76 pages 2 hours read

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Shiloh

Fiction | Novella | Middle Grade | Published in 1991

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Introduction

Shiloh

  • Genre: Fiction; realistic middle grade
  • Originally Published: 1991
  • Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 890L; grades 3-7
  • Structure/Length: 15 chapters; approx. 145 pages; approx. 2 hours, 47 minutes on audio
  • Protagonist and Central Conflict: Marty is 11 years old and is growing up in West Virginia, helping his family and longing for a dog. When a beagle, Shiloh, follows him home one day, a friendship forms, but his father makes him return Shiloh to the dog’s abusive owner Judd. Marty refuses to give up, though, facing one challenge after another to save Shiloh.
  • Potential Sensitivity Issues: Animal abuse; child abuse

Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, Author

  • Bio: Born in 1933 in Indiana; grew up with siblings and parents during the Depression, with reading as a focus; started writing stories in elementary school; earned BA from American University; worked as clinical secretary, teacher, and other jobs; Shiloh adapted for film; has written over 130 books and thousands of stories; writes on a clipboard in her favorite chair; multiple Edgar Allan Poe Awards; multiple ALA Awards
  • Other Works: Witch’s Sister (1975) Agony of Alice (1985); Shiloh Season (1986); Incredibly Alice (2011)
  • Awards: John Newbery Medal (1992), Sequoyah Children’s Book Award (1994), Mark Twain Readers Award (1994) 

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit: