story of a young boy's love for a mistreated dog. His narration captures its rural, Southern hill-country flavor and effectively expresses its individual characters--especially the hateful Jud Travers who owns the hunting dogs, including the recalcitrant Shiloh. Children will love this heartrending story, which holds nostalgic appeal for animal-loving adults as well. D.M.L. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

From Kirkus Reviews
A gripping account of a mountain boy's love for a dog he's hiding from its owner. Marty, 11, tells how Shiloh, the runaway, first caught his heart; still, his bone-poor West Virginia family has a strong sense of honor, and the dog is returned to its owner. After it runs back to Marty, he hides it in the woods. As Marty's structure of lies to his parents compounds, the villainous owner circles closer. By the time Judd finds Shiloh, the whole family is compromised and the dog has been injured. Marty does get the dog, partly by another lie of omission: he blackmails Judd when he finds him poaching and makes a deal to work for Judd to pay for the dog, but tells his parents another version. Fine lines are explored here: How necessary is it to adhere to the strict truth? ``What kind of law is it...that lets a man mistreat his dog?'' Has the dog been ``saved'' if this leads to its injury? Marty concludes that ``nothing is as simple as you guess--not right or wrong, not Judd Travers, not even me or this dog.'' Meanwhile, young readers will rejoice that Shiloh and Marty end up together. (Fiction. 8-12) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Midwest Book Review
This is a spirited reading, indeed: Peter MacNicol's rendition joins with sound effects to enhance a lovely condensed version of Naylor's classic boy/dog story. What makes Shiloh so endearing - particularly in its audio version - is its attention to the moral and ethical dilemmas raised by a boy in love with an unwanted dog.

ANNOTATION

When he finds a lost beagle in the hills behind his West Virginia home, Marty tries to hide it from his family and the dog's real owner, a mean-spirited man known to shoot deer out of season and to mistreat his dogs.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Eleven-year-old Marty Preston loves to spend time up in the hills behind his home near Friendly, West Virginia. Sometimes he takes his .22 rifle to see what he can shoot, like some cans lined up on a rail fence. Other times he goes up early in the morning just to sit and watch the fox and deer. But one summer Sunday, Marty comes across something different on the road just past the old Shiloh schoolhouses -- a young beagle -- and the trouble begins.

What do you do when a dog you suspect is being mistreated runs away and comes to you? When it is someone else's dog? When the man who owns him has a gun? This is Marty's problem, and he finds it is one he has to face alone. When his solution gets too big for him to handle, things become more frightening still. Marty puts his courage on the line, and discovers in the process that it is not always easy to separate right from wrong. Sometimes, however, you do almost anything to save a dog.

SYNOPSIS

Eleven-year-old Marty Preston loves to spend time up in the hills behind his home near Friendly, West Virginia. Sometimes he takes his .22 rifle to see what he can shoot, like some cans lined up on a rail fence. Other times he goes up early in the morning just to sit and watch the fox and deer. But one summer Sunday, Marty comes across something different on the road just past the old Shiloh schoolhouses—a young beagle—and the trouble begins. What do you do when a dog you suspect is being mistreated runs away and comes to you? When it is someone else's dog? When the man who owns him has a gun? This is Marty's problem, and he finds it is one he has to face alone. When his solution gets too big for him to handle, things become more frightening still. Marty puts his courage on the line, and discovers in the process that it is not always easy to separate right from wrong. Sometimes, however, you do almost anything to save a dog.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

In the tradition of Sounder and Where the Red Fern Grows comes this boy-and-his-dog story set in rural West Virginia. When he finds a mistreated beagle pup, 11-year-old Marty knows that the animal should be returned to its rightful owner. But he also realizes that the dog will only be further abused. So he doesn't tell his parents about his discovery, sneaks food for the dog and gets himself into a moral dilemma in trying to do the right thing. Without breaking new ground, Marty's tale is well told, with a strong emphasis on family and religious values. This heartwarming novel should win new fans for the popular Naylor. Ages 8-12. (Sept.)

School Library Journal