Shiloh

Okay. I admit it. When I read in the paper that Angelina Jolie named her daughter Shiloh, I thought "She named her after a DOG?" Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's series was the first thing I thought of, and since I am working on the N's anyway, I had to read it.

I was surprised. I liked all three books (Shiloh, Shiloh Season and Saving Shiloh), although they weren't at all what I expected. I thought they would be about the dog, in the tradition of Where the Red Fern Grows or Sounder. But they really weren't. They were more about the abusive, drunken former owner and the boy's attempt to help him. They gave an excellent picture of a hard life in rural West Virginia; the third one especially covered the late fall and winter holidays and was quite enjoyable. I will recommend these to students who like problem novels but HAVE to read one about animals-- they will be pleased.