43 pages • 1 hour read
Summer of Riley
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Chapters 1-6Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 1 Summary
Content Warning: This book deals with discussions of animal euthanasia.
William is at the dog pound with his mother, Dorothy, and best friend, Grace. It has been two months since his grandfather died; William thinks his mother is letting him get a dog to cheer him up. He chooses a Labrador Retriever named Riley. William learns that Riley’s previous owners moved, which is why they surrendered him. The dog is very well-behaved, and William instantly loves him. While they are there, Grace points out that Dorothy and the man who works at the pound seem to be interested in each other.
William and Dorothy take Riley home, and William points out various fixtures of the neighborhood to the dog, including their neighbor Mrs. Peachwood’s house. They call her Peachie, and she is away at the moment. At home, William sees the fishpond that he and his grandfather were building before he died. The pond is unfinished and is now just a big muddy hole in the middle of the yard. William misses his grandfather. Dorothy wants William to either finish building the pond or cover it up, but he is too sad to make that decision.
Chapter 2 Summary
William and Riley continue to bond. Riley behaves very well, and Dorothy is pleased. William calls his father, Douglas, to tell him that he got a dog, but his father does not answer the phone. Later, William tells Riley that his parents used to get along, but now his father has his own apartment in another town, and they are happier apart. He resents the fact that his parents have not considered his happiness at all. He misses his father terribly and wants his parents to get back together.
As the days pass, William and Riley become inseparable. Riley never chases other dogs and one day, he even tries to pull William out of deep water when he is swimming. William thinks that Riley was trying to save him from drowning. With Riley by his side, William feels less sad about his grandfather’s death. His friend Grace points out that people sometimes get dogs to help heal grief and pain.
Chapter 3 Summary
William talks to Riley about his feelings regarding his father. He is angry that his father has ignored his messages and has not called or come to visit. Just as he says this, his father’s car pulls into the driveway. William sneaks downstairs to eavesdrop on his parents’ conversation. Dorothy scolds Douglas for not calling William back and gets weak excuses in response. Then, she asks him why he has not yet told William that he is engaged to Phoebe. William is shocked to learn that his father is getting remarried. He realizes that he should not be listening in on the conversation and leaves.
Chapter 4 Summary
Grace comes over and announces that William’s elderly neighbor, Mrs. Peachwood, whom they call Peachie, is back home. They rush over to introduce her to Riley. William sees Peachie outside with her horse, the Sultan of Kaboor. They approach her and introduce Riley. Suddenly, Riley jerks free of his leash and runs toward the horse. William falls to the ground and is powerless to stop Riley as he chases the Sultan and nips at his ankles. Grace and Peachie chase after Riley, yelling at him to stop and to leave the horse alone. Then, the horse falls to the ground. Peachie manages to beat Riley back from the Sultan, and William grabs his collar. Grace and Peachie are deeply upset about what happened. Peachie tells William to get Riley out of her sight. William tells Riley that he has been a bad dog.
Chapter 5 Summary
William tells Dorothy what Riley did. Grace comes back and tells them that the vet is on his way to see the Sultan. She is angry with Riley for attacking the horse, but William defends his dog. William and Dorothy go to talk to Peachie. The Sultan is able to stand again, but Peachie is very upset. Her husband, who died before William was born, loved the Sultan. William and Dorothy apologize for what Riley did and assure her that it will never happen again. However, Peachie asks them to leave. At home, William, Dorothy, and Grace have a meeting. Dorothy asks what they should do about Riley. William promises to never take Riley past Peachie’s house again and to hold his leash tightly from now on. Dorothy and Grace are not convinced that his promises will be sufficient; Grace thinks that Riley should never leave the yard.
Grace sees the vet, Doc Webb, leaving Peachie’s house, and they all rush out to ask about the Sultan. Riley almost bolts out the door after them, and William only stops him at the last second. Grace is furious with William and believes that he cannot control Riley. Doc Webb explains that the Sultan is spooked and has a minor injury, but, luckily, no broken bones. The horse is old; if he gets a fright like that again, it could be very bad for him. Grace believes that Riley is vicious; William is angry with Grace for not being more loyal to Riley. Grace leaves, upset. Dorothy suggests that Riley might not be the right dog for them, but William insists that he will ensure that Riley won’t ever do something like that again.
Chapter 6 Summary
Dorothy goes to see Peachie again. When she returns, she observes that Peachie seems more shaken than the horse. William takes Riley outside on a leash and tries to explain to him that what he did to the Sultan was bad. He does not like the idea of having to chain Riley up every time they go outside. At home, William goes to his grandfather’s room and wishes he were there to give him advice. Then, he sees his father arrive, and through an open window, William overhears him talking to Dorothy about Riley. His father insists that Riley needs to go back to the pound. Dorothy suggests a dog psychiatrist, believing that William is too delicate to give Riley up after losing his grandfather.
Suddenly, Riley jumps out of William’s open window and runs down the driveway. William runs down the stairs and calls to his mother for help. William and his parents run after Riley to Peachie’s house. They find him in front of the barn doors, with Peachie blocking his path. She is screaming at Riley to go away. William tries to pull Riley away, but the dog is stubborn. William eventually gets Riley back to the house and locks him in his room. When his parents return, William insists that Riley was just trying to be friendly to the horse. The doorbell rings. Dorothy worries that Peachie has come over to berate them.
Chapters 1-6 Analysis
One of the main themes of The Summer of Riley is Navigating Change. William is not yet able to move past his grief after losing his grandfather. His unwillingness to accept the past is evidenced by his insistence on leaving the fishpond half-finished. Dorothy decides to get him a dog because she wants to help him move on and feel better. Initially, Riley is the start of a brighter future for William. William enjoys spending time with the dog and even speaks to Riley as though he were a human, confiding his pain and insecurities to the dog. William is happier, and it seems like Dorothy’s plan has worked. However, the success is short-lived. After Riley attacks Peachie’s horse, Dorothy is desperate to find a way to keep the dog so her son won’t have to encounter loss once again and lose the progress he has made. Her suggestion that they get a dog psychiatrist speaks to her desire to see her son flourish instead of allowing him to suffer yet another setback.
William, too, struggles with the idea that he may lose Riley. He says that the dog is the first thing that has helped him feel better since his grandfather’s death. His absolute insistence that Riley never meant the Sultan any harm and that nothing similar will ever happen again is driven partly by his love for his dog and partly by his need to hold onto happiness. Riley represents comfort and stability, which William’s life has lacked ever since his grandfather’s death. The thought of losing Riley is unbearable because it means that William will once again have to confront turbulence and change, so he makes increasingly desperate promises to try to convince everyone that Riley will behave in the future and can continue to stay with him. In this section of the novel, William’s journey of navigating change has only just begun.
While Seeing Both Sides of an Argument can be challenging for anyone, it is particularly so for children. For instance, when William thinks about his parents’ divorce, he assumes that they have chosen their own happiness over his. He does not consider the possibility that his parents might also have thought about what would be best for him when they chose to end their marriage. On the other hand, William’s father does seem unwilling to consider the world from his son’s perspective. He has chosen not to be honest with William about his fiancée, Phoebe, postponing a conversation that will inevitably be difficult. William’s father has broken his trust, and it will take time for that trust to be repaired.
The main argument in the novel is between William and Peachie. In William’s view, Riley is a sweet, well-meaning dog who never intended to harm Peachie’s horse; William is convinced that Riley was just being friendly and overly enthusiastic when he charged at the Sultan. However, from Peachie’s point of view, Riley’s intentions are of no consequence—all she cares about is the safety of the horse that she loves, and she knows that the dog can endanger the old horse by scaring it. Other characters have their own perspectives on the argument. Dorothy wants to keep Riley while Douglas wants the dog to return to the pound. Grace is torn because she cares about Peachie, the Sultan, William, and Riley. William cannot see Grace’s perspective, so he lashes out at her when she expresses anger toward Riley. Likewise, Grace cannot comprehend how painful the situation is for William. Since the various characters cannot see the argument from others’ perspective, it leads to a lack of empathy between them and the situation becomes divisive.
William’s journey in this novel is all about The Power of Perseverance. He believes he needs to convince everyone around him that Riley is not dangerous, and William is willing to do whatever is necessary to prevent Riley from misbehaving again. His intense loyalty toward Riley makes it difficult for William to see other people’s perspectives or to accept that he might not always be able to accurately assess Riley’s intentions. While William is trying to keep Riley, Peachie is fighting to save her horse. Peachie and William are character foils: Both of them have a strong connection to an animal that helps them manage their grief. Even though they are on opposite sides of this conflict, there is more connecting them than separating them. Unfortunately for William, his insistence that Riley will never attack another animal does not really hold up when Riley jumps out of his window to try to reach the horse again. William’s love for his dog is commendable, but his ability to control the situation is limited. He does not know Riley’s history, which makes it difficult for him to accurately assess whether this incident is a one-time issue or part of a larger pattern.
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